Announcing The Poetic Pen Best of Show Awards

30 Jun 2012 / 2 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

23Sandy Gallery is pleased to announce our Best of Show Awards for The Poetic Pen. Since all of the submissions for this incredibly beautiful show far exceeded our expectations, it was a very difficult to choose, but based on a variety of criteria, we have selected four exceptional pieces for their outstanding visual and poetic appeal and mastery of the craft. In no particular order, here is a bit of information about each of our award winners. Click on the links below to view larger images of each piece.

THOMAS INGMIRE

Our first Best of Show Award is for Thomas Ingmire’s Diva Fall Jive: Mr. Verb Visits the Tayu. Ingmire’s artist book is exquisite in concept, construction, and execution. Originally using the artist’s abstract pen strokes for their aesthetics rather than their message, these symbols were eventually “translated” by British artist and writer, Christine Kennedy. Using language recognition software, Kennedy was able to effectively convert Ingmire’s “letters” into readable text using a new alphabet. His unique artist book is a fascinating melding of tradition and technology. Learn more about this piece here.

MARINA SORIA

Marina’s Libro Tejiendo Palabras/Weaving Words Book, incorporates vibrant embroidery on the cover with equally colorful and elegant calligraphic text. These two treatments create a book that beautifully stands on its own as an art object. Soria’s text is a fine example of calligraphy that adheres to the technical expectations. The highlight of the book is how the lettering starts of very formal on the first panel but becomes more free form and nearly abstract as the viewer moves across the pages—eventually emulating the readability of the embroidery on the cover. This book is just stunningly beautiful. See more photos of this book here.

CARL KURTZ

Our next award winner, Carl Kurtz, has taken the art of calligraphy and masterfully executed his piece with astounding precision. Psalms 42:11 is as eye-catching from afar as it is close up. The use of graphite lends a textural quality to the lettering, which is unexpected and appealing to the eye—softening the rigid lines of the forms. We think the positioning of each letter to create readability is an engineering feat! The letters fit together like a puzzle, coercing and challenging you to read every word. Catch this puzzler here.

ROD SAWATSKY

Local artist, Rod Sawatsky is our fourth award recipient for Imagination. A quote by Mark Twain, “You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus,” which has inspired several interpretations, makes this piece a favorite to almost everyone who has visited the gallery. For accomplishing what most art strives to do—evoking emotion and reaction, this piece is a winner. Even without the words, Sawatsky has created a beautiful painting, but one that compels the viewer to ponder the sentiment of Mark Twain’s words. See a large image of this piece here.

Congratulations to our Poetic Pen winners! We think this is a beautiful exhibit and hope you will come by the gallery to experience it for yourself soon. The Poetic Pen will be on view through July 28, 2012. Catch the full online catalog for the show here.

And stay tuned! On the closing day of the show, we will announce the Librarian’s Choice Awards. We have mailed catalogs to our library customers who will vote on who should receive these awards. One lucky winner will be a purchase prize, with the winning work being purchased by the gallery and donated to one of the lucky voting libraries.

Enjoy!

Breaking the Codex has Arrived!

21 Apr 2012 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Doug Beube’s stunning new book Breaking the Codex has arrived! I have been a fan of Doug Beube’s work for years and had the pleasure of seeing him last month in Toronto, and could not be more excited to share this book with you.

For thirty years, Doug Beube has taken the notion of what a book is and redefined it in ways lost to most of our imaginations, which is exactly why Beube’s work is so compelling. Altering and manipulating books and maps in extraordinarily intricate and complex ways is his signature. “Through altered bookwork, collage, mixed media, paper and sculpture, my work explores the book itself, a seemingly antiquated technology that is still purposeful in a digital age.”

Portrayed in this retrospective book are 600 of Beube’s works, all beautifully photographed by Buebe himself. Thankfully he doesn’t stop there. He offers lengthy commentary on the concept, materials and methods of his process. Also included in the book are several essays by critics, curators and writers. Breaking the Codex is more than another beautiful coffee table book. You’ll go back to it time and time again to be informed, inspired and intrigued.

There is really no way to sum up this book in a paragraph or two. For those of you who love to make artists books, love to look at artists books, or just love books—this is the perfect book for you. We have six copies in the gallery for sale (for the same price as on Amazon) but no shipping, no waiting!

