short stories

Sleeping the Whole Time, a Mummy May awake

2012-01-24T14:47:00.000-08:00

And Wish to be Surrounded by That Which is Familiar

you are the faint smell of thistle and shade; i will wash your skin in the unrecorded depths of the sinkhole beside the asylum

i always thought something without a heart was living there, beating the other species at their own game

last night i dreamed of you in the seat next to me

and it wasn't relief or shame that i felt, giving you a second chance

A Few Thank Yous and a Couple Correspondences

2012-01-24T14:37:00.000-08:00

An Alteration to Create a Safe Place to Store Altars:

2012-01-24T13:36:00.000-08:00

This is a small project I took on, to alter a couple things I found, for the daughter of my friend. I was drawn to buy these two things, without a specific purpose for them in mind, and it turns out they complement each other well in the function of leaf collecting. Leaf collecting is the main interest of my friend's daughter. Although without saying too much, I want to add that she is also a keeper of collections, and from what I am told, keeps them in the form of altars. New minds creating their own classification systems inspires me.

The flower press is old school, and probably labor intensive. But I imagine it still takes the moisture from, and flattens drying plants as well as any two other heavy objects. The scrap book has wonderful manila pages, no lines, so the contents are yet to be defined.

I wanted to make something not too gimmicky, or particular, still sophisticated, and hopefully user friendly enough to be functional.

There is a place for a table of contents, and an index. And to keep the end use optional and free, I titled the book, but just as A Collection of Things.

You Are My Specimen; Let Me Take You With Me

2012-01-05T12:51:00.000-08:00

A Pocket Album

let's move on

from trying to recreate the moment with the watusi and the grappling hook

by the time I attached to you

you fell through my colander like a fistful of sand

years passed

before I came home to find you crawling through the window of my new address

while my frame scraped your spine, we grew embarrassed in our own ways

Materials For a Photo Booth Pocket Photo Album: old book, box cutter (or x acto), glue (preferably archival), some durable paper (for the spine, and inside), straight edge

I found this Centennial Pocket Album at a thrift store on a trip to Brooklyn.

I liked the idea of a pocket album so much that once I altered the original, I decided to make reproductions.

I think it's simple and low cost enough that the process is worth sharing. Start with an old book. Cut the spine and all the pages away from the book.

Separate front and back covers into three equal pieces each. Slice the edge away, and peel it off (it doesn't necessarily have to be the existing spine, but it is a convenient marker).

Burnish the underlying layer to make it smooth for the next step.

Take two facing pieces from front and back, leaving a quarter inch of space between them. Then, put glue, (I use yasutomo nori paste), down on the raw edges of the spine, and put the durable paper over the paste, leaving the two pieces as square as possible. Gently burnish the pasted edges, and let them dry. Fold the edges of the durable paper to the inside, and fasten them there with more paste.

The left picture is the original Centennial Album. The end paper in each the middle and left picture is the durable paper cut to the full length and width of what you're left with. Then, two strips of any miscellany can be pasted at each of their end edges (the middle of the strips left without paste, so the photo booth album pics can slip in and out, easily).

I Made a Ritual for You

2011-12-17T10:08:00.001-08:00

So You Won't Have to Think About What To Do Next

roll the dice, swallow stone, light the candle, to not be alone

the statue is each other's you.

Saint Peter's Cross

2011-10-16T10:02:00.000-07:00

did not begin as sacrilege

but was inverted to show St. Peter's better side

coptic bound,

altered book

It's Hardly Ever Fall, Here

2011-09-21T20:17:00.000-07:00

No matter where I go to find the seasons I will hear of this place

Sounds will travel underground and curve moody tunnels

Avoiding a certain subterranean species of word eating beetle

To make it the distance of a neon future that is blindingly keeping the ending a secret

this time last year, I slept in a tent

Light and Shade: The Sun Shifted and We Are Staid

2011-09-15T18:44:00.000-07:00

Dear Geography,

I traversed the places where I have no desire to spend any time

To find that the things I don't want are relics buried in our common ground

Yes, I am avoiding you.

This is a book on which I tried a new idea for binding. I kept the spine of the altered book in tact, along with its first and last pages. I treated the first and last pages as an accordion, and the valleys of the accordions as the spine of the "book blocks". The book blocks are just single pages or pages folded in half, then glued with Yasatomo Nori paste to the valleys of the accordion. The book is supposed to act as a collage/scrap book forum. The problem with the binding is that the accordion doesn't keep tension on the pages and they slide and don't stay in a tight order, the way coptic stitch naturally does. I don't think I will be using the binding method ever again, but I think the mood of the book is pleasant, nostalgic, and leaves room for addition in a positive way.

An Element Plus an Element

2011-05-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Swamp Mallets

2011-05-25T11:21:00.000-07:00

Acrylic medium transfer, of an ink jet print, on wood. A collection of useful, and novel small items. A gift for a friend. A trip to the hardware store, avoided.

Equal and Unequal (1939)

2011-05-24T14:18:00.001-07:00

This is a piece by Josef Albers.

I find it interesting to look at, and

even more so because Anni Albers

found it so fascinating that she stared at it for hours.

We all need somewhere to stare for hours, peacefully, perhaps purposelessly. We all need someone whose art we respect enough to spend hours with it at a time.

I don't usually blog about the art of others. But when speaking of having respect for a person's art, I think it's important to set the bar high. Josef Albers' brilliance in technical rendering, color theory, teaching, and his artistic legacy make him a model with which to combat complacence. His relationship with a woman equally talented and driven serves as an enviable blueprint by which to map companionship. And these things are on my mind.

Meandering Impulses:

2011-04-29T15:23:00.000-07:00

Efforts not worth detailing

My Third iPod Case

2011-04-28T14:31:00.000-07:00

Made from a wide woven ribbon, and a rectangular piece of cloth that would not fray. Hand stitched, windows reinforced with hand stitches, sides enclosed with a decorative stitch.

Screen Printing How to: #1

2011-04-27T13:38:00.000-07:00

Here is a slide show, documenting the building of a screen. It was supposed to be the first in a series, but I ended up moving to Australia. I may, some day, continue with it. But it's not the pressing matter it once was.

slide show

Chandrasekhar's Addendum

2011-03-13T17:07:00.000-07:00

A book I made for a craft fair, and forgot to mention.

Hand screen printed cloth cover. Artichoke Flower print, buttonhole bound, An assortment of papers, including vintage music sheets, and pockets for treasures. Cloth, hand screen printed end pages.

Chandrasekhar's Hearts

2010-06-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar was the Nobel Laureate for his work in the theoretical structure and evolution of stars

Small Universe: Tiny Galaxies

is a collaboration between Chelsey Hyatt and Courtney Matzke. It is primarily inspired by Stephen Hawking, who believes one could say: "the boundary condition of the universe is that it has no boundary." In this scenario, the universe would be completely self-contained and not affected by anything outside itself. Our resin cast galaxy necklaces, Chandrasekhar's Hearts, reflect the concept that while the galaxy is vast, we are encrypted in ourselves, our communities, our beliefs, and so on. And that containment extends a beautiful mystery to the grand scheme of things.

The collaboration between Courtney Matzke and myself took place for the Pink Light Bazaar in Orlando, Florida, on June 5th, at Red Light Red Light. I am home again...

