Broadsided! The Intersection of Art and Literature Opens in the Gallery

Announcing the First Friday Eastside Gallery blog!

What a Weekend!

Peter and Donna Thomas

Since 1976 Peter and Donna Thomas have worked collaboratively and individually to create their unique artist books. From start to finish their books are truly handmade. The Thomas’ make their own paper, letterpress print the books, and bind each in their signature style.

We are thrilled to offer several of the Thomas’ books in the Gallery. Each one is beautifully illustrated by Donna Thomas and printed on handmade paper made with indigenous materials. These books have a primitive quality and each is inspired by nature, from the most demure botanical specimens in Beauty to the expansive Grand Canyon. These accordion style books are as tactile to the touch as they are lovely to look at. Each volume measures approximately 2 x 3 inches–small in size, big in craftmanship.

Under the imprint, Peter and Donna Thomas: Santa Cruz (CA), the Thomas’ books have been shown in individual and group exhibitions in the USA and abroad, and have been purchased for collections around the world. Ask to see their artist books during your next visit to the Gallery.

Barbara Gilbert, Photo, Canvas, Book

Portland photographer and book artist, Barbara Gilbert, is featured in our back gallery all this month! Gilbert designs books where the medium and materials are as integral as the images to the final piece. Using a variety of photo transfer processes, Gilbert’s handmade books articulate her photographs beautifully. Gilbert states, “This exhibit is really about mediums, materials, and methods.” Be sure to check out this fascinating collection of intriguing, dimensional pieces.

Jan Owen

And, Mark Your Calendar for Saturday, September 26!

This month’s installation in the gallery has been a huge hit! Holly has created a Vod-Cast of her work and we are thrilled to be able to share it with you.

You can also learn more about Holly’s installation when she gives an artist talk in the gallery on Saturday, September 26 at 5:00 p.m. Mark your calendar for this inspiring event.

Jacob’s Ladder Book and Beaded Leather Binding Coming Up Soon!

Join us for two new workshops in the gallery in October. First up is Chandler O’Leary, a Tacoma based book artist who will teach us the a very fun structure based on the classic children’s toy, the Jacob’s Ladder. This magically movable binding makes for an exciting, kinetic hardbound book. Discover the surprises and illusions the Jacob’s Ladder creates by making your own blank book—complete with ribbon fasteners and boards covered with decorative paper. The Jacob’s Ladder also provides many possibilities for beautiful, tricky storytelling—this class will give you plenty of ideas and inspiration. Complete registration can be found here.

Then for two Sundays in October we’ll feature Beaded Leather Journal with Painted Papers with Tamara Gerard. This two part workshop is suitable either for beginning or experienced book artists who wish to learn a beautiful decorative technique. On day one, we will prepare a supply of magnificent painted papers. On day two, we will bind those papers into a gorgeous soft-cover beaded binding. Find out more about this terrific workshop here.

Also, we are looking for new book arts workshops to bring to the gallery. Deborah Watkins is our new Workshop Coordinator and we are thrilled to have on board to handle all the arrangements for workshops. Email the gallery if you have a fun workshop idea.

And we are ready for First Friday

Wow! Holly did a marvelous job with her botanical forest made from book pages. You are going to love this—our first installation in the main gallery space. Learn more about Holly’s work at our web site. More photos coming soon.

First Friday is Coming Up Quick
Join us from 6:00-9:00 p.m.

Summer break has been great, but we are happy to get back to work this week with an exciting new show by Holly A. Senn. First Friday is going to be a blast! Holly kicked off her installation on Sunday by assembling the 8-foot tall sculptural tree made from old book pages. Tomorrow she’ll line the walls of the gallery with more book pages and complete the installation with seven gorgeous seed pods also constructed from book pages. You are going to love this show. It’s our first full installation in the main gallery!

During the month of September, 23 Sandy Gallery will be transformed into a botanical-inspired forest created from the discarded book materials that Holly A. Senn collects during her day job as a librarian at Tacoma’s Pacific Lutheran University. Narratives of real or imagined events create living landscapes of time and place. Here, on this tree-lined street, the natural world merges with the intellectual world. The trees’ enlarged seeds invite us to consider how tales unfold, grow, and ultimately alter our thoughts. Senn states, “I create sculptures and installations in which I explore the life cycle of ideas—the organic, non-linear process in which thoughts have a genesis and then are disseminated, adopted or refuted, forgotten or referenced.”

Stay tuned. We have the marvelous art photographer, Dan Kvitka coming to shoot the installation on Thursday. We’ll post the photos ASAP!