Day One – New York City

Posted on July 23, 2010 by ruthek

The thing about living on the 28th floor is the lightning is right outside, not above you. Fifteen minutes ago I returned from a short walk. It was still hot and very humid, felt like walking in water. Now the skies have opened up, thunder is almost continuous, lightning is right here and lights from the cars reflect off large pools of water.

I arrived in NYC very early this morning: about 1:30 am, after an extra long trip on the Mega Bus, the one that advertises fares as low as $1. It wasn't the price that I found so enticing: it was the wi fi. I had this idea I would be able to use my computer throughout the entire trip. It didn't work that way. I was able to get connected, but through most of Pennsylvania there was no internet access. (Not much phone access, either, when you get right down to it.

The bus had trouble leaving Pittsburgh because of some kind of demonstration so we were most of an hour late before we really got started. The bus was OK for a bus, but trains are better: more leg room and walking space.

Now for the price: I've been planning this trip for a long time. When I first looked at the bus, I could have booked the round-trip for $3 ($1 each way and 50 cent service charge each way). By the time I made sure Renee wouldn't be here (so I wouldn't be walking in and waking her at 1 am), the price had gone up: $8 for the entire trip. Then Julia called and said she was making a birthday party for David and herself on the day I was leaving. Would I postpone my departure. Sure. That cost another $5. Then Robin asked why I wasn't coming home in time for Shabat dinner, Charna would be there. That change cost an additional $15 or $16. I think I've spent about $30 for these tickets: still a big bargain.

Ah, but we're not finished. Steve wants to come to Julia's party and Charna would like to come to New York (she's still in Chicago). I think Robin and Steve will drive, Charna will fly from Chicago, and we'll all go back in the car. Fine with me. I'm not sure I want to get back on that bus.

After a very late start, I spent most of today walking around the city. Work on the Second Avenue Subway still has the neighborhood torn up. I went to the Center for Book Arts and saw two great shows. Mage, you would have liked the poetry books. Not chap books, but wonderful ways of combining words and graphics. The other show had several pop-up books and other books with cuttings. They have artist talks on the next two Wednesday evenings. I may try to get back there. I took some classes there while I was living here. Wish I could do it again.

Flagbooks

Posted on July 16, 2010 by ruthek

I've been busily and happily working on more flag books. The technique is simple but I feel it has great promise. While making a flagbook is easy, making it look like what you first envisioned is fairly complicated. In that first workshop I took (flag and tunnel books), we began with papers, mostly cut to size and easy instructions. Decisions only involved decoration. The book came out great. I made another flag book when I was up in Wisconsin; there was nothing critical about it. I looked at pictures of flagbooks which made use of photographs and realized how the photo would have to change on each "page" but still ignored how the book would open.

What I never thought about was how the depth of the accordion fold will change the way you see the flags. One of the books was not critical. For the flags, I removed the background from photos I took at a parade in Hikone, Japan, in 2007. Then I made backs for each image; not great, but passable. They look like paper dolls, or almost like baseball cards. I have an atlas, printed in Japan that I bought for a dollar and used pages from it to make the covers. It didn't matter that the accordion was too shallow.

The other book is for a birthday gift. I won't show you the finished book because I stole one of the images from the internet and can't find a way to credit or pay for it. I don't want to violate copyright by publishing it. The cover looks like this:

The outside is a light card stock with an embossed metallic finish. Inside endpapers are tie die paper I made in the book workshop. You can see the accordion at the bottom; the fold is only about half an inch. It should have been more like one and a quarter inches. Some of the words I put on the flags don't show up unless you move them. I have one more birthday book to make before I go to New York: that one will open properly.

Heat and other nasties

Posted on July 8, 2010 by ruthek

I am ready to spend the day in bed in my darkened, air conditioned bedroom. It's not going to happen, but for a few minutes I'll stay here with my little netbook. I can't find a really comfortable way to use it in bed. Leaning on my left elbow gets old very fast. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain and get a little cooler. That would be better; I'd like to go for a walk.

For months I've been having trouble falling asleep, but when I travel, no trouble. At first I thought it might be because I feel more secure with other people near me, but I didn't really believe it. Then there is the mattress question: do I need a new one? On this last trip I changed beds seven times, including one not wonderful sofabed. I had no trouble falling asleep. Back home, Monday night, after a very long, tiring, hot day, I was tossing again. I've been sleeping on two pillows at home; that seemed to be the only real difference. I took one pillow away: Fixed! I'm amazed that such a little thing could make a big difference.

I'm still working on books: another flag book this time. I feel this is a form with great potential. Google flag book to find some interesting illustrations.