Specimen for Errol

2010-04-06T20:26:00.000-07:00

If I could make a place
Where the wonder of what's inside

Made everyone want to take a look
I'd give it to you inside a book

That you can open from time to time
To redefine the things inside

As creatures: friend or foe
Or as captive audience for your next show

To take along or leave behind
Or to be replaced with new things you find.

Thank you, dear friend

2010-04-05T22:13:00.000-07:00

A package from Haylie to me, while I was in Sydney.

Marmoset Double

2010-04-01T18:16:00.000-07:00

a journey and a destination

goupillez la queue sur l'âne

2010-03-31T15:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Raph

Bouquet

2009-12-05T20:00:00.000-08:00

I am changing colors

2009-11-12T17:24:00.000-08:00

I do not portray being; I portray passing...My history needs to be adapted to the moment...I may indeed contradict myself now and then; but truth, as Demades said, I do not contradict."
-Michel de Montaigne

fossils from fern like scrolls:
a beautifully marked high altitude crystal
elliptical
toothed
mass of feathers scattered upon glass
delicate background

we are a beautiful example of two distinct types
one, graceful feathers with curling ends
the other, a design of frost from the land of pointed firs

protein

the winter tabular hoar frost resembles
flesh becoming stairs, column, sky, and architecture

As I grieve the realization that you can live without me, my relief is a wave (in the most general scientific sense). We are fossils made from the sediment of past crimes, and this hardness preserved us. There is a place where the past is unremembered, but that place is less a space than a moment, where living organisms breathe disbelief.

An Essay to Disguise Giving Up

2009-11-09T22:52:00.000-08:00

There are the mistakes we make after trying very hard without success, and the ones we make and attribute to divine intervention, for their favorable outcome. But I am interested in the tangibility of intention- the end we can attribute to ourselves, our perception, our experience, or our next step.

I feel temporary, the impulse of time's momentum relative to my actions, like I'm sifting through peanut butter, my thoughts fall like concrete from my ear to break my foot, the opposite of amnesia.

I recognize myself as an animal, most, in my impulses. And I think trying things over and over to eliminate mistakes is an evolution we can benefit from in our lifetime. So I am in love with momentum, and feel like a caged animal when I come to an unfamiliar point and don't know which way to go. I am learning the graceful way of going back the way I came, or leaving the path altogether. Some may call it quitting. But we are too temporary to attribute meaning to all of our mistakes. Sometimes patience prevails. Sometimes things are plain wrong. I am learning when to stop, abandon ship, give up, or quit in whatever connotation the situation requires. The truth is, leaving is movement.

Here is one thing I decided just won't work, for now.:

It was going to be a comprehensive catalogue of all the techniques I learned in my undergrad.

I was pretty far along in documenting the process, and close to finishing this task.

It's made from an old music techniques book, some of the record books that have pockets in which to hold the records, davey board, and fabric. I planned on finishing the

cover with an image transfer of the altered cover with my name, new title and content in place of the old technique book's title, and content.

I will return to this project, with a strong foundation for format, and a better understanding of durability in construction. I am really interested in categorizing information in the most efficient, usable form. For now, though, I am in Australia, working on a smaller scale, with ideas I can hold in my hands, while my mind takes in everything else.

Owl Mother, Daughter

2009-09-19T17:23:00.000-07:00

To: Ellis Anders

This treasure is a song book I found in Arles, France.

And has become a place for my new niece to keep her treasure.

The Comforts of Home

2009-09-16T11:41:00.000-07:00

While I was cleaning, so that I can pack lightly, I found this old project (left) from my Computer Arts 100 course from 2005, and noticed a moderate resemblance (right). I may not be very good at designing logos (the economy is where I get stuck), but I might have a knack for envisioning the future?

"He did not know where a suitcase was, he disliked to pack, he needed his books, his typewriter was not portable, he was used to an electric blanket, he could not bear to eat in restaurants. His mother, with her daredevil charity, was about to wreck the peace of the house.
If you bring that girl back into this house, I leave. You can choose-her or me.
On the contrary: she had not made any choice. She was counting on his attachment to his electric blanket."
From The Comforts of Home by Flannery O'Connor

While I think that Flannery O'Connor's knack lay in her ability to pinpoint human nature, and I am in love with the way she uses words to let us know, I am looking forward so much to leaving the comforts of home, behind.

A Simple Thank You

2009-09-14T01:33:00.000-07:00

Tools: Text, 2 pieces of paper, a ribbon, needle and thread or sewing machine.

Organisms in Their Environments: The Documentation of Existence

2009-09-11T11:41:00.001-07:00

Here is the story I wanted to tell, pictures and all.

This book is made from an old book, kraft paper, tracing paper, ink drawings, and collage. The illustrations are primarily from four books (Le Petit Buffon Illustre, Backyard Flowers, A Golden Guide: Ecology, and A Flower Book for the Pocket), collaged to create a place with which to identify the words (which may be taken as advice).

The quote from Richard Lewontin is taken out of its context, to kaleidoscope its possible meaning. It speaks of a thermometer which we can apply to our lives. If you are unhappy in your work, that must not be the work for you. Or if you're not very good at what you're working on, it's okay to move on. We've made it this far, we can't be doing so much wrong. But we've made it this far, because we've evolved. Why stop now?

The individual contains his personal evolution. And in order to thrive, must make his space personal. (Above page's text from Ecology.)

Applied to making this book for a new baby, it's a reminder to parents and child, alike. It's okay to let go, because although we inhabit each other's space at times, the line must be drawn at inhibiting another's space. Boundaries, too, are a part of space building, and I am not, by any means, saying we can do without them.

I am only trying to explain how ephemeral this concept, these walls, can and should be. How much of ourselves to implement, without imposing.

But my words are grains of salt. I've never been a parent. I've only had them. And they taught me these things; I don't know where else I could've gotten them.

I am not saying leave a space when it's uncomfortable. But know the capacity of your lungs for water and air.

A Golden Guide: Ecology lists the types of species interactions as follows: shade, fungi, growth inhibitors, predator and prey, competition, in symbiotic relationships, a give-and-take relationship, protective, and dependency

Those are classifications to keep in mind.

give-and-take

fashion as space

shade

A look at the full spread, with page number.

This page's text is a quote taken from A Golden Guide: Ecology. Although the rest of the text is my own (except page two, also from Ecology), the sentiment that spoke to me from this statement is too honest to neglect. There are many things it makes me think, so I will edit. At first, I hear something about being safe, and the dangers in remaining covered. Because I have negative connotations to the words persisted and isolation. At first, I feel a mediocre excuse coming on because persistence speaks of trying, failing, middle of the road to stay on course, safe. But I am wrong in my assumptions. Then I realize how beautiful the structure and concept of fossils are. This species, around for hundreds of thousands of years, could be mistaken for anachronisms in their isolation, their subtle existence, but they are role models of evolutionary excellence. What great advice I bet they have. For preservation is a creation...

