Cubbyhole Book Arts

Jewel and the Open Studio

2011-10-24T17:57:00.000-07:00

Jewel, close-up, (both photos by Michael Ryan)

Jewel, 4 1/2 feet wide by 12 inches tall, over 2000 watercolor paper circles painted, folded and edged with ink and glued to form spheres. This took 200 hours to make (2 weeks, about 14 hours each day).

A big Thank You to my supportive friends who came to my Open Studio this past weekend. And to my hubby for dressing up and keeping the wine glasses full. My fellow artists Melodi Cottongim and Marion Pollmann were, as usual, a delight to work with. Their work just keeps getting better every year. We enjoyed another very successful show. This was the 16th year. Wow!

Artist/instructor retreat at Penland

2011-09-16T10:50:00.000-07:00

I taught Magic Book/Box Structure at Penland in July and had a great time. My students made incredible structures!
Now I'm off to Penland again. This time, I will be participating in an artist/instructor retreat for a week. 110 instructors, all of whom have taught at Penland, will gather to share, collaborate and have fun. I am honored to be included in this group of instructors. Many of them are people I admire very much.

Magic Book/Box Structure Workshop at Penland

2010-12-08T08:22:00.000-08:00

July 10 through 22 I will be teaching this 2-week, intensive workshop, based on my piece, Patience (box with a book inside, with a box, with a book inside....). The first day or two we will paint papers that we will use in our project and then move on to make a magical book/box structure, similar to Patience. Box construction and long stitch bookbinding will be the main focus as we make cubbyholes to house small books or other treasures. Some bookbinding skills helpful. Hope you can join us!

Penland School of Crafts is located in the mountains in Penland, NC, near the artsy town of Asheville.

Detailed information:

http://www.penland.org/classes/summer_main.html

2010-11-15T15:19:00.001-08:00

Duck the Malls Gift Show

When: Sat., Dec 11th, 2010 11am - 4pm

Where: Capitol Theatre, 5th Ave., downtown Olympia

This is like no other gift show, with an emphasis on unique gifts. Local artisans display their art and crafts inside the theatre, on the stage and in the mezzanine. A portion of the proceeds and the bake sale benefit the Olympia Film Society.

Holiday Happening Gift Show

2010-10-28T11:49:00.000-07:00

For over 30 years, this gift show has been a crowd pleaser, showcasing fine art and crafts by 12 local Olympia artisans.

When: Friday, Nov. 12, noon -6pm and Sat., Nov. 13, 9am - 4pm

Where: Olympia Elks #186, 1818 4th Ave. E., Olympia, WA

Randi Parkhurst will feature limited edition Star Lantern books, artist papers (by the sheet and by the sample pack), miniature handmade books, paper beads, lined an unlined journals/sketch books, decorative collage mirrors, Chinese- and coffee-themed wall books and more...

2010-10-16T10:13:00.000-07:00

Once again, we are hosting our 3-woman Open Studio in Olympia. If you need directions, please post.

Artist Reception, Fri.Oct. 22, 5pm - 9pm
Sat., Oct 23, 11am - 5pm
Sun., Oct 24, 11am - 5pm
Annual Floating Leaf Open Studio hosted by Melodi Cottongim, Randi Parkhurst, & Marion Pollmann.
This event is held at Melodi's home, where most of the furniture is removed from the house, transforming it into an intimate art gallery.
Randi will feature her latest book arts and paper creations, including a limited edition star lantern book. Melodi's lovely watercolor paintings and Marion's beautiful ceramic art will also be featured at this not-to-be-missed, colorful art celebration.
With this variety of art work, there will be something for everyone, ranging in price from $1 to $1500, and all 3 artists have an easy layaway plan.
Come see what these artists have been up to this past year!

Peep Show is complete...

2010-08-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

Peep Show is all set for the 15 Ways With Light exhibition at Childhood's End gallery, opening this Friday, August 20th. The Artist Reception is Friday, September 3rd, 5pm - 8pm. This is a fun exhibit of works created by local artists, using electric or battery-operated light in each piece of art. More details: http://www.childhoods-end-gallery.com/exhibitions.html

Peep Show is approx. 23" x 20" and includes books that roll, open to reveal 3 miniature collages, slide, revolve with an optical illusion, hang upside down and even a string of paper spheres. This is definitely an interactive piece, meant to be explored...

