Papermaking

Louise Nevelson cast paperSometimes a subject keeps coming up over and over and I think maybe I should pay attention — recently it’s papermaking. First were the cast paper things I saw late last year at an exhibit of work by Louise Nevelson at the de Young Museum. (That’s one of her castings to the left — it’s called “Dawn’s Presence” — it’s 31×21 inches to give you an idea of the size. I’m not sure if that’s one I saw at the de Young but it’s got the same feel. Of course the gift shop didn’t have a postcard of the paper pieces so I bought one of something that seemed similar. It’s pinned up to my wall by my work table and every time I look at it I remember how much I liked the paper casting pieces.) Then Ginger Burrell has been writing a 3 article series for Ampersand on using handmade paper in artists’ books (she’s done 2 already, one more in the Spring issue). In her bibliography, Ginger recommends “any book by Helen Hiebert”… and late this summer Helen is giving a class at San Francisco Center for the Book called Paper Lamps, Lanterns & Sculpture (which I first noticed because it isn’t really about books or book art, but do take a look at her lamps — many of them weirdly wonderful.) And then last week I saw an announcement about the non-profit Handmade Papermaking‘s annual fundraising auction of papermaking related stuff, which caused me to spend a pleasant half hour looking at the auction and then for papermaking classes in the Bay Area… although I don’t have any concrete ideas yet on how to use paper I’ve made in a book — seems like that’s always the impetus I need to start learning a new technique. And I also keep looking at the pulp painted paper chapbook I got at Codex for inspiration (it too is prominently displayed on my work table).

Giveaway for Poetry Month

A Word on StatisticsTo celebrate National Poetry Month and Mathematics Awareness Month, this month’s giveaway is a copy of my artist’s book A Word on Statistics. In it, the Nobel-prize winning poet Wislawa Szymborska takes a playful look at numbers and human nature. You can read the entire poem here. The book is 5-1/2″ by 3-1/2″ with the text of the poem printed letterpress and the illustrations (the dot grids) printed offset.
To enter, post your favorite poem in a comment to this post by April 23th. The winner will be selected at random and announced on April 24th.

Tools: A Simple Finishing Press

A Simple Finishing PressI mentioned this simple to make finishing press in my directions for the double-fan adhesive binding. But I think it merits a mention in a blog entry too. A ‘finishing press’ is used to hold the text block of a book vertically, spine facing up, while the book is out of its case and repair treatments are in progress. Normally the procedures performed while the text block is in the finishing press are the cleaning of the spine and the attachment of the new headbands, super, and spine liner. It acts as a vice, holding the book tightly, yet not damaging the text block. (The definition comes from Indiana University).
Directions for making the press are here. You can see photos of more substantial presses on Timothy More’s website.

artcrank

artcrank poster by Sean TubridyIt’s cold and very windy here today. I’m ready for winter to be over so I can get out for more bike rides. And finding these posters from Artcrank — a poster party showcasing bicycle-inspired original artwork — made me long to be outside even more. They had 2 parties earlier this month in Minneapolis and Denver. You can see the posters from Minneapolis and Denver, and Studio on Fire wrote about printing one of the posters letterpress.

The Certainty of Numbers

Kat Ran’s 10th book, The Certainty of Numbers

April is both National Poetry Month and Mathematics Awareness Month. (This year “awareness” is related to climate and climate change, but I suppose I’m more aware of numbers in April because of US tax day on April 15, but I digress…)
The other day I got an announcement from Kat Ran Press about their latest chapbook, with a quite wonderful poem, perfect for both celebrations — The Certainty of Numbers by Bruce Snider

The Certainty of Numbers

It’s not the numbers you dislike—
the 3s or 5s or 7s—but the way
the answers leave no room for you,
the way 4 plus 2 is always 6
never 9 or 10 or Florida,
the way 3 divided by 1
is never an essay about spelunking
or poached salmon, which is why
you never seemed to get the answer right
when the Algebra teacher asked,
If a man floating down a river in a canoe
has traveled three miles of a twelve mile canyon
in five minutes, how long will it take him
to complete the race? Which of course depends
on if the wind resistance is 13 miles an hour
and he’s traveling upstream
against a 2 mile an hour current
and his arms are tired and he’s thinking
about the first time he ever saw Florida,
which was in the seventh grade
right after his parents’ divorce
and he felt overshadowed
by the palm trees, neon sun visors,
and cheap postcards swimming
with alligators. Nothing is ever simple,
except for the way the 3 looks like two shells
washed up on last night’s shore,
but then sometimes it looks like a bird
gently crushed and on its side.
And the 1—once so certain
you could lean up against it
like a gray fence post—has grown weary,
fascinated by the perpetual
itch of its own body.
Even the Algebra teacher
waving his formulas like baseball bats,
pauses occasionally when he tells you
that a 9 and a 2 are traveling in a canoe
on a river in a canyon. How long
will it take them to complete their journey?
That is if they don’t lose their oars
and panic and strike the rocks,
shattering the canoe. Nothing is ever certain.
We had no plan, the numbers would tell us,
at the moment of our deaths.