I moved a year ago, and am about to move again. I am skeptical of myself. Because truly, if you are happy, shouldn't you be able to stay put, and regenerate yourself? Motion is inspiring, but is it cheating? People close to me questioned my motives for my last move, and the move I am about to make. The impression I get, is that they assume I am unhappy, and want to go get happy. I admit, there are times I feel stifled by places, and it may seem to correlate with longevity. I felt like I HAD to get out of Orlando, FL. So I came to Portland, because the 'stars' aligned, and I had a room in which to move. Things seemed to work out, but I don't believe in fate, so I must be self-directed, and looking for these 'opportunities'. I give great consideration to these matters, because I hate excuses. In truth, I see the pros and cons of a place after about eight months of living in it, but I don't consider objective critique adverse to loving and staying. When it comes down to it, I do what I feel I want. And I want, "to go do and see as many things as I possibly can in this life," as my grandfather once said of his life experiences. I can't dissect it more than to say, opportunity and experiences are the manifestations of our desires. (If you know what to do, then go do that). Ultimately, it is as I wrote. If motion is your happiness, make motion your home. An important footnote is to do it with care and consideration for those who love you.

The End, indeed. index.

Before It Is Bound: The Progress and Many Layers of the Baby Book

2009-09-10T22:44:00.000-07:00

It started with an image for an invitation, turned into a collage, and an attempt at screen-printing...

The baby shower was fun, but my lack of organization as far as theme and lesson plan didn't turn out any prints.

In the process of learning image transfer methods, I decided to use my research and experiments, (in the vein of science), as the backdrops to the story. I started with one experimental page, and when it worked, went on to do the rest all at once.
I layered in the same manner. One experiment page, then the rest all at once. The transfers were made in the same fashion as the planner post, but there are three layers. All made on fabric, the first layer is an environment, and the transfer is made with gesso. The next two layers, starting with an animal, ending with a plant(hybrid/collage from A Flower Book For the Pocket and flowers from a children's gardening book), both made with Gel Gloss Medium (as pictured in the planner post). And a final layer of gel gloss medium to seal the page.

The final pieces to the book production were the cover and the text. I worked on the cover in and out of making transfers. The shell for the cover comes from a magical book I found a few years ago in Asheville, North Carolina, and held onto. I think I always pictured it for a child, because of its whimsy, but it had to contain a story, and the story had to correlate with the cover, without trying too hard.

The title and spine letters are partly from the insides of the original book and the rest of the letters from a typewriter. The title (Organisms in Their Environments) is inspired by an evolutionist, Richard Lewontin, who Richard Dawkins quotes in his book The God Delusion. In turn, I quote him, coming to many conclusions for myself, and hopefully giving some insight, open to much interpretation, by any individual who comes across it. Broadly, it comes to mean where you are when you read it. In the right place, at the right time, we are receptive to the most magic, with the most meaning.

On the final day, I sat down with the cover and pages, to write the text. The story is for August William Doe, as my advice on existing, inspired by the books I've recently read, and my own experience in being.

Ghost Images: Making Plans and Impressions

2009-09-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

Image Transfer and Planner Making

The things you'll need:
Gel Medium (gesso or mod podge also works; gloss or matte), a palette knife (spoon, stick, bone folder, letter opener, or paint brush); papers, envelopes, exacto knife, paper clips, labels (if you want your image transfer to be a planner); an image (xerox or photo copy); a place on which to transfer (fabric, wood, paper, etc.; this will be the planner covers); not pictured: bowl of water and brush (wide sponge brush works best)

The Steps to Take

1) Coat image with medium, using palette knife, turn over and place on transfer surface, brandish with palette knife handle (or bone folder eq.), and allow to dry thoroughly (overnight is safest, but hair dryers work, or heat)

2) Once the image is completely dry, wet with sponge brush and water, and carefully peel paper off. You can use the brush to remove most of the paper, and can roll the remaining debris with fingers.

3)Once the paper is mostly removed, coat with gel medium, and allow to dry

4)To begin making the planner, measure holes evenly along either the top or side edges of the front and back of the planner. Use an awl, or a nail, and smooth with sandpaper. Poke the holes from the face to the inside.
5) Cut planner papers, hole punch evenly with holes on the front and back covers. Use two pages as end pages, and with a thin paste, glue them to the inside covers.
6) In order to connect it all, use binder rings (found at any practical office supply store); size to needs.

The End

You can label tabs with a typewriter, to section off your parts.

Mourning the Loss of a Treasure: Cowboy Dances

2009-09-02T16:48:00.000-07:00

When mourning the loss of a treasure, I highly recommend making a new one.

this is an old record book found at the bins. If you are familiar with the bins, then you are lucky. It became a cd book, as a birthday gift.

Because our sorrow is useful energy. And rarely do we let ourselves benefit from its power.

the cds in the book are mixes, inspired by titles of old contra dances.

You may decide to give this thing away; you may not be able to love it in your current state.

called such things as 'dive for the oyster', 'cheat and swing', 'don't you touch her', 'rattlesnake twist', etc.

But that's okay. Because surely, someone else can. In his or her current state.

the word is...chair: the 10,000 project

2009-08-09T21:06:00.000-07:00

10,000 people project

There's the weapon you hold, there's the thing you hold it to, and the thing you hold dear

2009-05-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

If you send me something, even if it's a photocopy from a book, I will love to include it in this current events/history book. My address: 4928 NE 36th Ave Portland OR 97211. The pages are predominantly blank, at the moment, but I do have some work from some friends. I said I was done with books, but I'm not, quite.

Florida is my Power Animal

2009-03-28T14:10:00.000-07:00

"The path [to home] runs straight as a plum line, worn smooth by feet and baked brick-hard by July..."

The Damsel Is Done

2009-03-10T17:44:00.000-07:00

This is the final anthropomorphism in the series, but it didn't make it in the sketchbook. Sometimes we're not done, when the deadline arrives, and passes. Deadlines aren't reasons for conclusions. Now this project feels done, and is remotely concluded. It was a sketchbook project, after all, which I take as exercise; strength building for the thing we do truly. I have some projects that I needed to get started on, is what I am saying. The quilt is coming... expect more embroideries, a larger scale, more detail, sequence, and a canvas with intersecting lives, family history. Families as we know them: unlikely juxtapositions, that are rational in the Dawson's Creek sense of the word.

The Yellow Harlequin Frog: An Exploration Into Color

2009-02-24T09:49:00.000-08:00

I wouldn't sincerely try to convince you that this is yellow. My range of blues is wider than my yellows, and yet not enough. The next color study I do will push the barriers of range, to make you believe some things are closer than they appear... others further. Something about shadow... more surprise, still convincing. Atmospheric perspective through value range, and temperature, then some shadow, more unity in blending, more use of the complements. Still, he's a sweet little frog, and the final addition to the sketchbook Everyone We Know project. The sketchbooks are going to Atlanta (Feb. 27), Philadelphia (March 4), Chicago (March 8), Brooklyn (March 13), St Louis, Boston, and Washington DC. For a list of venues and dates: go here

West Coast Lady: A Butterfly

2009-02-21T18:47:00.000-08:00

A quick study
A long journey
An extended stay

Blacksmith Fish: Pomacentridae

2009-02-11T15:09:00.000-08:00

These colors are based on reality, loosely. These textures are what I wanted them to be- the next thing I wanted to learn.

If we didn't create it, we'll wish we did, and name it accordingly. If we can't control it, we'll make a novel out of it.

If we don't understand, then there's something we're missing. The chromosome that tells us where to look.

