And We're Back...

Yes, it's been a couple of months since I've touched this blog. Still, I'm back and now married to the amazingly talented Sarah-Jane!!!

I did actually buy the materials listed in the entry below and began to play around in the book making world. The next step in the process of creating art is for Sarah-Jane and I to set up our studio space, which we're hoping to do by this weekend.

We discussed our art goals for the next year, or at least plan on sitting down this weekended and writing down our goals to achieve over the next couple of weeks, month, half a year, one year, etc. As things get rolling, I'll get into the habit of logging in the year of art making as it unfolds.

I'll work on not being such a stranger here.

Cheers!!!

The Shopping List

Getting into the book making spirit, I realized that I had better have my supplies ready so I can start on my projects. So, after consulting a few books and seeing what the common threads were, here is what I came up with to have in my bookmaking box:

• Various fabrics and rice papers (for covers)
• PVA, wheat, or rice pastes
• Glue brush
• Various threads
• Assortment of craft needles
• Needle tool
• Mat Board
• Piles of varieties of papers for folios
• Sandpaper (to get the snags out)
• Cloths (for clean up)
• Bone folder
• Large metal art clips
• Square angle rule / 18" rule (I prefer metal ones)
• Scissors / utility knife / x-acto knife
• Beeswax (you can mind mine if you like)

Of course, while residing in the Hills, these things aren't all available. This weekend I am going to Portland to visit my fiance and pick up what items I am currently lacking. Next week... the book making begins!!!

Top 10 & 25 Albums (as of 02/22/2008)

A while back, my friend Matt Erickson proposed that he was going to attempt to put together a top 10 list of albums. He is a brave man to try this and he convinced me to try and do the same. We all say "This is one of my top 10", but how often have we actually tried to do this? Anyway, here's my Top 10 & Top 25 albums of all time, which I'm sure will change throughout my life and state of mind.

Top 10 Albums

1. Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
2. Folk Implosion - Dare to be Surprised
3. Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon
4. The Jesus & Mary Chain - Darklands
5. The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray
6. Nirvana - Bleach
7. Pixies - Come On Pilgrim
8. Portishead - Dummy
9. Spoon - Girls Can Tell
10. Weezer - Pinkerton

Top 25 Albums

1. The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds
2. Belle & Sebastian - If You're Feeling Sinister
3. Bright Eyes - Lifted
4. The Cure - Show
5. The Dead Milkmen - Beelzebubba
6. DJ Shadow - Endtroducing
7. The Flaming Lips - The Soft Bulletin
8. Folk Implosion - Dare to be Surprised
9. Grant Lee Buffalo - Mighty Joe Moon
10. Jeff Buckley - Grace
11. The Jesus & Mary Chain - Darklands
12. Jonathan Fire*Eater - Tremble Under Boom Lights
13. The Lemonheads - It's a Shame About Ray
14. Nirvana - Bleach
15. Pavement - Slanted & Enchanted
16. Pixies - Come On Pilgrim
17. Portishead - Dummy
18. The Reindeer Section - Son of Evil Reindeer
19. The Silver Jews - American Water
20. Spoon - Girls Can Tell
21. The Strokes - Is This It?
22. Tom Waits – Rain Dogs
23. Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes
24. Weezer - Pinkerton
25. Wilco - Yankee Hotel Foxtrot

Meanwhile...

I'm finally making the jump from just writing on my personal website and entering the world of blogs (only 5 years behind the societal acceptance curve)!

I'm hoping to primarily use this as a resource for my art making, where I can store ideas and have works up for review by friends and colleagues who may find this easier to work with.

That being said, let's begin!!!

So, here's the final focus for my work this year (imagine an audio of a drum roll here)...

Bookmaking!!!!!

Last summer, upon my return from the AT, I spent many days in the library sifting through books about bookmaking and binding. Fortunately for me, my fiancé, Sarah-Jane, saw to it that I received a couple of those books for the holiday season. On top of that, my great friend Christine supplied me with a few more this past week as well. This tipped the scales for my indecision on which medium to focus on. I love books, so books it is!

Now my next step is too decide on content, which directly relates to the format of the bookmaking process. For starters, I may make a few with the process reversed (i.e. make the book structure and then figure out its contents), just to get my synapses firing.

Art Note: This morning, I started thinking about common iconography that stemmed from comic illustration and have spent the rest of the day starting sketches of light bulbs. the light bulb form, in general, is very slick. When placed above someone's head it expresses the concept of thought. What does it mean if it was a different style of bulb, like a halogen, or compact fluorescent? Do inanimate objects also acquire the ability to reason once a 40 watt GE is seen floating above them?

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