Hand Pulled Prints, Books, Drawings and More


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Community

Old books make for great inspiration.

Over a year ago my friend, Katy Govan, was still finishing her Master of the Arts degree in Book Arts and felt that Reno deserved a quality book community. Between the great number of students that Bob Blesse has taught through the Black Rock Press over the years and the new popularity enjoyed by book arts as a craft Katy gathered a nice group of people. Our "Book Club" met about once a month. There was no formality - everyone brought their own supplies, there was a nominal fee to help Katy purchase supplies for the group and reimburse Bob for our use of his beautiful space. It was even collaborative when it came to teaching and learning different techniques! From creating and altering paper to learning new and old book bindings and box structures there was a different concept every time we met. To keep things lively we would choose a theme out of a hat every time we met, then work on our project in the month or so between meetings and bring our item, or another project, for show and tell.

However, as Katy came to the big finish with her Master's she obviously had less time to eat, sleep and do things besides creating books, boxes and a thesis paper much less run our club. Semester end is a busy time for most people in any case and we took a bit of a break.  We soldiered on in our studios, living rooms and second-bedrooms with thoughts of new binding structures dancing in our heads. "Book Club" was missed.
Book Club Member hard at work
our new techniquue
A free and open learning environment is truly priceless, especially when it connects you to other local artists, crafters and creators. Though I had a lot of other projects and demands on my time last year I always made sure I would be able to attend "Book Club." I need the kind of boost that comes from a collaborative and pressure-less working environment as much as I need the inspiration and stress of deadlines for my print exchanges.

Megan instructing us
This month Megan Jewett came to the fore with the initiative and commitment to send out emails, consult with Bob and organize a meeting. What bliss - what joy - what a horrible time! Summer is quickly coming to a close and school is just around the corner for students of every age. Unfortunately only a few of us were able to make our first re-meeting, but we definitely had a nice time! Megan brought a book idea, supplies and information for us to learn from and pretty soon we were all creating beautiful little ornament/bookie/things and in my opinion there is nothing better than something both ornamental and book related. Still hashing out thoughts for the next meeting.
What would you do with an old book?
What kind of group would you start if you had the time/money/venue? Are your goals and ideas realistic? Could you be making things too complicated - all you need to do is call a few friends, gather a few supplies and clean your living room!

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