Rifleman (bird)

2009-02-04T18:32:00.000-08:00

The rifleman bird is native to New Zealand. In New Zealand, gun law is covered by the Arms Act 1983 and the Arms Regulations 1992. In essence, a person must have a license to have a firearm. The police issue the license. There is a test involved. In addition to the test, the holder of the license must also be a 'fit and proper person.' There is no apparent stipulation on what a bird is to do.

The nature of the collar

2009-01-29T21:43:00.000-08:00

The collared dove reminds me that there are many ways to wear a collar, not one of them without a purpose.

Interview With a Portuguese Man Of War

2009-01-27T14:12:00.000-08:00

How your reputation must precede your arrival.

The Credentials of the Secretary Bird

2009-01-22T20:20:00.000-08:00

The representation of our ideas

The representation of what we think other people want of our ideas

Everyone We Know: Mammal

2009-01-19T19:58:00.001-08:00

I am working on the sketchbook project 3 with the ArtHouse Co Op. I didn't know that, and for the rest of you who might not either, the two guys who started this are fellow SCAD students. They do different projects, all of which I love the convenience of. I am in love with the simplicity behind the whole scheme, in fact. If you're interested: arthousecoop.blogspot.com. I encourage you to try out one of the projects. Some of us are experiencing true winters for the first times in our lives, and this is a wonderful way to avoid idle hands, and sleeping for more than 12 hours a night, more than 3 times a week.

I am anticipating new direction; this means I am not making books. I want to focus on color, line, and economy with one medium, on a small, sweet scale. I want to draw, but I want thread to be my tool, focusing on the ways to use color theory in this medium, and the gestures required in making a picture.

The name of the ArtHouse project is Everyone We Know. I am sketching with thread, and there will be text involved (typewritten, not thread). The deadline for the project is February 15. So, until then, you will be seeing my relatively unedited thoughts on anthropomorphisms: human projection onto the categorization of biology, or personifications in nature

If i started from the beginning it would be

Specimen 1: The Mammal

Everyone we know can be qualified by one word.

When I hear a parent informing her child, but can't see the parent's face, my life is a cartoon (briefly).

2008-11-17T00:39:00.000-08:00

The Women's Studio Workshop in Rosendale, New York, has a grant for book artists. The deadline was for Nov. 15 and I sent in my proposal. It included a written proposal, budget, and mock up for the intended book. Here's what I did from October to November.

Guess who's back:

This is the mock up, and includes illustrations of the pages in photoshop,

layout for the printed layers, and fabric swatches.

This Little Skeleton might just seem like more of the same, but it is something that I feel needs the chance to be produced on a larger scale. I would also love the opportunity to incorporate old books and linens, since this is the direction my other work is heading. There are just so many materials already at our disposal...and we treat that literally. We waste so much. I don't want to make a huge statement. I don't think sustainability has the novel luxury of statement making, anymore. Our new evolution is inherently regarding a resource as its life span and resting place. The artistic process can be beautifully adapted to making old things new-process in place of processing and discarding. We give so little thought to where everything and everyone goes at its end- from wastefulness to our morbid interpretations of memorials as headlines-I don't want to get too universal. (I hear myself making everything the same, too often). But, at the least, everything and everyone deserves the same consideration and respect, including the future that we have no tangible rights to.

I hear back by February 1st.

Proximity is Sustainable

2008-11-13T04:04:00.000-08:00

I miss my family.

meetings as memory and snow flakes

2008-10-26T13:46:00.000-07:00

I played games as a child, where I was moving without touching the ground. We drove around in cars made from the tops of gift boxes, and we built bridges from books so that we could cross the hot lava without losing a limb. I don't know how we rationalized what 'counted' as safe ground, and what didn't. I just know that there was always a we, because these games were not fun without one, and you can't decide what really 'counts' without one. The rules seem permanent when there's a consensus.
I have just been thinking about staying in touch, and the impossibility of truly remaining there. People are splinters, aside from the words we use, and the sentimentality we prescribe to every person we make love to, or eat lunch with.
So here is to a good first impression, repeated like pi, or ground hog's day, to time spent reborn as memory, and to our mind's arbitrary reflexes:

"How many of these exquisitely constructed jewels do we heedlessly crush and shatter unconsciously during a brief walk in the snow and how crude and imperfect seem the productions of human minds and hands when compared to those formed by the blind forces of nature."
-Jean M. Thompson

The Compound Umbel Looks Like a Leaky Umbrella

2008-10-24T12:11:00.000-07:00

When the stalks all arise at the same level, the inflorescence is an umbel. An umbel is compound when it is repeatedly branched.

This book is coptic bound, and approximately 4x5". It's a blank book, inside, and was altered from less than one cover of a reader's digest book, some packing materials for a multi-tool, tracing paper, plant diagrams, and stamped text. Happy Birthday to Melinda, a bit late.

"Multi-tasking is the name of your generation."

2008-10-18T18:28:00.000-07:00

One of the most serendipitous events of my life just occurred over a couple hour phone conversation with someone I am very excited to work for. I don't usually make these posts about personal events, but this is the point in my life where the conversation converges with the craft...and it is the most exciting thing in the world. I am afraid to address this new treasure in my life in too much detail...and I will leave it at that, and close by saying that book binding will be involved, but so will many things.

March Already, I Must Give A Party
from Cocktails With Brueghel at the Museum Cafe by Sandra Stone

There's a reason for the house to resonate like this,
like a catacomb. Company's due.

I don't need an excuse to doll myself in clothes of the deceased,
to implant a vase with green lilies.

Mirthlessly now, the chime, the assembly, totemic on the doorstep,
the porch light's blaze, an inverted horn.

Shall we begin with the salver heaped with place cards,
our names impaled on a pin? A refuge, the niceties.

Please be so kind, would you be so kind
as to sink completely into the plumped sofas,

the scintillants over there. Tell me about your children
and lives, the one, so demonstrable.

I love the sycophantic murmur at the table,
the tyrannical eye of the connoisseur

fresh from the auction, don't you?
-the baffle of curators, conservators, aestheticians,

the eminence grise, that tenant with his salient wit,
the complement of picks and tongs,

bon mot and bon bons, salts in their cellars,
the ceaseless ping of crystal, don't you?

The banality of candles. Also, the flame that gutters,
globules that wax the limbs of inherited candlesticks,

that clog shallow pocks bored by artisans
to create an impression of worms,

where real mites are interred.
They nibble inaudibly, they impinge on my nerves.

A rote welcome to all.
A merciless Chin Chin.

