While the muse...

 ...was back in the studio this week, the spatial relationship brain took a holiday.  What was supposed to be an easy book form took a whole lot longer than it 'should have'.

There were a couple of reasons for this.  I decided to use a hodge-podge of gel prints, all of which were decidedly unappealing, so the organization of them took some time.

And my decision to do something different with the Typar cover meant the directions I found on Vintage Page Designs required some finagling.  Well, not some really - a lot.

Of course, I made my usual plethora of mistakes (apparently that's also part of my learning curve).

Eventually, however, I managed to stitch/cut/sort/cover and create this accordion concertina book form.

By the time I finish the inside (and won't that be a challenge with all those unloved pages?!!!) and form a box for it, I'm hoping it will be a lovely repository for a ton of 💓💕💖💗💝💞💟.  For some reason, my collection of these has grown by leaps and bounds these past two years.

And I did mention last week that I had something in mind for the collage of paper strips.  During the week I finished a small painting with it, and enjoyed adding some textural elements.  The background is one I created with a dryer sheet technique some months ago.

'Hwy 340' collage on wood panel 4" x 4" 2021 © Win Dinn

'Hwy 340' collage on wood panel 4" x 4" 2021 © Win Dinn

A quick count tells me that I now have 6 or 7 journals to complete on the inside, one large painting on the go, paper partly completed for another star book, and so much more.  This is really living the creative life, isn't it?!

When the muse...

 ...is fallow/dormant/inert out to lunch, I head back into my black and white journal.  Because it's a small size and I occasionally store some sketchy ideas there, it's a good working ground.  Started sometime in the fall of 2019, I expect it to be finished during the next pandemic if my present rate is any indication.

I have done a few pages, though, and thought I'd share them here.

And of course there is always something (else) on the go in the studio.  

I've been playing with the chopped off ends of papers (yes, I save everything), but judging from the pile, there's a lot to do yet.  I've got a project in mind for the paper above, and right now it's resting under a stack of books while the glue sets.

And of course there is another book form in progress; I still have several thousand styles to test.  These signatures need punching and setting into an accordion file.

All in all, there's more than enough to keep me busy as we wait for the roads to open from the west coast and supply lines to resume.  This is some interesting year, isn't it?  

Stay safe, my friends, and keep in touch.    

Books, books, books...

 ...are really all I can think about right now.  I'd like to shut myself away in the studio and make them until I've tried every possible style.

This particular one is called a piano hinge, using wooden skewers to tie it all together.  

It's been in the works for a couple of weeks, what with the re-writing the directions so that I could understand them, and doing some paper mockups.

It has ten signatures of two sheets each and in five different colours, so that the spine is (quietly) colourful.

I used my own painted paper for the covers, which only leaves me with two or three feet of this one to go.  😂

What was really fun was popping over to visit another artist to purchase some buttons. Andrea Revoy makes the most fabulous clay and porcelain buttons and her wide-ranging interests run from clay to fabric to hand-crafted books.  A visit to her studio is, for me, to get lost in the deliciousness!

One couldn't help finding the perfect button to finish off this book.

Meanwhile, the Christmas cards continue apace and the painting lies languishing from neglect.

Who knows where the muse will strike this week?  I really need to make a box for this book (it will  look terrific hanging like a ledger), and I've got a couple of more book styles lined up as well.  When will I get back to the painting?  Heaven knows!

In 2019, . . .

... months before the pandemic started I was approached by Ruth Bieber, a local blind dramatist and artist, to assist her with a project.  She was eager to create a body of conceptual acrylic works in vibrant colours, and asked me, along with two other artists (Marnie Temple and Lisa Benschop), to help her with the plan.  She had painted before, eagerly followed the progress of other blind artists, and was passionate about painting.  And so, a collaboration began that I could never have imagined.

You can see here that Ruth is a woman of vision and determination.  In spite of the countless issues surrounding her, she's managed to create a body of work (some 22+ pieces) amidst one of the most difficult times in the history of the world; her show officially opens here on Saturday.

You can find other posts about Ruth's work in this blog by keying her name in the search bar on the right.  Suffice to say that the works are uniquely hers, driven by her concepts, utilizing colours she has chosen, and as much as possible, done with her own hands.

The working process was filmed by local Mark Wolfe of Westword Communications; you can view it here.  It's a fascinating video that goes deeply into Ruth's process and concepts around what she calls 'blind art'.

I know that many of you will be unable to view the show in person even as it tours, so I'm providing some photos that have not been shown here before.  All her works are textural to the max; just imagine your hands running slowly over the hills and valleys to get the full effect, and then do it again with your eyes closed.

'Undercurrents'  Ruth Bieber '  18" x 36"  2021

'Desert Storm'  Ruth Bieber 20" x 16" on canvas 2021

'Found a Feather'  Ruth Bieber  20" x 16" on canvas 2021

'Playtime'  Ruth Bieber 
 32" x 30" 2015 & 2021

'Red'  Ruth Bieber 16" x 12" 2021

'Blues'  Ruth Bieber  16" x 12" 2020-2021

I am excited to see the show, Beyond the Horizon, at the Tilted Brick Gallery on Saturday, knowing the dedication, passion and love for colour that Ruth has brought to this venture.  She is an amazing woman, and an ascending star in the world of blind art.  Many congratulations, Ruth!