Since then I have studied book arts as well as metal fabrication, printing, drawing, painting, and photography through several community colleges, city supported art courses, Arizona State University, and workshops in my local area, as well as around the country and in Italy.
What kickstarted my interest in book construction was a video that I rented entitled, Prospero's Books, with actor, John Gielgud. I have included a YouTube clip from that very abstract performance that contains in it the section which drew me into that fascination with book making...the description of the pages of the books themselves.
This book structure below is my very first.
This was followed by several book binding courses at Phoenix Art Center which in 1997 led to my first cased-in book on colonial gravestones of New England which I entitled, A Graphic Sampler: Gravestone Art and Epitaphs from Massachusetts & Connecticut 1713-1838.
I only made three copies which were printed on my trusty HP black and white laser printer which registered front and back very well. Never had a printer that would perform that accurately again.
In that same time frame I assembled a couple of journals in which were compiled small gravestone rubbings and intaglio prints.
A graphic rendition of the rubbing below became my own logo.
The following are a few of my intaglio prints.
The images were initially processed on photopolymer plates.
In 2002 I assembled a multi-layered book entitled, How to Photograph Gravestones and How To Do Gravestone Rubbings. Most of those I gave away, too.
The outer left section contains intaglio prints on a thin but high-strength substance generically known as rubbing paper.
The outer right section houses a rubbing on a black rubbing paper, also generic, enveloped in Teton text paper which is intaglio printed and secured with fabricated copper hinge plates and pin.
You can barely see the hinge and pin on the bottom image.
All the cover paper was intaglio printed on Teton text.
Metal work had become part of my process.
I put my metal fabrication education to good use embossing gravestone imagery into copper foil, making chain for book closures and creating other ornamentation.
As time has progressed so too have my interests in varying materials. It's obvious from looking at my color scheme, it is pretty much earthy. And it is also obvious that I like exposed stitching methods.
And just for a little color, as a close I will show you a few of what I do for pure fun. These are acrylic and watercolor "paintings" created with plastic wrap.
Oh, and a few marbled papers.....very close up.
They make great graphics, don't they.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this.
May life treat you well.