Adaptations of Birds: On Winged Things and Others in the Sky

2008-10-07T13:50:00.001-07:00

I am disappointed in the quality of these, the only photos I have, of this book. I was meeting a deadline of sorts, and sacrificed documentation for detail. Left is before, right is after. The inside pages are collages, paintings, and blank pages paying homage to the beautiful things in the sky. I'm happy that my work is taking direction again. I moved across the country, and for the time before, and a little after the move, I was all over the place. This book took shape in a way that I am familiar with, but found me desiring cohesion apart from the context of the owner. Most of my books are gifts, and some of them turn into a more personal documentation of my relationship with the owner.
The inside pages are mostly new to the book, coptic bound, and glued by end pages to the cover. The folios consist of pages from the original book, tracing paper, gouache paintings of walking patterns of birds, pictures from old books, and so on. The cover is altered by an octagonal recess, covered with green graph paper, with a layer of tracing paper on top. On the underside of the tracing paper are penciled diagrams of war planes, and on the upperside is the stamped text of the title.

moving on

2008-09-05T11:16:00.000-07:00

Art is a progressive preservation of culture, through craft. Art is action, an exchange. American art is a reaction to capitalism. Commerce is a network where trade is skill exchanged for craft, or company, or companionship. Collaboration is a journey that ends in wandering, and I couldn’t mean anything without empathy. If reflection is our movement, then this recession has gone too far. We are incestuous with our past, and we’re dying out like the Tudors, or the Romanovs. We’re gone. How am I supposed to know where we are? I’m just telling stories like mirrors, to see myself in them. Reflection is our movement. Look at the wordless stories I tell. Fiction is not honest. The ambiguity of the relics I create end with a willful suspension of disbelief in people. Trends move quickly, and my process is a furious catfish…someone placed glass underneath it, and it doesn’t know why but it can’t get to the bottom (of anything). Materials are easy to come by, because being resourceful has become about making connections. I use stitches, and hand shakes. I’m lucky that everything’s related. The places at which we draw personal lines are tangential to the circles in which we walk. We walk in circles. We talk the same way we walk. And I would like to make a point, the only one: Appropriation is a faculty of sustainability.

"The mind is an open cavity in which the entire village dwells, and the jungle grows"

2008-08-07T21:37:00.000-07:00

(from Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe) (A piece from an old laundry bag as the spine; an old book, coptic bound, again)

to: kimo based on the music stand of Evelyn Foust

"Each person is a transitory composite of materials borrowed from the environment." I hope that he will look at this book, and not be disappointed that I cut up some important relics, to create a new one.

We Are Not Leaving This Land and We Will Begin to Become Native to it When We Recognize This Fact

2008-07-05T10:48:00.000-07:00

I wish for community through craft.

To you, I want to be what I create. Identity is so much more identifiable when there's a product to exhibit. My and your sole consistent characteristics could be what we do, and people would sleep easier knowing this about us. All the comfort in social situations comes from familiarity.

My onl y real plan for making that happen involves a vague concept for personal momentum.

Chase Several Hares and You Won't Catch One

2008-05-18T17:01:00.000-07:00

Darren Ohl is moving to Eugene, Oregon. I am going to miss him. I hope he keeps being really funny, and a little bit twisted, and somewhat sentimental in a really even, and natural way. I hope he documents some of it in the book I made for him. To Eugene:

This is an old book I found in a vintage store in Orlando called DejaVu.
It's a coptic bound book, bound inside out from the cover. The spine is cut as a buttonhole stitch, acting as a window, to a very limited amount of the book's secrets.

There's a ribbon to seal it closed, hopefully just masculine enough. The top of the saddle has leather above it, hopefully just western enough. I hope the composition is balanced. I hope the concept doesn't get stuck in the execution. I hope the execution doesn't end everything in a bloody mess, with too many onlookers. It wouldn't make sense. Not in this day and age.

A Drawing A Day

2008-05-11T20:18:00.000-07:00

I hoped to create a good habit, starting
with this book. It's made from an old
book, and uses the buttonhole stitch,
linen thread, and recycled papers, left
over from past books, projects, mail, etc.

1404 Clay St.

2008-05-05T16:28:00.000-07:00

I didn't blog much in the month of April. I was moving. I've also been interviewing for anything I can. I hate the service industry, and people on their cell phones. The local library has a bulletin about being cell-mannered. Then, two of it's employees come in and order while on the phone. It's a frustrating process: to be accomodating (in general), but it's nice to come home to this place.

DIY: Delegate it Yourself

2008-04-29T20:57:00.000-07:00

Whether you know how to do something, or just know someone who knows how, the most important thing to remember is to never stop creating. I am afraid of losing momentum; I am afraid that if I'm not in motion, then nothing is happening. Something isn't happening.

Here is the most recent project I worked on. I screen-printed 30 shirts for Surfin Serf's 2006 kia spectra tour http://www.myspace.com/surfinserf. I hope to do more of this kind of thing. I hope other people are doing more of this kind of thing. Commerce of skill. A changing of hands so local that it's a handshake. Kindly leave your talent where others can see it, and at least perspective will come to light, and at most something huge will eventually happen.

Surin Serf is a band local to Orlando. They're touring a bit, and doing a couple shows in Florida and Maryland. I know they want to play more, so if you'd like to have them, invite them. They will come.

Supplies:
A bath tub/shower/water screen
screen filler
drawing fluid
pigment
extender
a steady hand
a kitchen table
cardboard
30 shirts
Cost: approximately $170

Things I Was Missing

2008-03-25T08:20:00.000-07:00

My first thimble, and the presence of my friends. I
choose their absence in the place of company less
caring. Gifts from the hands of Haylie (http://www.hayliebird.blogspot.com/)

Leather Bound: 1st ed.

2008-03-24T16:41:00.000-07:00

To: Brandon Basino
nature and nostalgia

For My Sister on Her Birthday

2008-03-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

This purse was a gift to my sister for Christmas/her birthday. I made her one before, but it eventually fell apart. (My sister's an avid reader). So, I hope this one is sturdier, because I really never want to make another one again. The straps are hand sewn leather, and stuffed with cording. Sewing the leather made my hands raw. My sister picked the outside fabric, and the inside is lined with wool felt. The bottom is the same leather as the straps, and is just something I happened to have, (left over from an incomplete commission). My sister was having a problem with the outside strap falling off her shoulder, so if anyone has any suggestions.

Happy Birthday To: Me

2008-03-20T17:13:00.000-07:00

I have just added my first items for sale to my etsy account. Please visit http://www.etsy.com/ and type in my username: shortstories. Today is my birthday, but not the only day these things will be available. So, please visit often, as I will be adding more items that I have blogged about, or that I am currently working on. I am also open to suggestions, and custom orders: chyatt320@gmail.com. Thank you, and have a nice day.

My birthday playlist: me at 23 (no flash)
Ice Cube: Today was a good day
The Unicorns: 52 favorite things
Willie Nelson: Red-headed stranger
Sunset Rubdown: Are you Swimming in Her Pools?
Coquette: Should I Do It? (Don't)
The Mountain Goats: Cold Vodka
Jenny Lewis: Roll On
Jason Molina: Just Be Simple
Peggy Honeywell: Birthday Boy
Casiotone For the Painfully Alone: Scattered Pearls

Favorite Birthday Activities:
I woke up to the sweetest gift, in a cupcake shaped bag, at my door. It was from my mom and dad.
I decided to wear my birthday pearls
I had a croissant with cream cheese and black iced tea with cream only, and read Dave Eggers How We are Hungry. I also finished it, which was a real relief...
When I got home, James the cat head butted me, affectionately
My dad and I had lunch at Dandelion Cafe in Orlando (A Vegetarian establishment). It was nice, especially of Kimo to take a day in such a season as tax
My mom stopped by a gas station just to buy me milk, even though she just left the grocery store. Then, we each ate a vegan peanut butter cup, (from Dandelion), with milk.
I took a bath, then looked at the house which Birdie, Steph, and I will almost certainly move into, and it is so cute.
I took a nap, after starting, or in the midst of reading Crime and Punishment

There is a cherry cheesecake with my name on it- literally- and it's from Charlie's Bakery (one of the best Orlando has to offer)

Lost

Our Journey Through Florida: Making a Photo Album

2008-03-19T18:06:00.000-07:00

Materials:
Two old books, The pages from one old book, Archival Glue (Yasutomo Nori book binding glue), Every picture from my life, Cotton 5/2 thread for binding, plus bees wax, two strips of fabric, a zipper, PVA glue

Process:

Using archival glue, lay out personal pictures in the pages of an old book

dissect the books you intend to use

Rebind the Pages
Before, then After

Resolving the Cover, and using every last drop

The Album, the closing, and the closure

I think these photos explain as much as I could, here now, but I did feel compelled to write something more on it. This took a lot of time, and I enjoyed the entire process. When I stopped enjoying it, I stopped working on it, until I wanted to work on it again. The accoutrements of the cover were an insight nurtured by patience, and stem from an appreciation for deliberation's place in the creative process.