Another detail of Peep Show

2010-08-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Three miniature (1 1/4" x 2") collages revealed behind a handmade paper book that opens like a door...

Peep Show detail photos

2010-08-16T20:11:00.001-07:00

This detail photo of Peep Show shows the rolling book and the sliding book made with slide mounts and bamboo.

Caterpillar Stitch

2010-07-05T16:26:00.000-07:00

According to Keith Smith's book, Non-Adhesive Binding, Vol. 3, Exposed Spine Sewings, the caterpillar stitch was learned from Betsy Palmer Eldridge. It is a lovely, strong and versatile stitch. You can use one or two colors of thread and you can curve the caterpillar or sew it straight. One thing I love about it is that from the "wrong side" all you see are short, straight stitches and in contrast, the stitches on the "right side" are fancy, indeed. The stitch is very strong because it sews each signature separately. And it is so pretty!

In my opinion, this stitch is difficult to decifer from Keith Smith's diagrams. With the help of a book arts buddy, we figured it out one evening. My first book sewn this way was typical of all my firsts-wonky and not-so-hot. I ended up sewing five books with the caterpillar stitch before I was satisfied with how it closed. The first few books were too tight (sprang open) or too loose (sloppy). Once I had a feel for how tight or loose to sew the signatures, I broke out my best painted papers and my favorite blue linen thread and sewed a 3" x 3" book I could be proud of. Yay!

2010-06-06T11:03:00.000-07:00

The reception/First Friday was packed with enthusiastic art appreciators. Don't miss hearing the artists talk about their work on June 12th at 4pm. I will be there to give you the back story on my piece, Colony 45...

http://www.23sandy.com/index.html

Post Card for the Portland Book Arts Exhibit

2010-05-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

Book Arts Exhibit in Portland, OR

2010-05-25T07:35:00.000-07:00

June 3 thru 26, 2010

Book Power A National Exhibition of Artist Books Addressing Our Social, Political and Environmental World.

23 Sandy Gallery, Portland OR

Book Power will feature artist books addressing the social, political or environmental issues of our times. Can an artist book be a vehicle to shed light on the problems we face in the world? Can books be a call for change? Can we go beyond just artists who make things to artist who make things happen? War, poverty, decay, politics, conflict, revolution, feminism, environmental, economical and political upheval are but a few of the issues that concerned book artists use to engage their readers in an effort to raise consciousness, call for justice or to porvoke action. Perhaps we really can use our creative powers to solve the problems of the world.

For more info: http://www.23sandy.com/Upcoming.html

Great Images of Our Work at Penland School of Crafts

2010-04-05T14:29:00.000-07:00

These are great photos of the participating artists' work at Penland...Enjoy! http://penland.org/gallery/10exhibitions/smith/index.html

Dolph Smith and Friends

2010-03-23T08:40:00.000-07:00

This exhibit at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina honors Dolph Smith for his 23+ years teaching at Penland. Dolph selected 12 artists to exhibit their work along side his (and I'm one of the lucky ones!) at this important event. Friday, March 26th is the Public Reception and you can learn more at Penland's fan page on Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/event.php?eid=371777388509&ref=mf

My Art Work Is Off To Penland

2010-03-09T11:02:00.001-08:00

This is Patience

This is Butterflies In My Stomach

This is a close-up of Colony 45 Colony 45, Patience and Butterflies In My Stomach have been shipped off to the Penland School of Crafts gallery for the exhibit, Artist, Educator, Mentor, Rascal: Dolph Smith & Friends http://penland.org/events/events.html . This event honors Dolph Smith for his 23+ years teaching at the Penland School of Crafts. Dolph selected 12 artists to participate in the exhibit with him and I am honored to be one of them. The exhibit opens March 23rd and closes May 9th. The public reception is March 26th.

It was a little scary for me to ship off my 3 best pieces. My fingers are crossed that they arrive safely.

Colony 45 is Done

2010-02-19T14:33:00.000-08:00

Colony 45. 2010. Randi Parkhurst. 21" x 22". Hangs on wall. All papers are made by hand or painted by hand. 45 books in all. All but 6 books are removeable. All books are sewn long stitch over tapes (as taught by Dolph Smith). Painted papers, hand made cotton and leaf papers, watercolor paper, cotton thread, acrylic, ink, watercolor, colored pencil, linen thread, book cloth tapes.

