JAPAN JOURNAL JOURNEY INSPIRATION

Naoshima

Japan Journal Journey Box

from the Origami collage series

This winter I spent many hours "downloading" my November Japan Journal Journey experience in the form of collage and artists' books. The Origami collage and Naoshima are examples. Much of this new body of work will be placed in the Lora Schlesinger Gallery in Santa Monica, California.

A large series of artists' books contained in the antique red box will be shown at the Durango Arts Center in November.

Coming up, April 30, is the opening reception at the Long Beach Museum of Art's "Novel Constructions: Contemporary Artists Create Monumental Books". I will be making a large installation called "DETRITUS". Images will be posted in May.

OPENING A BOOK: ENVIRONMENTAL ARTISTS' BOOKS

Winter Pressing Book and Winter Pressing 2008


On April 4, We journeyed to Albuquerque, NM for the reception of "Opening a Book: Environmental Artists' Books at The Land/gallery, presented by The Land/art site. Inc. The photo in the gallery shows 2 of the 3 pieces that Jeffrey Lee curated into the show. Ten years ago I worked on The Land/art site near Mountainair, south of Albuquerque, creating a large open book sculpture in an arroyo using indigenious elements. It was wonderful to connect with the founders, Edite Nuevo and Thomas Cates again. Their relatively new gallery space is beautiful - clean, white, and well designed. The show included many fine artists such as Basia Irland who carved an ice book embedded with seeds. We stayed overnight at the comfy adobe of Mark Rudd and Marla Painter. Sunday we brunched with Florida friends Van and Fran Massey and daughter Laurie at one of our favorite eateries - Santacafe in Santa Fe. Before leaving for home we visited Site Santa Fe and saw the show "Pretty is as Pretty does".
Quite a show, pretty on the exterior, but inside was another matter.

6th ANNUAL EDIBLE BOOK TEA

Nori Tales by Mary Ellen Long

Dr Seuss Style by Heather Hensley

Dead Sea Scrolls by Ari Vicenti

The Edible Book Tea was held at the Durango Art Center on April 3. Here are a few examples. The complete show is in the Edible Book scrapbook in the Art Library (DAC) if you are in Durango.

11TH INTERNATIONAL COLLAGE EXHIBITION AND EXCHANGE

Heisel

Each year I create 13 collages for this exhibit. This year my theme was inspired by my Japan travels. I used periods in Japanese history for titling and fragments of Japanese origin in the compositions. The collage "Heisel" is an example. To see and learn more about this exchange, link to http://virtualtart.co.nz. This year's collages will be up on the site by April. Dale Copeland of Okato, New Zealand is the founder of this endeavor. More about her: http://outofsight.co.nz/Dale/collage.htm

FURNITURE AS ART 2009

"Stacks"

Here is my book sculpture for Durango's "Furniture as Art" Auction benefiting KDUR, the college public radio station. The idea is that you can use the stacks for a cup of tea, a candle, and a vase of flowers...then the grouping of stacks becomes "furniture"! The date is March 19 for the auction at the Durango Arts Center.

WINTER PASSING

Genie Shenk exhibit at the Athenaeum, La Jolla, California

Mission Valley Library, San Diego, California

December and January have been intense studio time. A break in the routine found me flying out to Southern California mid
January. A busy week included attending the opening reception at the La Jolla Athenaeum for the exhibit "Dreams and Other
Lost Languages", the MAGIC of my long time friend Genie Shenk. I also made the general meeting of the San Diego Book Arts of which I am a member but rarely make their events in person. The venue was the Mission Valley Library in San Diego with sculptural art by Joyce Cutler-Shaw. Sue Ann Robinson, Curator of Collections at the Long Beach Museum, spoke about her work. I later meet her at the Museum to discuss my installation for an upcoming exhibit in May. Visits with friends and son Mitchell filled out the week.

JAPAN JOURNAL JOURNEY

A recent two week trip to Japan, organized by Santa Fe artist Gail Rieke and led by Michael Hart was my birthday pleasure...a long time dream finally realized. This small tour concentrated on mostly rural Japan and art and craft-both ancient and contemporary. Visits to an indigo dye master and traditional pottery villages were juxtaposed with stops at contemporary museums and galleries. I have memories of incredible landscapes and gardens, temples and shrines, the polite and considerate people, and the beautiful Japanese aesthetic in all things. A more extensive photo essay is posted on flickr.com which is listed on the right.

ME at Benesse Museum Restaurant-Birthday lunch

Calligrapher, Shitennoji Buddhist Temple, Osaka

Ritsurin Koen 18th c. stroll garden

Tokoname shop

JAPAN JOURNAL JOURNEY

More photographs of my Japan journey can be accessed on the flickr.com website

Persimmons drying

Temple gravestones, Takayama

Rice harvest, Shirakawago

Takayama shrine

MINIATURE BOOK EXHIBIT - traveling schedule

The miniature book exhibit of the San Diego Book Arts (see September 26th post here) is traveling to the San Diego Public Library in Kensington till November 28th, and then goes to the International Printing Museum in Carson, CA. from November 29th to January 10th. The show has been at University of San Diego's Copley Library for the past month. Two of my books are included.

PRIME: WORKING ARTISTS OVER 65

On the beach in Anguilla

Dale Copeland of Okato, New Zealand has organized this exhibit on http://virtual.tart.co.nz showing art work and photos of international artists. There is also a calendar of artists that have been selected by a voting process of which I am "February"! This calendar sells for $12. plus $4. postage and can be ordered at www.dalecopeland.co.nz/Press/press.htm