Nomad 2029

2008-03-18T08:22:00.000-07:00

Felted 3-dimensional robot. Made from 100% natural wool roving, hand carded for a mottled, green metal/marble effect. This robot was meant not to stay in one place, so he is generally accompanied by instructions on how to go about giving him away, and how to make another to also give away.

Nomad 2029

How To:
Begin with the instructions as a loose guideline. Make your own robot or revamp the one you have now. Rewrite these instructions clearly enough to get the point across. Give the robot and the instructions away.

Materials:One set of felting needles
6 oz wool roving
A soft form to felt around: Styrofoam for flower arranging, panty hose stuffed with batting, anything soft enough to poke your needle in without breaking it and that you wont mind covering (size 10x7x4)

Instructions:
Make forms into the shapes you want
Felt the pieces individually. Do this by taking wool roving and holding it against the form. Tangle the hairs of the roving by pushing them into the foam with the felting needle. Be careful, the needles are sharp. Cover the form completely. Felt around all the pieces
Connect the pieces in your desired final form by using extra roving to felt them together.
Once you have the completed form put together, you may decorate it by using wool and your needle around or through the objects you wish to add.
Once you are satisfied with the form you’ve created it, give it to anyone OR sell it to a charitable individual with deep pockets, and give the money away.

Rachel says it was part of a locomotive train

2008-03-09T07:07:00.000-07:00

but she is famous for making things up out of thin air and stating them in a high, knowing tone

This book was found at an estate sale, for me by an old friend. It was meant to contain birthdays and other such information. It became a gift for a friend, and could not have served any other purpose. The crocheted piece on the cover was made by my grandmother, a long time ago and without this intention, but perhaps with another, of which I am unaware.

February 14, 2007: La Coste, France

2008-03-08T16:23:00.000-08:00

Coptic bound. Title: Monsieur Jean (from the French market in Apt, France). Embellished by swan pin from Savannah, GA, hand embellished H for Haylie on spine. A sentimental reconciliation by the divine intervention of a secret Valentine's Day exchange.

The Damsel and the Sage: Coptic Bound

2008-03-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

The Damsel and the Sage hails from Asheville, North Carolina. I believe from original form to deconstructed, it is perfectly suited for who it now belongs to.

a memento mori

2008-03-06T05:47:00.000-08:00

In Memory of Mrs. Slater

Picture frame made from The Illiad, in memory of a friend's loved one.

To: Brittani

2008-03-05T07:57:00.000-08:00

Avez-vous un peu de temps libre ce soir?

And Know That it Would Do Me Good to Hear From you: An Account of Separation Before it Occurs

2008-03-04T06:53:00.000-08:00

I hope I can say my last words to you, "Safe travels," while they're exactly what I mean. And I hope I won't try to fit anything else into them, with a cock of my head, or the smile that makes you slap me. I don't know what I'd do, if you didn't arrive.

Errol: Custom Made

2008-03-02T12:24:00.000-08:00

My nephew, Errol was born a little over a year ago now. My mom asked me to make her a book, so that she could record her version of his history for him. Right before she asked me to do it, I found a book at Goodwill. It had a cover which reminded me of Jay, Errol's father, who is tech and design savvy. The cover is a masculinely depicted machine, intricate, and strange. It seemed appropriate for a new boy. The book was titled, Lead, Kindly Light, and contained passages on Setting Forth, What is the Blessing?, The way of Action, The Appeal to Spirit, and so on.
I filled it with elementary school handwriting paper. The bind is a buttonhole stitch, and the recess was created with a utility knife. I used letter stamps to stamp Errol's name on the paper in the recess.

Analogies: Rules for Behavior

2008-02-11T20:40:00.000-08:00

Analogies is a book I made while studying in France. The majority of the materials used to make this book came from Spain. I composited the images inside using Photoshop from an old elementary Spanish school book. Perhaps inspired by the Dalhi museum, it was an attempt to lead one through my process. I started with the images, and put them together as random associations, that complemented each other with little effort . Then came the writing. It's all random, until you realize that it's not and never will be again. The interpretation from different perspectives is all that matters after the process is once completed.

Technically, this book is button-hole stitched, and the inside is black and white printed on newsprint. I always want to do it myself, and my resources were considerably limited while in France. I did the printing on an inkjet printer, printing four pages to a sheet, and gluing the blank pages to make it a traditionally printed book. Hence, some distortion. The cover is probably some of my best craftsmanship, missing most of my shabby aesthetic. I like the preciousness of the size and structure, but I wish it was more meticulously, and seamlessly made.

A couple of pages from Analogies:

Beliefs: Rules for Behavior

2008-02-04T08:09:00.000-08:00

The beliefs book is a coptic bound book, inside an old, leather, German religious book. The writing inside is hand-written, Gothic font. The pages are bound to the outside edge of the book, so it almost seems like it can't be opened when the covers are closed. You have a choice
To believe or not to
In either case:
The necessity for a willful suspension of disbelief may be rationed by the individual, but not ignored
Intimacy is an illusion perpetuated by the strangeness of infallibility
Sentimentality is the past tense of this
Sincerity
Honesty is the most tangible medium in regards to belief
Although the devil may not exist, he will do anything to get you to be dishonest with yourself
Do not be fooled
Some things to consider in regards to belief:
Conviction, History, Logic, Discretion, Documentation, Bravery, Love, Duality,
Experience

Some things to consider while not in regards to belief:
Vanity, Necessity, Fear, Conflict, Dogma, Heroism, Others' beliefs, Tradition, War, Credibility, Hope, Location, Politics, Semantics, Superstition, Death, Life, Karma, Five Senses, Parents, Science, Sex, Time, Words
Your beliefs are closely related to your self. You can't change that by changing your mind.
-it is not disbelief to change your mind
-Your altruism should not be an imposition on the beliefs of others
You do not have to be sure or right.
Your ethics don't either.
Cite your sources.

