Broad Summer: August 28, 5-9, Broad Room, 1409 Del Paso Blvd, Sacramento
16th Annual Sacramento Open Studio: September 11-12, Broad Room, 1409 Del Paso Blvd, Sacramento
Something That Inspires Me
Something that I love about Margaret Atwood is the way she tells history and her take on feminism — common themes in my own work. The Penelopiad retells the story of the Odyssey from the perspective of Penelope; it's funny in a way that makes you think. It's mythology, not history, but I like her strong female main characters!
Someone Who Inspires Me
I've always admired Margaret Atwood. I remember reading The Handmaid's Tale and Cat's Eye over and over again in college. Then I found her prose poems in Good Bones and Simple Murder in grad school, when I too was starting to write prose poems.
Something That Inspires Me
With the recent violence against Asian women, Printmakers Against Racism is thankfully at it again. I participated the first time around with my PERSIST postcard. PAR started as an Instagram campaign. Participants come from 9 to 10 countries and many, many states. They have raised over $44 thousand dollars for various anti-racist organizations!.
Printmakers Against Racism
Upcoming Classes
Saturday, May 1, 2021: Variations on the Accordion, 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM, Myrtle Press at Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S St., Sacramento, CA 95811
Saturday and Sunday, June 5 and 6, 2021: Carousel Book, 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM, Myrtle Press at Verge Center for the Arts, 625 S St., Sacramento, CA 95811
Someone Who Inspires Me
Tanekeya Word is a printmaker I discovered recently. I love the poster she made of Black suffragists, probably because of my own interest in suffragist! She is one of the founders of Black Women of Print.
Check out her work!
Womanist Press
Upcoming Classes
Bookbinding Bonanza: Pamphlets, Accordions, and More, online classes, Saturdays, January 23, 30 and February 6, 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM, Sacramento History Museum. In one class we'll make pamphlets; then another Saturday, we'll make accordions; the final day we'll make a flag book. $30 for museum members; $35 for non-members. All three classes: $80 for museum members and $95 for non-members. All supplies are included. Sign ups will be up on the Sacramento History Museum after the first of the year.
Upcoming Events/Shows
C O N T E N T, a Juried Artist Book Exhibit, co-juried by me and Adele Shaw. Postponed due to COVID19; new date for deadline to enter: February 28, 2021. Exhibition dates April 2 - May 3, 2021; The Artery, Davis, CA
CSP 106th Annual Exhibition, Piedmont Center for the Arts, 801 Magnolia Avenue, Piedmont, Nov 15 - Dec 5 (actually longer because of Covid)
Ongoing subscription through Patreon, get a zine a month for $3 or zine + early release zine class for $5 a month
Something That Inspires Me
I love Lucy Child's fabric books. My mom has long been a needlepointer, and I often recognize the stitches. "Whatever Happened to Louisa?" is a book about a woman's murder ala Agatha Christie. There is a delicacy to the stitches -- a meditation and quietness with each fabric book.
Lucy Childs website
Someone Who Inspires Me
Alisa Golden is a Berkeley book artist, who studied with Betsy Davids, my mentor. She wrote Creating Handmade Books, one of my go-to books, when I have a question about structure. I remember going to see an exhibit of hers at Mills College, Heller Rare Book Room. Like me, writing plays an important in her work.
Carousel Book
WHEN: Saturday & Sunday, December 5th & 6th
WHERE: ONLINE
TIME: 10am-noon
PRICE: $80 (Materials are included)
PRICE: $80 (MATERIALS INCLUDED)
REGISTER HERE
This is an online class. In the days before the class, you will need to pick up materials from Myrtle Press inside Verge. We will send you a link to join the class the day before it begins.
The carousel book form was popularized in the 1920s and 1930s as children’s books. In this online course, we will construct a carousel by creating a series of “scenes” that operate like the pages of a book. First, we’ll measure and fold three accordions; then we’ll cut and collage/rubber stamps/ decorate the frames and inner pages. Finally, we’ll sew the three accordions together to complete the book. Once finished this book looks like five theater scenes from the side; from the top it looks like a star. We will complete this process in two sessions.
Materials Needed: glue stick or other glue, scissors, ruler (yard ruler is useful for this structure), and pencil. Any collage materials, rubber stamps and stamp pads, drawing pens, or pencils you may have.