This piece took approx. 13 weeks to complete: First, a couple of weeks were devoted to making and painting the papers. It took 3 weeks to make all 39 boxes. The books took about 4 weeks to sew and bind. It took 2 weeks to design the configuration. The piece was assembled in about 2 weeks.

I named it Colony 45 because it reminds me of a barnacle or coral colony and it contains 45 books.

This piece was completed last week and I just finished photographing it. A piece isn't really done until it's photographed!

More photos: http://artistbooks.ning.com/photo/album/show?id=2172913%3AAlbum%3A37996&xg_source=activity

Fun New Book

2010-02-18T16:27:00.000-08:00

This is a book I made last night at a friend's house. It pokes fun at fashion and snack food advertising. They both use surprisingly similar adjectives and nouns. I think it is interesting how fashion ads portray an unrealistic body image and the models look angry or afraid. At the same time, snack food manufacturers encourage us to overeat, in direct opposition to the fashion model's unrealistic body image while both industries promise an exciting and unique lifestyle if we consume these products. I utilized ads from a men's fashion magazine and a frozen food box.

Marbling and Mini Book Workshop was fun!

2010-02-16T15:24:00.000-08:00

It is so gratifying to teach. Spending the day with fun, creative people is one of my very favorite things to do.

This past weekend I taught a marbling and miniature bookbinding class to a great group of talented and inspiring women.

The first day we started by painting our books' pages with watercolors. Just simple paintings or brush strokes. It was a nice way to loosen up and to chat and get to know one another.

Then we nested our pages into an accordion (we folded the accordions using Hedi Kyle's fool-proof method that keeps it straight). Then we sewed the textblock using a binding I learned from Dolph Smith at PBI in 2008. The binding utilizes tapes made from folded pieces of book cloth-a great way to use up scraps. A simple, but elegant long stitch. The tapes are hidden in channels in the cover.

On day two we marbled paper. It's a wonderful, instant-gratification process. Everyone did pale designs at first, but as they got bolder with their paint application, their papers got bolder too, with bright, lovely designs.

Before the day was over we glued our marbled papers to our covers and WOW! what a great photo op that was! Our little books measure 3" x 3" each. Many thanks to Chele Shepard for her great photos: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cshepard/4359932120/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cshepard/4359198035/

So I must say thank you to the Seattle Center for Book Arts. What a pleasure it is to work with them. http://www.seattlebookarts.org/classes-and-events/scba

And a big thank you goes to the students. You all inspire me!

Finishing a piece I started in 2008!

2010-02-05T17:55:00.000-08:00

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 allot about making a book and even more about how to work as an artist.

Using mistakes as opportunities goes much further than making art. It's great for the rest of life, too.

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.

In Between Ideas

2010-02-02T15:19:00.000-08:00

I finished another book project this week. Now I have to figure out how to ship it to a gallery, across the nation, in North Carolina. It's sturdy in most parts, but there are some exposed pages that have me stumped as to how to pack it properly...hmmmm...

This is the time when I am in between ideas. It's when I clean up my studio and take inventory of what papers I have left and which ones I need to make. Sometimes I make painted papers and assume they will be used in the next project. Other times, I begin with my idea and make the papers to suit the piece. I have a big stack of handmade cotton papers I made during this last project, so that may inform my next piece. My cotton papers are somewhat thick. Thicker than most commercially made papers and that can be a real advantage. Thick papers take up more room and when you make fat little books that bulk means fewer pages to fold and sew. And viewing the text block from the side, handmade paper pages look so great. I love the textures and natural colors of the plant fibers. I have made handmade paper using stems as inclusions so that when the paper is cut, the cross section of those stems show.

I enjoy it when a piece is completed. I work in seclusion and don't tell anyone what I'm working on, but when it's done, I'm anxious to show the piece. However, what makes me the happiest is process. I love the process of making the papers, folding and sewing the textblocks and figuring out how to make my kinetic pieces move properly.

I am so thankful I know what "my" medium is. With artists' books, I have more ideas for new work than I have time left on this planet. I want to work every day in my studio. Laundry and housework can wait....

Marbling and Miniature Bookbinding Workshop with Randi Parkhurst

2010-01-27T09:59:00.000-08:00

This class is closed to registration

This 2-day workshop will be held at the Seattle Center for Book Arts

Sat., Feb.13th & Sun., Feb. 14th, noon - 5pm, $140

Learn to make captivating miniature books and marbled papers in this unique and fun workshop. On the first day we will paint our own papers for our book pages with watercolor, using an easy technique. No painting experience is necessary. We will sew our books with an exposed spine and hide the tape ends by cutting a channel into the book's cover. On the second day we will marble paper using watercolor. These papers are lovely and easier to make than you might think. Time permitting, we will use these papers to cover our miniature books. Each student will go home with several sheets of marbled paper and a miniature book they will treasure.