Manners: Rules for Behavior

2008-02-03T05:57:00.000-08:00

Although a discussion on manners may seem an antiquated topic
You will find that it is the most progressive form of communication in its specificity to the individual
You parents will try to teach you
And hope you will try to learn
And at first you will extend great effort
After some time, it is completely up to
you:
Whether you practice or not
And how you do (or do not)

The majority of who we are is in the way we present ourselves
Manners are the intention behind this presentation, and the consideration of others in reference to our behaviors
They are the rules we set for these
considerations and for ourselves in order to mantain a consistency in reception
Let's say I hoped to be seen as a confident individual but did not want to be stereotypically categorized
I would amplify my personality in public, emphasizing my most unique or absurd characteristics
I would speak assuredly, but still listen
I would take an active stance on those things which I had read about and felt
confidence in
Or a stance on those things with which I most disagreed, but pretended not to
How I would shake the confidence of the opposition, knowing it as I know myself
My manners are te embodiment of those characteristics by which I hope to be represented
In this specific instance, my manners are:
unique or absurd personality traits
specific, convinced speech
and a little conflict for opposition's sake
These manners are used to achieve:
a personification of atypical confidence
Now you try.

This book is made of muslin, thread, yard, and printed fabric. The words inside were free-motion embroidered on a sewing machine, and the pages are bound in a buttonhole stitch. I wrote this in France, considering the cultural differences in social cues, and how they exist, but if you get down to it, everyone has their own social cues. There are some things which are socially acceptable, and are universal, but they can't be for everyone all the time.

Patterns: Rules for Behavior

2008-02-01T08:56:00.000-08:00

There are many types of patterns used for many different things.
flight patterns, dress patterns, instructions, direction, driving patterns, behavioral patterns, history has a pattern relevant to the present, time, the Roman calendar, days of the week, migration patterns
No matter what, they give us directions or direction.
I do not gain knowledge from following patterns, but I do gain know how which may be applied to other aspects of my life. If I weren't in such a hurry, and if time were of no consequence, I might make my own patterns...now that would really be something
We read them to find out the information that we need.
For fun I read Douglas Coupland.
Say you are making a dress or are building a school. You read a pattern- sometimes called a blueprint depending on your
occupation-and then you understand the next step that you should take.
Don't forget the last step you took, or even the first. Remember what you're working towards, but don't always look towards it.
In the same way you learn to read a book, you learn to read a pattern, and once you do, you read a pattern to learn.
No matter at what age you learn to read, there will come days when you can't remember the name of something, or it will sound very strange to you. At that time, you should appreciate your complete capacity to abandon instinct in favor of senility. There may be things that you'd like to forget, but can't.
Musicians read music-which is a pattern of notes- to know the right way to play an instrument.
Humans use patterns the most, while animals use instinct (which is reinforced by patterns).
You have to learn the rules before you can break them.
Humans refine their instincts through patterns. They build a foundation of patterns and climb on top of them because of ambitions to do greater things-more daring things that would surprise and inspire their contemporaries.
You want to be happy.
Pattern is not the opposite of creativity, but is the beginning of it. It is the explanation for our instincts and the decisions of our hearts, because it is based in math, reason, studies, tests, observation, hypotheses, and the immortalization of knowedge through publication.
Know the rules by heart. Remember where you came from. Leave a trail of motor oil as you feed your bread crumbs to the ducks.
You are guaranteed success if you find conviction in your calculations and numerations, and if you present them professionally with charts and graphs.
Tomorrow you may go to school, or to work, and you ill follow a routine to get there safely. Your habits are written by your history and your inheritance. Your habits are your patterns.
I often wonder just what I can blame on my parents. I don't feel responsible for my accomplishments.
Be rooted and firm in them until you find it's time to change them.
When it is time, act sure of your decision until you feel sure and have had the opportunity to act assuredly.
Consistence is an important virtue in a strong peronality, so take your time in everything you do.
Consistence is also an important virtue in the following:
Ideas expressed with actions imposed
Grammar
Sleep Habits
Showing up to class
Insistence is important when you are sure of the following:
Love for something or someone
You are a politician
There is a hurricane evacuation
You are right and have the facts to back you up
Your mind is made up
There is no time left
Your favorite song is on the radio
A pattern is a plan, instinctual or intentional.
If you take fifteen minutes to make a plan before you begin any project, you will save time while implementing intention and focus of reason.
I was once given a kind of shopping list for the reasons that anyone would do anything and there are only two things on it: vanity, and necessity. I tried to think of more because I found the candor disenchanting, but the only thing that I could come up with was a third reason and it is fear.
A list is not a plan, but you are not a Virgo.
Vanity
Necessity
Milk
Eggs
Fear
Bread
Once you've made a lot of plans, and followed a lot of patterns, there will come a time when you no longer have to do either (for the most part), but until then you should plan accordingly.
Once you've made a lot of plans, and followed a lot of patterns, there will come a time when you no longer have to do either (for the most part), but until then you should plan accordingly. This book is bound in a concertina stitch. It folds out so that it may hang on a wall, height wise. The materials used in it are graph index cards, vellum, a flight pattern chart printed on vellum, and fabric. The writing inside was printed out on an ink jet printer. I wrote the instructions inside in anticipation of the birth of my nephew, Errol. He is now a year old, and owns the mock-up, and original copy of this book. This book became first in a series of what is now four. I officially call the series Rules for Behavior but, loosely, they are all just nouns to me.

A Capable Lover.

2008-01-31T19:28:00.000-08:00

The insight behind the truth and the citation of past experience is best documented between the lines of the fiction it parallels. In great fiction, a balance is attained between these truths and the unbelievable to create an unquestionably enveloping story. We are not only our experiences, but the interpretations of these experiences amplified by the stories we tell. The truth of the moment is preserved by our stories.
This book is dos-a-dos bound, double-sided, with three covers. The two outside covers are hand screen-printed and embellished. Inside of one side of the book is a short story that I wrote, and the other side is a blank book. A synopsis might be pointless. The whole story turned into a synopsis, sort of. Anyway, I heard an old movie has the same ending, but I can't remember what it's called...

A Little More of the Same

2008-01-29T21:08:00.000-08:00

A traditional floral fabric.

Gouache hand-rendering of traditional floral fabric, plus hand-rendered colorway.

CAD: Texcelle rendering of traditional floral plus stripe and coordinate.

Creating Worlds With Turmoil.

2008-01-28T20:04:00.000-08:00

And they probably wouldn't survive the meteorites, which were headed straight for them. These monsters were printed in the spirit of building forts and new worlds when I was five, and Jonathan Hiett made Ken kiss Barbie, under the seat of the car, from the time we left until we came back. My mom told me she saw what we did.

These monsters are hand screen-printed on hand-dyed cotton canvas

Not the best picture, but this is what became of part of the yardage I printed. Jonathan Hiett is the owner of a set of these.
Using the Textile Design CAD program, Texcelle, I created coordinates and a colorway for the screen-printed pattern.

bikes

2008-01-25T20:50:00.000-08:00

This pattern is hand screen-printed, using the photo emulsion method, and an attempt at repeat pattern registration. The fabric is hand-dyed cotton. The pattern is inspired in memory of Sharon Hiett, as well as are the quilted pieces below, but it sounds silly to me to say anything expanding on this.

The bikes to the left are free motion embroidered in gold thread on muslin. They are quilted and bound using a traditional quilt binding method.

'Patterns' Can Mean Many Things

2008-01-23T09:49:00.000-08:00

This is the first blank book I made. It's about 12x12 inches and is bound with the coptic stitch. The front cover is paper, with a reverse appliqued, fabric dress, and the title printed on pattern maker's paper and placed in a recess. The back cover is made with the same fabric as the dress on the front, with another appliqued-on dress. The inside pages are blank pattern maker's paper and fold out to 24x24 inches. The paper came from a store in Savannah, GA called At Home, and the fabric is from an old table cloth of my grandmother's. It comes up several times in my work.