Optional: bone folder, awl, X-acto knife, cutting mat.
Class: Variations on the Accordion
WHEN: Sunday, November 15,
WHERE: ONLINE
TIME: 10am-noon
PRICE: $60 (Materials are included)
WHO: Adults and teens
PRICE: $60
This is an online class. In the days before the class, you will need to pick up materials from Myrtle Press inside Verge. We will send you a link to join the class the day before it begins.
REGISTER HERE
The accordion is a flexible book structure with many possibilities. We’ll learn how to use it as a book spine with attached envelopes. Again we’ll use the accordion as the spine to make a flag book. Last, we’ll finish up with a hardcover accordion text block. With all three books, we’ll learn an ingenious folding method from Hedi Kyle. These books make perfect gifts for the holidays: envelopes filled with flat trinkets, old holiday cards (who doesn’t have boxes of those!) for the flag book, and a stylish Seasons Greetings spread out beautifully in the final accordion we will make.
Needed: glue stick or other glue, scissors, ruler, and pencil.
Optional: bone folder, awl, X-acto knife, cutting mat.
Something That Inspires Me
I first saw the quilts of Gee's Bend at the De Young Museum in 2006. I was amazed at their beauty and the reuse of materials. I always love to see everyday life as fine art -- finally women's work getting the attention of museums. The memories in jeans and left over clothing and fabrics are introspective and everyday, which is my type of art!
Quilts of Gee's Bend
Someone Who Inspires Me
I love the quilts of Faith Ringgold. With their rich stories and vibrant colors, her quilts have a whimsical but powerful effect on me. She learned quilt making from her mother and decided to switch from painting to quilt making to get away from Western/European traditions that are associated with painting. I find her decision to work with fiber to be a political decision as well as an aesthetic one.
Faith Ringgold's website
Something That Inspires Me
A poster by Amos Kennedy in reaction to the police racism that is happening in our country and the effect of social media. Especially powerful if you think about who he is.
Amos Kennedy's prints
Someone Who Inspires Me
Amos Kennedy prints amazing posters with a funny social justice saying. They're funny in the way that you say "oooh" and make you really think. I'm trying to do the same thing in my work although my writing is a little bit longer! And his story is amazing too. He quit his job and became a full time printer, because he was inspired by seeing a printing demonstration in Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia.
Amos Kennedy's website
Coming up the weekend of September 12 & 13!
I’ll be appearing at Sac Open Studio and SF Zinefest next weekend
SF Zinefest
Sac Open Studio
Interview with Verge Center for the Arts (September 13 at 4:15, about 15 minutes)
How to make a zine (September 12 & 13 at 3, about 15 minutes) on Instagram Live
Livestream of printing and binding (September 13 at 1:15, about 30 minutes) on Instagram Live
Livestream of zine making (September 12 at 1:15, about 30 minutes) on Instagram Live
Inspiration: Prints of Sarah Matthews
Sarah Matthews is a printmaker/bookmaker I follow on Instagram. I love the colors and patterns that make up her work. She lives on the East Coast and teaches at Pyramid Atlantic (like San Francisco Center for the Book but in Maryland) and on Youtube. One day I'll have to try some of Sarah's artfoamies, which is what she makes her beautiful prints with. It reminds me a bit of linoleum blocks and rubber stamps, kind of like Gocco, which was a combination of silk screen and rubber stamps.
Sarah Matthew's on Instagram
Sarah Matthew's website
Inspiration: Corita Kent
Corita Kent is an inspiration to me both in terms of printmaking and who she was as a person. Both as a teacher and an activist, Corita was influential in a quiet, powerful way. I was so excited that the Crocker Museum showed Power Up: Corita Kent's Heavenly Pop; I managed to sneak out to the show a couple of times even with a then three-year-old. Her silk screens are so joyful and profound.
Corita Kent's website
DAP's Upcoming Events/Shows and Such
Ongoing subscription through Patreon, get a zine a month for $3 or zine + early release zine class for $5 a month
15th Annual Sac Open Studio, virtual tour, Saturday-Sunday, September 12-13
C O N T E N T a Juried Artist Book Exhibit, co-juried by me and Adele Shaw. If you’re a book artist (or know of one who this would be a fit for), you can enter here by November 30, 2020; Exhibition dates January 8 - February 1, 2021; The Artery, Davis, CA