For more info and to register: http://www.seattlebookarts.org/classes-and-events/scba

The best part of the game is...

2010-01-18T18:27:00.000-08:00

...being invited to play...

Artist, Educator, Mentor, Rascal: Dolph Smith and Friends
Celebrating book arts instructor Dolph Smith's years of teaching

March 23 - May 9
Reception: Friday, March 26, 7:00 - 8:30 pm

This exhibit is at the Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina: http://penland.org/events/events.html

Dolph is an amazing book artist. His work is in collections all over the world. His combination of fanciful wood stuctures and toy-like objects may at first seem to be anything but a book. But upon closer observation one sees he includes cover, binding, handmade paper and all that is actually a book. His work invites the viewer to touch, pick up and play with it.

As an arts educator he inspires his students in ways that are far-reaching and deeply meaningful. Students that have had the good fortune of studying with Dolph experience his gentleness, expertise and humor.

It is typical of Dolph's kind and generous nature that he would insist on sharing this great event with other artists, rather than bask in the much deserved light of a one man show.

Randi Parkhurst and eleven other artists have been selected by Dolph Smith to share in this exhibit honoring him and his work. Randi will have three pieces of her work featured at this event. Her piece, Patience, was inspired by a workshop Dolph Smith taught at the Paper and Book Intensive in 2008.

Taking Time to Play

2010-01-10T18:03:00.000-08:00

This charming face comes to me in my studio everyday, several times, to remind me to stop, breathe, and smile with a smile that relaxes my face, neck and shoulders. Then we either have a lovies session or we play fetch with her fuzzy, squeaky toys.

Her name is Isis and she brings me and my husband so much joy. She's a rescue dog and boy! does she know it. We think she can pick up Radio Europe with those ears! Every morning, she attacks her toys like it's the first time she's ever seen them and she expects that we feel the same.

If she chases a bird away in the morning, then every time I let her out during the day, she runs to where that bird was perched to see if it's still there. It's like she's thinking: Hey! You never know. It's sure worth a gander!

Anyway, when I can't think of an artsy blog post, I can always find something to say about Isis. Thanks for indulging me!

Bookbinding Workshop Junkie

2010-01-09T17:28:00.001-08:00

How is it that even though I own 20-some books on bookbinding and artists books that I STILL have to take every bookbinding workshop I can get my hands on? I'd have to say it's because I love to make books with other people. And I have a perverse pleasure in taking a really hard class that kicks my so-you-think-you're-an-artist butt.

Every workshop I've taken, I come home with something I probably wouldn't show off. I wouldn't keep coming back if I hadn't learned a valuable lesson some years ago: in a workshop you make models, not masterpieces. Once I really "got" that, it freed me up to just have fun. And that's what we all want a workshop to be, don't we? Sure, I want to learn something new and I don't take workshops that teach something I already know, but the biggest reason I'm there is to immerse myself in the joy of creating with others. It's money well-spent.

Thanks to all those great instructors out there!

Podcast Interview

2010-01-07T17:45:00.001-08:00

I hope you'll enjoy this interview by the fabulous Rice Freeman-Zachery http://voodoonotes.blogspot.com/ about my artists' book, Patience. Rice has the knack for asking the questions that you'd want to ask. I found them fun to answer, too.

To listen to the interview:

http://voodoonotes.blogspot.com/2010/01/podcast-with-randi-parkhurst-creator-of.html

It's also available here:

http://ricefz.libsyn.com/index.php?post_id=567852

and through iTunes as a download

Gratitude

2010-01-07T08:01:00.001-08:00

Thank you so much, everyone, for your kind comments and support. I appreciate each and every one of you. I may not have ever met you, but kindness is powerful and it resonates. When I feel uplifted I am more likely to uplift others around me and that ripple can go on indefinitely. In this world where sound bites and flashing images suggest an impersonal culture, you remind me that compassion and kindness are essential to us all. Independance is celebrated in America, but dammit-we need each other.

How does art impact your life? Is it something you are compelled to create? Has it ever saved you from stress or pain or grief? I believe art saves. Art Saves.