Eating off the pea pods

2008-01-21T19:33:00.000-08:00

I made this table in a materials and techniques course based on wood. It is approximately four feet long, eighteen inches wide, and thirty inches tall. It's made of poplar, and is stained green.

The evolution of the artichoke flower

2008-01-20T20:09:00.000-08:00

This motif came from cutting an artichoke, and stamping with it, using black acrylic paint. The motif was developed through drawing.

I then used the motif as an element in the above patterns and colorways. These repeat patterns were designed using CAD for textile design (Texcelle). They are a mild southern gothic tale for cloth, and I had the opportunity to tell the story in its proper medium (as seen below).

The shirt is a readymade. I distressed the fabric with bleach, and mixed the pigment of the print to match the lighter parts of the shirt, while reverse appliqueing a crochet rose window on the front, and secure holes on the back. I wanted to bring to life the concept in the CAD designs, and give this shirt the used and ethereal appeal that can be seen in the south's familiarity with, but often blind eye towards religion: a fable beautiful in tradition and intention.

Apron/Aproff

2008-01-19T15:25:00.000-08:00

This apron is made of cotton muslin, hand-dyed with natural and synthetic dyes. I created the motifs on the fabric using traditional tie-dye methods such as: clamp resist immersion dyeing, arashi shibori, and crumple resist immersion dyeing. All of the fabric, except for the ruffle ties, was dyed in the same synthetic rose colored dye, and then the two packets were over-dyed for different amounts of time in the same vat of royal blue, synthetic dye. The ruffles were arashi shiboried in a vat of natural osage orange dye, with a few seconds in the royal blue vat.

Woven Lace Flapper Dress

2008-01-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

This dress, designed in the fashion of a 1920s flapper dress, was hand-woven on a floor loom. Using linen, in the colors of gold-wheat, and white, I wove a two yard piece of fabric using the brooks boquet lace weave, with plain weave. I then carefully cut and pieced the fabric to create the garment above.

Disco Dancing Robot...Skirt

2008-01-17T17:52:00.000-08:00

This is one of my first complete projects. I can be obsessive compulsive about process, and in the vein of The Little Skeleton, drafted the pattern, hand dyed the fabric, hand sewed the skirt,and hand embellished the narrative. With the intention of creating a subtle disco ambience for the fabric, I used potato dexterin with the base purple dye, followed by an immersion dye in teal. I then embellished the sequined disco ball, and appliqued and stuffed the robot (for dimension). This piece was created for the final project in Embellished Surfaces (spring 2005).

Portraits

2008-01-16T19:08:00.000-08:00

These books are made from the covers of old Reader's Digest story collections, vellum lace, vintage ornaments, paper, and ribbon. They are hand bound with various stitches, including (from top left, bottom left, then to the right in the second picture) buttonhole, accordion, buttonhole, coptic, coptic dos a dos, and coptic again. They are simply blank books, meant for precious thoughts. The materials and method for binding specific to the individual book were inspired by the charm it is portraying. These charms were mostly given me by someone I was close to and who knew my appreciation for the sweet and precious.

detail from my favorite

The Little Skeleton

2008-01-15T20:05:00.000-08:00

The Little Skeleton began as an assigment based on Frida Kahlo's life and work. I was influenced by elements of her culture, life, and art. The pictures above are the beginning of what became a long, but quite fluid process. To the left, is a section of the scarf that was influenced by Frida Kahlo's life and work. The colors of the cloth are vibrant, and feminine. The image is dia de los muertos-esq, and ethereal in the vein of Kahlo's imagery. The fabric is hand-dyed silk charmeuse. There are two sides to the scarf, as seen in the picture above to the right. The front has the print on it, and the back is solid fuschia. The picture to the right is of the critique for this project, during which it was suggested that I use this character to develop a story. Stubbornly, I denied my affinity for writing. I wished I could be such an artist that never needed to say what she meant about what she did...

Eventually, telling the little skeleton's story became the obvious answer to a difficult question: How do I make my computer art final tangible? I wanted a narrative, and had almost forgotten that it was pretty much laid out for me. Having just been to deserted Coney Island in the dead of winter, I had a perfect setting, and the story just flowed into it. The above images are the preliminary ideas for the finished little skeleton. They are reverse applique, and applique, embellished, and hand bound covers. The following images were laid out in photoshop before becoming the tactile, finished, The Little Skeleton.

The following are images from a sort of thumb-nail sketch I executed before going into making The Little Skeleton. Luckily, I improved upon what became muddied colors and indistinct blocks of color in this project in the final product.

Finally:

The character of the Little Skeleton is the concept of death in a child's mind, unaddressed. He is solemnly carefree, evasive, morbid, cautiously playful, and innocent of all of the aforementioned.

The pages of the book are made from natural fabric (all cotton: muslin, cheese cloth, waffle, canvas). They are hand-dyed and hand screen-printed with original illustrations and text. The pages are collaged together using applique techniques and a sewing machine, all bound with pigskin leather. The cover is reverse appliqued, and hand-embellished.

Everything is Appropriate(d) in Design

2008-01-14T20:15:00.000-08:00

Posession is our only obstacle.

Octopus on the Playground: The Appropriation of Public Space is a concept book. It is bound in a traditional buttonhole stitch, and is made of hand-dyed and bleached, recycled newspaper. Aside from the title and the characterization of the title, the backgrounds are borrowed from contemporary album artwork.

the original collages: dyed newspaper, appropriated album imagery, gouache

Plan and Execution

2008-01-13T12:18:00.001-08:00

One of the first artist statements I took the time to write, took place over the top of someone else's writing. it was this altered book (to the left). That's how it always is, anyway. Whether you read your writing, and see books you've read in it, or maybe it's conversations you had, or lyrics you hear all the time, the sentiments are preserved in the memory of what's important to the individual. My personal goal is to refine it until it seems, or actually becomes, original.

Perhaps as result of culture or time, I feel at a loss for an effective means of communicating... my age, my place, or just the fact that history repeats itself as long as no one is paying close enough attention to notice. Let's get caught up in the awkward interactions, and the inability to follow the unspoken rules of social grace; forget the rest. I am communicating in this age of digital communication where I feel caught off guard more often than not. I want to take my time. I want you to be comfortable until I'm bored. I want closeness; I want you to dictate my influence on you, in your own time and space. You are not part of my world, but you are an influence on it. This truth is open to the interpretation of your personal reality.

All of them together

2007-10-18T16:11:00.000-07:00

I can’t remember why I started making books. I know why I read them in public, but I can’t say that’s why I make them. The act of making and craft isn’t often associated with intelligence unless you’re really good at it- ahead of your time good at it. You pick the next big concept before people even start thinking about it. Like the impressionists, cubists, or Dadaists. That’s not why I make books. I probably make books because I like to read, and I want to write. Sometimes I can sneak writing into the process, without being too harshly critiqued on content… like the post-modernists. At least you know it’s a book when I’m finished with it, but maybe if you didn’t you’d think I was smarter than you are. Then you’d read my Blog…