Back to the city

Posted on June 29, 2010 by ruthek

Back at Sandy’s in Arlington; filled with swirling, unstructured thoughts, about bookmaking, about my friends, about the week, and about me. I feel so much better when I have people around me and lots of challenges. All week I was much younger than my 76 years. My hip still aches and sometimes I have trouble walking, but I was happy and nothing bothered me.

Being teacher for the week was a great pleasure and I was sorry to see it end. We left Anita’s about 11 am and drove south on the scenic route, sailing past the ice cream store but stopping at The Flying Pig, a combined garden center and gallery of outsider art, great things to look at and charming ladies running the it. What a great place!

Sunday morning, the sun shone briefly on too much heat and humidity for 8 am, then thunder and lightning filled the sky. After the storm was over, I drove over to Carol, not far away. Family day, or, at least, family afternoon. Carol invited some of my cousins for lunch. It’s a kind of family reunion each year when I come back here, but each year our numbers grow smaller. This year’s theme seems to be a recounting of all the people we’ve lost. Many of my friends in Chicago were older and long gone. It made it easier for me to leave Chicago thirteen years ago. Did I mention, this is nostalgia trip time?

In Chicago with good friend Betty and feeling very lucky. Found a parking space a block away at 6:05 Sunday night. From 6 pm a permit is required for parking. Could I get to Betty’s, get the permit and get back to the car before the cops came? Decided I couldn’t give up the space, so I really scurried. The cop was there when we returned, busy with someone else. Very lucky. Found two parking spaces Monday night. Didn’t like the first one. Very, very lucky.

We went out to Rockford to see a Japanese garden. Do you think I’m obsessed? Rockford is about 2 hours away; I’ve only been there once before, many years ago, before the Japanese garden was built, and long before I cared about Japanese gardens. The garden was lovely; worth the drive, but somehow American Japanese gardens are never as satisfying as Japanese Japanese gardens. It has something to do with the trees.

Back to the big city and cell phones, traffic and noise

Posted on June 26, 2010 by ruthek

This is our last morning in Door County. It's been a great trip. Not only have we all been productive,

we went to a wonderful play (Tom Stoppard's Heroes) visited two spectacular gardens and spent some time at Kathy's house in the woods. Only Sandy, Jan and I came up this year; Sue couldn't make it. Kathy joined us part of the time, but she hasn't been well and didn't have energy for all of it. So this year it was three of us and Anita, our hostess.

We went back to the Garden Door, the master garden we visited last year, but the really spectacular treat was Overbeck's, a nearby private home and garden. This is a living work of art; the garden and the house being embellished with mosaics, stained glass and carved wood in amazing, tasteful ways, not at all exemplified by that website.

Between the book workshop last week and art camp this week it's been the best two weeks I've had all year. Nothing like a little stimulation to make me forget all of my health problems. My week in Chicago should be equally good.

What a week!

Posted on June 24, 2010 by ruthek

We worked all day Tuesday, Wednesday morning and part of today with great results. Tomorrow we'll have show and tell with pictures. Here are some pictures from the week:

Jan hard at work

My workspace. I hate to admit it looks a lot like my workspace at home.

The studio.

Looking back at the house.

Looking toward the lake.

The house.

Of course, all was not work. Here are Jan and Sandy exercising.

Report on book workshop

Posted on June 22, 2010 by ruthek

This was a workshop to learn techniques and make product. All of our materials were provided, mostly cut to size with only a few adjustments necessary. We began on Monday making four small books, using folds and tabs with no adhesive necessary. Signatures were stitched into the book creating different patterns on each spine. This technique really interested me; it’s much better for me than using glue. I plan to explore further. In the afternoon we made a soft cover Japanese stab bound book. This is the method I’ve been using to bind my books, although I never use soft covers. The interesting part, for me, was making book cloth for the covers. At the end of the day we had five books. I normally work very slowly. Just had to finish the butterfly stitching and stitching on two of the.small books. I went home completely exhausted and crawled into bed by 8:30.

Tuesday we began with a book with a butterfly binding. Again this is a stitch that becomes a decorative statement on the outside of the spine. Boards for the spine and covers were precut for us. We had our choice of bookcloth, endpapers, and linen thread for the stitching. Text block papers were provided precut. We folded and punched holes. In the afternoon we did origamizo, folding and dying papers. It’s an interesting process, but you never know exactly what will result. I can’t say I was happy with anything I made; maybe in time I’ll feel differently about it. I wasn’t so tired Tuesday night and was able to work on my unfinished books at home.

Wednesday was build-a-box day. Pam provided precut, thick boards for top, bottom and sides. We had to make size adjustments on the sides, giving us the opportunity to cut the thick board. Then we chose 10 different papers to cover the box, inside and out, top and bottom. We also received instructions and materials for making a half-size box. This is one of the projects I will work on when I return from Chicago.

