full blast

or as full as it gets for me...

 so before i left for portland and the big atlantic

 i tried several ways to make my envelope for the new book

even knowing it wouldn't be ready 

for the book arts bazaar

it felt right to keep that work going

 i pulled out some of my map fold samples

from learning with pam spitzmeuller

 and came up with something that might work

(the finished one won't be red)

 this book never got sewn

 before i left.

there were several of these not yet done things.

fortunately there were 

many things that did get done!

long winters are good for some things...

but leave i did 

on friday,

and made my way to portland,

to visit with hannah

before setting up for a whirlwind, huge workshop

full of absolutely delightful folks.

book arts people are awesome.

 portland has a 'bit' of that

maine wit about it...

i did also encounter two irate and downright annoying women

one in a vintage vw microbus with a license plate that proclaimed 

something like "strider" or "hiker" or "walker"

and bumper stickers that said things like 

"practice random acts of kindness"

and at the tool booth when the driver stopped and backed up 

almost into me

i beeped politely,

and got an irate holler, a fist raised and shaken.

anyway, it was just odd,

as was the table browser at the bazaar

who proceeded to tell me what i should do with my work. 

too much "you should"

~but~

 the bazaar was well attended and full of good work

lots of student work

and beautiful papers like katie macgregor's

 i obtained and was given or traded some loot!

 one of my 18 students, farrin, made me a gift

a tea book

a way to remember her,

and my wonderful students,

and full of tea. 

easily replaceable for traveling.

 todd and sharon brought me some leftovers

from their letterpress stash

for printing. 

 i found a dodo or two

 rebecca goodale, 

a professor at university of southern maine

(and book arts bazaar organizer)

makes wonderful work,

playful and connected to place.

much of it is about endangered species

(and the occasional extinct one...)

 she is an artist saying "WAKE UP"

quietly and with beauty in her bookworks.

 a lovely little book of photos

called finale

 a map fold book about 

slugs

 jill osgood's work also pleases me

 todd pattison and i did a little trade

 i have a nice tiny leather bound book

and he insisted that the paperbound one join it

 the paper is harvested from

the original papermaker-- 

a paper wasp nest

abandoned at the end of the season.

these two are precious and beautifully made.

when i was unloading the car

a huge surprise pulled up behind me in a pickup

carol blinn and perry smith.

so of course i finagled 

(with permission)

our tables so we could be neighbors.

it was such a gift to see them.

i met so many folks, 

including the amazing lee thompson

(who came for my class)

and saw many many friends.........

i can't remember all that i was going to write about, but i do know this:

all of this would have been

nigh onto impossible

without my amazing daughter

hannah's help.

portland, rebecca, book arts folks, hannah, my amazing students all

a HUGE thank you.

what a great weekend!

why aren't i sleeping?

our work stations/benches on the last day were a tad out of control. as we madly tried to pull together our pieces, there was a quietly desperate rush to complete what ever we could. i made a bunch of samples, and really focused on the last binding melissa taught. it's a checkerboard spine and looks much like pattern weaving.

around three, about a half hour before scheduled clean-up, one over eager student kicked into  clean up gear, but we held out at our benches and i soldiered on to finish the model. we tidied that studio, eventually meeting for supper. where we were entertained:

i'm not sure, but it looked like this ukelele band had WAY too much fun. the guy with the horn, whose name escapes me, teaches here and was a crane school of music student back in the day. 

one of many pieces...shows itself just as well upsidedown. margaret's first coptic binding. and below, lisa's little books with leather and textiles.

as i sit here, hair dripping and sleep deprived resulting from a couple of blue moons at the thirsty moose last night, i know how special this group of book arts practitioners is indeed. to have come here, focused totally and encouraged by wonderful teachers has been a huge blessing for me. it will take time for me to process this, but i do know this: already i am receiving ideas, new ways to put my work into book format which for some reason is what moves me deeply. 


a crow is making itself known out my window, i am sleepy again after a short night, and will leave this afternoon, after the famous pbi auction, but before the banquet. tomorrow i will be home again, then off for a bit, then home for good.