As an English major and avid book lover, I have an affinity for old books.  One of the first types of journals I began making were out of used book covers.  Here's what I found out that made me even more adamant about re-using old book covers:  all book covers get thrown away!  That's right, only the inside of books can be recycled.  The insides getting recycled is the best case scenario (and even in this case think of all the lovely, awesome book covers that are getting tossed).  If you take your old books to a recycling center that cannot afford a book cutter (ie cannot pay someone to cut out the insides so those can be recycled), the whole book gets thrown away.  Bam.  Just like that, tons of books are finding themselves in landfills.  And have you ever peeked into the dumpster of a bookstore used or otherwise?  It's quite unbelievable all the books that are in them.  I find book covers many places, often with the pages still at least somewhat in them.  I look for books that are stacked in corners and overlooked or that are literally about to be thrown away.  They come from individuals, garage sales, antique stores, outlets, etc.  Its rare that I use books that I think should still be being read.  This mostly happens when the books are falling apart.  Thus, the books I generally have are a bit obscure with varying fun titles and/or fabulous covers.  I recycled their insides and...voila!  A super cool, unique journal or sketchbook.

lots of books easily fill up the back of jessica's mini!

 

voila!

I spent the weekend at Coney Island, participating in Summerfair Cincinnati.  I had been told it would be big, but the number of booths and the variety of art exceeded my expectations.  It was also laid out like a maze making it quite easy to literally get lost among the arrray of color and artists.  We thankfully did not have rain; however, the sun was merciless on Saturday--especially for those of us who did not have a tree shading our booths.  I would say that the booths became the equivalent of hot boxes all too early in the day.  I kept telling folks (and myself) that it was a free sauna.  Lots of detoxing was happening whether you wanted it to or not.   All is all, it was a great show filled with fabulous folks.  I've really enjoyed getting to know Cincy and its people a bit better.   

 Lots of books after a long week of creating 

Mentally preparing for the toasty weather

Re-imagining my tent in attempt to create air flow

I was happy to join the Lexington Fashion Collabortive and participate in the Kentucky Textile and Fashion Expo yesterday.  As I watched the models show off various designs and accessories, I couldn't help but think how fantastically my work fit it.  I, too, deal largely in textures and color and combining the two in a way that is pleasing to the senses.  Whether its various leathers or an old book cover, I greatly appreciate watching people look at and pick up my books, deeply enjoying each piece in its entirety.  I encourage folks to do so.  The texture is a great part of the fun.

Courtesy of GLINTstudios.

Courtesy of GLINTstudios.

Those folks in Northern Cincinnati are hardcore about art.  I was there for the Wyoming Art Show this past Sunday and winter happened.  It was cold and rainy and folks just grabbed their rain gear and came on out.  It was fantastic to be able to participate! 

Lexingon’s 2011 Mayfest was a delight!  I haven’t done a local show since last year, and it was really fun to get to see so many familiar faces.  I recognized many folks from last summer and appreciate all the friends and family that stopped by.

The weather forecast was not promising, but we made it through the weekend with only a couple hours of light rain on Saturday afternoon.  It did hold off long enough for the belly dancing troupe to get a full (and beautiful) number of dances in.  

I think its safe to say that summer officially happened on Sunday.  It was sunny and toasty—the perfect kind of weather for the amazing “Fashion in Wonderland”.  My friend and fellow artist, Mauricio Crane, organized the fashion show along with the Lexington Fashion Collaborative.  It was brilliant.  There were lovely models in amazing attire and accessories and art installations that the models became a part of.  All of this beauty was backed by some fabulously mixed music.  What a way to kick off the summer!

In April, I submitted two journals to an Ecobook Challenge organized by Mary Rezny, a local artist, and judged by Emily Martin, a book artist from Iowa who is interested in combining traditional book craft and art.  The Ecobook Challenge "encourages all residents of Fayette County to create a book from recycled and reused materials. The goal is to create a cherished treasure from items that are habitually thrown away."  I am pleased to announce that I received a letter saying that both of my books have been chosen for the Ecobook Challenge exhibit!  The opening reception is June 17 from 5-8pm at Mary Rezny's studio (903 Manchester St, Suite 170) and is in conjunction with LexArts city wide Gallery Hop.  Awards will be presented at 7pm.  I am thrilled to be participating!