Thursday we created a bradel book: an old-style, fully bound book with a curved spine. The text block was made from watercolor paper, eight sheets cut from three full size sheets then folded and punched for stitching. The book has that fancy tape on the edges of the spine, heavy board covers and beautiful end papers. It’s obviously too precious to use. This was another wipe-out day; I was very tired all day and also had afib all day, making me feel really awful. I’m still trying to figure out what sets off the afib; maybe tired had something to do with it. I doubled the meds in the evening and have been OK since. Again, I don’t really know if this is a fix or maybe a placebo effect.

Friday we began with some single page, folded books. You can download and print some artist designed papers here. Using the same fold we made pages for a journal in a box. The box was made from a recycled cereal box. I have all the folded papers but didn’t finish cutting and gluing; another project for when I return. We finished the day folding a blizzard book and a crown book. I didn’t do a good job folding so I have to try again. Both books really interest me.

I was really sorry when the week ended. I loved the workshop and would happily do it again. I was hoping for a little more emphasis on technique; my craftsmanship leaves much to be desired. But I think there are no secrets; I just have to be more careful.

On the road

Posted on June 21, 2010 by ruthek

Sunday June 20

Another beautiful, sunny day. Yesterday was a nostalgia trip. Some of my visits in Chicago concern the here and now, but often they dip back into the fathomless past. I spent the night with Joan, Richard’s cousin. I’ve known her since I was 20, and even though I am no longer Richard’s wife, she remains my cousin. We deal with the here and now, but the past sits just behind an open door. We talked non-stop, all through dinner and on to a visit to Linda and Tom, who live in a house filled with art. Tom is an amazing, highly productive artist. I ache for him, that he does not get more recognition.

I am sitting in Joan’s kitchen watching the birds at the feeders, the squirrel under the feeders cleaning up seeds the birds dropped and a chipmunk that steals seeds and darts away.

We went to see more of Tom’s art: sculpture being installed on the Purdue campus;

Linda, Joan, Ed and Tom

a wonderful mosaic with 150,000 tiles at Andrean High School.

I am overwhelmed by this man.

More talk, then into Chicago with traffic as bad as I’ve ever seen it. If this happens on Sunday, what must Monday be? I made a quick, unsatisfying stop at Paper Source, then out to Arlington Heights to meet with Sandy and Jan over a wonderful dinner. We looked at the books from the workshop, which inspired Sandy to add more tools and materials to the supply we are carrying. Tomorrow morning, after quick stops at Trader Joe’s for snacks and Office Depot for more paper, we’re off to Door County.

Monday

The drive to Door County was largely uneventful–only about 10 minutes of heavy rain as we left Illinois. We arrived about 3, unpacked the car visited over lemonade and then another show and tell for Anita and Kathy. We are now suitably inspired and ready to go to work tomorrow.

Cardio update

Posted on June 10, 2010 by ruthek

Wearing the monitor, last Thursday, nothing happened until early Friday morning. Then I was back in afib for the day, but it was never as bad as Wednesday had been. I went back to rehab and exercised in spite of the flutter. When I woke up Saturday morning, still fluttering, or fibbing as they call it, I took the old dose of my meds. By noon I was feeling good and have been fine ever since, even though I immediately went back to the reduced dose. I tried to ask the doctor about it, but his staff just told me to do what he had said and wait to hear from them. (Remember, he has the personality of a drill sergeant.)

I've been waiting all week; in fact, I'd pretty much given up. Since I was feeling good, I didn't care. Today was the big day–they finally called, not with an answer, but an order to come in again, possibly on June 29. Obviously, this is not an emergency. I made the appointment for July 6. I have a busy three weeks coming up and I won't let them spoil it.

Next week I'm taking that book making workshop at the Society for Contemporary Craft. Then the next day, Saturday, I'm driving to Chicago then on to Door County for another art camp. Back to Chicago the next week to visit with friends and relatives and attend a nephew's wedding. I'll get back here July 5. But I promise I'll post again before that.

Tunnel books

Posted on May 30, 2010 by ruthek

I finally made a tunnel book from my pictures of the tunnel under the convention center. This is the second incarnation; the first was terrible.

Here it is from the top:

It's OK, but it doesn't convey the feeling of the tunnel, which is long, cool, dark, and a little eerie. I'll try again with more space between each of the pictures; maybe that will work better.

Here is the tunnel book I made in the workshop.

We were given the handmade paste papers, so we worked with what we had. In two weeks I am taking a week long book making workshop with Pam Sussman. I don't think it will be this kind of book, but I'm hoping to sharpen my skills.

100 Books Before I Die

Ruthe Karlin

Category Archives: Artist books