Our educational system touts the three Rs as the most important things we can teach our children. But I see happiness on those young faces when they put crayon to paper or squish into a glob of clay. Happiness is infinitely important, yet we tend to depreciate that which we cannot quantify.

Putting our energy into creating happiness may not directly generate cold, hard cash. But when we put our faith in the goodness of others, we make a direct deposit into what my husband and I call, the Love Bank. A fat Love Bank account provides us with direct access to compassion, kindness and love, anytime we want it. That's the "IRA" I want to draw from when I retire. Open your Love Bank account today with an initial deposit of a kind, sincere comment or a silly note tucked into your child's lunch box. Consciously visualize depositing that act of love in the Love Bank...Feels good!

Paper Spheres

2010-01-05T07:09:00.000-08:00

Today my work table is awash with circles made from card stock and cereal box packaging. I'm making paper ball beads that are so hip 'n' groovy. This is my version of the beads I saw at the Paper and Book Intensive in 2009. Each bead is actually a book with pages and a spine, but these books can also be used as beads to make jewelry, strung on a cord for holiday tree garland or hung individually as a decoration. If you recycle paper (and you know you should!), use post cards or the paper packaging from herbal teas for the card stock in the following project. Generally, smaller beads can be made with lighter weight papers like card stock and larger beads can be made with heavier paper, such as cereal box packaging. The finished beads are beautiful and only look complicated. Beware! If you wear these earrings around town, people will ask you to make them a pair!
Instructions to make a pair of earrings with one, 1" bead per earring (NOTE: The diameter of your circles determine the size of the finished bead/ball. 1" diameter circles make 1" beads...8" diameter circles make 8" beads...and so on):
Materials and tools: 2 sheets card stock (2 contrasting colors); 1-inch circle punch tool; bone folder; scissors; white glue; 2 head pins; 2 earring hooks
Step 1: Punch 10 circles of each color card stock for a total of 20 circles. If the circle hole punch tool leaves any ragged edges, carefully trim them now with your scissors.
Step 2: Fold each circle in half with the side you want to show on the inside of the fold. Fold as accurately as possible with the grain of the paper. Get a good sharp crease with your bone folder. All the folded circles should look like the letter "D".
For bead #1: Step 3: Pick up one "D" and apply glue to one of its outside flaps. Take a contrasting color "D" and press one of its outside flaps onto the glued flap. It should be stacked right on top, as flush as possible with the glued flap ("D" on top of "D"). Take your time here and hold it in place, allowing the glue to dry before you proceed to the next "D".
Step 4: Continue gluing, alternating colors, until you have a stack of 10 folded "D"s.
Set the stack of "D"s on your work surface and watch it open up into a ball shape. Magic!
Glue the last flap and affix it to the unglued flap of the first "D" to finish the bead. Try to line up the flaps evenly so you have a nice, even hole in the bead.
For bead #2, repeat Steps 3 and 4.
Step 5: Stick a head pin into each beads' hole and attach each one to an earring hook.

Video of Patience

2010-01-05T07:00:00.001-08:00

This is a video of my artists' book, Patience. Get a cup of tea and relax as you watch this piece revealed. The video is by Glowing Heads and the music is by Laura Inserra. http://vimeo.com/7694315

Paper Geek

2010-01-04T18:35:00.000-08:00

My definition of a paper geek is a person who loves the feel, sound, smell and the look of paper. These people also love to cut, glue, tear, fold, stack, paint, wrinkle, stamp, pierce, punch, embellish, sort and otherwise interact with paper. In my artists' books, I use the papers I have made and/or embellished exclusively in my work. I don't buy ready-made artists' papers. I like the challenge of making my own. These unique materials afford me the freedom to make works of art that reflect my own hand. I make papers from scratch, using cotton and plant materials. I marble drawing papers using acrylics. I embellish brown kraft paper with ink, paint, crayons, colored pencils and even images I have carved on rubber to make my own stamps. I have frequently experienced people's eyes glazing over when I talk about my passion for paper or when I attempt to explain what the book arts are. Even fellow artists may not be familiar with artists' books. So if you're a paper geek or a book arts geek (and you know who you are!) I hope you'll join me on this journey to explore this facinating part of the art world. I'll do my best to find other artists and their work, in addition to chronicling my own process of making interactive, kinetic and surprising books, boxes and, of course, paper.