Ecobook Statement:

I am an eco-friendly artist who has been salvaging and repurposing materials for years.  I appreciate sparing the environment, not adding to the landfills, and challenging my creativity to repurpose what might otherwise be a discarded textile.  I particularly enjoy re-imagining these materials into books that can be aesthetically and functionally appealing. I began bookbinding over 5 years ago and deeply appreciate the meditative quality it offers.  Initially, I started crafting books because I found journaling to be transformative in my own life.   I am mostly self-taught, experimenting with different techniques and combinations.  My inspiration comes from nature, ancient spiritual traditions, and anything whimsical, which I intertwine with ideas of function.  These two particular ecobooks are from almost completely salvaged and recycled materials.  All of the inside paper is 100% recycled, acid free paper.  The Spring Beckons Upcycled Leather Book is created from reclaimed leathers that are leftover from a car manufacturer that was closed down.  The Centering Flower Noteable Select was once part of the roof of the RDC Dome, an Indianapolis landmark between 1984-2008.  People for Urban Progress, an Indianapolis non-profit, salvaged approximately 13 acres of the roof material.  They continue to develop projects transforming the roof into various projects.   One of the projects is Noteables, which are books that I design from parts of the roof.  Because I create with repurposed materials, each piece is unique and cannot be recreated. 

This past weekend was Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in Louisville, KY.   One of the many highlights were the variety of exclamations people would make as they walked into my booth.  One gal walzed right up to the booklet necklaces exclaiming "I require one of these!"  Another lady picked up a large leather journal as she said" Wow! This work is amazing."  It was a delight to hear all of the feedback.  This is definitely one of the perks of participating in a show.  Its also fun to watch folks pick everything up and truly experience all of the textures.

I set up on Friday and was immediately even more excited about the show once I saw where it was. Cherokee Triangle is a neighborhood with gorgeous homes and ancient trees.  I was completely enchanted.  The weekend was full of oh so many interesting, genuine folks of all ages.  We had sunshine all of Saturday, and did we ever need it.  With so much rain here as of late, everyone could not have been in a better mood-myself included. There was a storm late Saturday evening, and I arrived at a quite disheveled booth on Sunday morning.  Nothing will wake you up like some good old fashioned manual labor.  The top had come off of my canapy, and my tables and displays were overturned.  Lots of things were soaked.  Thankfully, I had put all of the books away the night before, and none of them got wet.  I called upon all things creative and got right to work putting my canopy back together and attempting some sort of display with what I could still use.  It all worked out, and although it was suppose to rain all of Sunday, it did not rain during the show.  As soon as I packed my car up and closed the door, the drops began to fall.  Its pretty amazing that the weather was so merciful.  I kept telling everyone that I felt like we were being given a present.  

Having never done a show in Louisville prior to this, I have to say that it did capture me.  I thoroughly enjoyed the people that came through.  The streets, trees, and many local restaurants were magical. Everything was conducive to a fantastic weekend.  Thanks to all to came out!

I've managed to take several months off from festivals and am getting ready for my first show of the season:  Cherokee Triangle Art Fair in Louisville.  The time off was a much needed break; however, now with some revamping of my booth set-up, I am ready and excited to be participating in shows once again.  This will be my first time at a festival in Louisville, which means I will be meeting lots of new folks.  This tends to be one of my favorite aspects of participating in shows.  I will be spending this week putting the finishing touches on my display and creating a few more books...

I'm pleased to announce that I am now a member of the Kentucky Guild of Artists and Craftsmen.  I'm excited for the new opportunities and contacts this will present.  Thanks to Gin Petty for her mentorship, tips, and amazing humor.