Book Arts and Photography » Book Arts

Pictorial Websters

Jim — Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:04:41 +0000

This link will show you an amazing short documentary about the making of the book “Pictorial Websters.”
The deluxe copy shown in the video is from an edition of 26. Chronicle Books has a trade edition for $35.

The first printing press in the Americas

Jim — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 17:18:52 +0000

The viceroy Don Antonio de Mendoza established the first printing press of the Americas at location in 1536. The typographers were Esteban Martin and Juan Paoli. Centro historico, Mexico DF,Mexico.

If you get a chance to travel to Mexico City, you owe it to yourself to visit the “Centro Historico.” On Sundays, they close some of the streets and merchants and performers fill the street. The historic center of the city or the Zocalo, has been the cultural, spiritual and political center of the city for 500 years. Yes, 500 years. I can’t think of any other location on this continent that has seen as rich of a history. Unknown to some, is that inside this building, in 1536, the first printing press was established in the Americas. They even give credit to the first two typographers!

Combat Paper returns to UW-Madison

Jim — Sat, 26 Mar 2011 22:09:20 +0000

Drew Cameron, Drew Luan Matott and Margaret Mahan from Combat Paper returned to provide a workshop for students and veterans at UW-Madison’s Paper Lab. The paper for this piece was made from military uniforms and the image was created by spraying pulp through a silk screen stencil.

Up and 99% running.

Jim — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 18:38:45 +0000

Thanks to a new theme and some recent updates, the site is back on line. Lets hope the cyber pranksters have moved on.

Handmade Paper in Motion portfolio

Jim — Mon, 07 Feb 2011 16:45:39 +0000

I had the pleasure of taking photos of the newest portfolio from the Hand Papermaking Organization group. About every two years, Hand Papermaking issues a call for submissions and curates a national competition to promote fine made made from handmade paper. The most recent issue in Handmade Paper in Motion. This link will take you to a gallery of photographs of Portfolio #9 Handmade Paper in Motion. Visit Hand Papermaking Organization for more information about the organization. Purchasing information for Paper in Motion is here.

College Book Art Association

Jim — Thu, 03 Feb 2011 01:05:21 +0000

Julie VonDerVellen at the CBAA Members Exhibition.

The College Book Arts Association conference took place at Indiana University, in Bloomington, Indiana January . The CBAA is an organization dedicated to promoting Book Arts in Colleges and Universities. This year University of Wisconsin-Madison Alum Julie VonDerVellen took first place in the student section. Click on this link to see more photographs of Julie VonDerVellen’s artwork.

Charley Trujillo visits with faculty and students

Jim — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 03:03:20 +0000

Charley Trujillo is a small publisher and author. Several years after serving in Viet Nam, he wrote about his wartime experience in his book “Soldados: The Chicano Experience in Viet Nam.” He included stories of 19 fellow Chicano veterans from Corcoran, California. A great lesson for all of us is that his manuscript was rejected by dozens of publishers. It left him with no alternative, but to publish the book himself. In 1991 he received the American Book Award. He has a small publishing company called Chusma House Publishing which is located in San Jose, CA.

Books made from one sheet of paper

Jim — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 14:43:36 +0000

It is not that important to find a definitive answer to the question “Can you make a book using only one sheet of paper.” For some turning over a sheet of paper or unfolding it, is enough. At the very least, the viewer must pick up a sheet of paper and turn it over or in some way interact with it. Does the simple act of picking up a sheet of a paper make it a book? Maybe, maybe not. But Margaret Mackenzie’s adaptation of a mobius strip surely is an interesting use of form and content. She hand wrote the lyrics to a never ending song. I will add more photos of student examples as soon as I take the photos! Please stop back.

Kathleen O’Connell Speaks to Book Artists

Jim — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 23:02:36 +0000

Kathleen O’Connell speaking to the Art 446 Artists’ Book class about her exhibit in the Rockford College Art Gallery, Rockford, Illinois. The show, is titled “Observations from the New World”. Kathleen currently live in Lima Peru. Her exhibition combines the disciplines of printmaking and book arts in her show. The work is inspired by her relocation to Peru. We enjoy having her participate in an informal class critique.

Starting point for a new book.

Jim — Fri, 03 Sep 2010 20:03:52 +0000

How does one start working a new book? What sparks the idea? What is the first step for the new project? For book artists’ it most likely is some type of visual element. Maybe an idea for a new structure, new imagery or the possibility for a new collaboration. Regardless of the starting point, something has to come first.
Another question can be posed as a starting point for the fall 2010 Art 446 Artists’ Book class; “Can you make a book from one sheet of paper?” It could be argued that a single sheet of paper, if left unchanged or un folded can’t be called a book. What is the minimum that we have to do to move it closer to becoming a book.
If we rolled the sheet of paper and call it a scroll. Is that the first step to becoming a book? How about folding it into an accordion fold. Does that move it away from only being a flat sheet of paper. Does that make it a book? If we cut sections of the book so that it folds and unfolds into a book like format, does that bring it closer to becoming a book. It will be fun to see how many mutations we can change a single sheet of paper.