Finishing a piece I started in 2008!

In the spring of 2008 I attended my first Paper and Book Intensive http://www.paperbookintensive.org/ It was at Arrowmont in Tennessee that year and Dolph Smith taught Be Book, a bookbinding workshop that opened my mind to the possibilities of book arts. I had taken a few classes and was just barely not a beginner.

He taught us a long stitch over tapes binding technique that I still use today in most of my artists' books. The tapes are made by folding pieces of book cloth-a great way to use up scraps.

In that class I made a book with a wooden cover, painted with milk paint. The title was Butterflies In My Stomach and he generously offered to cut a stomach-shaped piece of veneer for me that I glued to the front. He also cut 4 different butterfly shapes for me and I glued them to the back at all four corners. He taught us to "age" copper sheet with something that turned it black and then we rubbed it to get some of the shine back. I made a small copper butterfly and glued it to the front, hence the title.

I realized that I had made my pages too short to meet the fore edge of the book, so I asked Dolph's advice. He asked me if I thought my idea was a good one and I said, yes. He then encouraged me to make that so-called mistake, an opportunity. I remember being delighted that all my work was not in vain and I went back to my table and contemplated that extra space. I decided to put three small boxes where that extra space was at the fore edge. Then I made three small books to fit inside the boxes. They were exact replicas of the "mother" book.

I was delighted with my book, even though it wasn't done at the end of the workshop. I had learned a lot about making a book and even more about how to work as an artist.

That experience had such a profound experience for me that the next day when I was waiting outside for my shuttle to take me to the airport, the idea for Patience came to me. The idea was vivid and so real in my mind. I spent the time in the airplanes and airports drawing out the idea in my graph paper tablet. I couldn't wait to get home and get started.

It took me about 6 weeks to complete Patience. I worked 10 hours a day on it. The entire time I was exhilarated and so excited to get it done. I laughed allot and felt so much joy. I knew it was a good idea. And then, sure enough, I had mismeasured something. The book blocks I had sewed were not matching up to the boxes. There were all these empty spots. Then I heard Dolph's voice in my head: "Is it a good idea? Make your mistakes opportunities." So I did the same thing with Patience that I'd done with Butterflies In My Stomach: wherever there was an empty space, I made it a box and I made a book to fit the size and shape of that space. So a book that I had intended to have 7 or 8 boxes, ended up having 19!

And that, it turns out, is the magic of Patience. At some point, the artwork took the steering wheel from me and that's when I had to listen, get brave and jump in.

I'm going to Penland in March to join Dolph and 11 other artists to celebrate his 23+ years of teaching there with an exhibit, honoring the dear man. I'm bringing three pieces of my own work. I'll bring Patience, of course and probably Colony 45. I HAVE to finish Butterflies so I can bring it and show it to him. After all, I made it in his workshop. And it's been sitting there unfinished since 2008!

So I've spent a wonderful day, fully immersed in finishing that book. I should be finished with it in a couple of days. And I like what's happening to it. It's a mythology of butterflies that are the emotions that live in my stomach. Joy, greed, contemplation, love, sadness, etc. 15 emotions in all. I made specimen labels and had a great time making mock scientific names and deciding what they eat and drink, etc....

I hope this excursion will be the Muse I need to get another good idea brewing. Sometimes you just have to do something unexpected, I guess. I'm just as stumped as anyone about how I get my ideas or how any artist gets their ideas.