Canadian born, Beube lives and works in New York City. He teaches, lectures and exhibits worldwide. His artworks are in numerous private and public collections.

Images, from top to bottom: Fault Lines, Splash, and Pocketbook

Three Extraordinary Broadsides

17 Jul 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Claire Van Vliet

23 Sandy Gallery is very pleased to have three extraordinary broadsides by Claire Van Vliet’s Janus Press on consignment from David Abel at Passages Bookshop. You may remember earlier this year when David brought his one-day trunk show to the gallery. It was an amazing selection of fine press books, artist books and broadsides, many of which were long out of print, valuable collectibles. We kept a selection of our favorite broadsides here at the gallery including these three beauties by Van Vliet.

Claire Van Vliet is one of America’s preeminent artists of the book and letterpress, having created some of the 20th-century’s most important fine editions. For decades she has made significant contributions to and innovations in the fields of fine printing, papermaking, bookbinding and printmaking. And as a teacher she has had a profound impact on several generations of aspiring book artists.

According to Wikipedia, was born in 1933 in Ottawa, Canada. She founded Janus Press in San Diego, California in 1955 In the same year she began working on the wood-engravings that she would eventually self-publish. In the mid-1950s Van Vliet traveled in Europe and apprenticed as a hand typesetter. During these travels she taught herself etching while working as a craft instructor at the United States European Headquarters in Germany. For the remainder of the 1950s and early 1960s, Van Vliet taught printmaking, typography and drawing at the Philadelphia Museum School. During those years she worked as a type compositor for John Anderson (eventually at his Pickering Press in New Jersey) and visiting lecturer in Printmaking at the University of Wisconsin. In 1966 Van Vliet moved to Vermont, where she currently resides, and created a permanent home for Janus Press.

Through the years her work has been the subject of several exhibitions, including a 25-year retrospective in 1977 at the Wiggin Gallery at the Boston Public Library and Experimenting with the Book: The Janus Press at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London in 1994. Her work is housed in many prestigious collections, including The National Gallery in Washington, DC; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; The Library of Congress, Washington, DC; and Smithsonian Institution. In addition to her many honors, the University of the Arts in Philadelphia named Van Vliet an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts in 1993.

Click here for more information on these beautiful broadsides by Van Vliet and a few others courtesy of Passages Bookshop.

Weekend Update

25 Jun 2010 / 1 Comment / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Last Two Days for Book Power!

How time files! It’s just hard to believe this is the last weekend to experience Book Power! This important exhibition showcases artist books addressing the social, political and environmental issues of our times. Over 40 artists from across the country and from as far away as Canada, Ecuador, China and Cuba have demonstrated that an artist book can be a powerful vehicle to shed light on the problems we face in the world and can also be a strong call for change. War, poverty, politics, violence, feminism, environmental are but a few of the issues that these concerned artists have used to engage their readers in an effort to raise consciousness, call for justice and provoke action.

If you haven’t seen this exhibit yet, be sure to come by. We’ll be here Friday and Saturday, from Noon to 6:00 p.m.

Click here to preview the online catalog for Book Power!

Above image: Sheets by Jessica Spring.

New Artist Book Spotlight

19 Jun 2010 / 2 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Presenting Konglish by Jana Sim

We are thrilled to announce the arrival of Jana Sim’s newest limited edition artist book: Konglish. This book illustrates the differences between how language is observed and interpreted. Sim has focused on Korean, English and Konglish (Korean+English), which is the term used for English words in a Korean context, or words made from a combination of Korean and English as a sublanguage.

Sim shares her first hand experience using short, humorous anecdotes based on the differences of the languages and how they function in different cultures. The way Korean appears to English speakers can differ dramatically, as does English to Korean speakers, often leading to funny mistakes and experiences causing misinterpretation or confusion.

When the book is closed, the word KONGLISH appears on the front, combined from the words Korean and English which can be seen in full once the book is opened. Once all the pages are read, two laser cut volvelles appear in the middle of the book. The acetate wheels have mixture of both Korean and English alphabets.

The book will be experienced very differently depending on what language you speak. If you only speak one language, the other will be seen as exotic shapes and patterns. If you understand both languages, you will be able to compare and understand both sides of Sim’s stories.

We would like to extend a warm congratulations to Jana for her recent award of a scholarship to continue her graduate studies from The Claxton Club in Chicago. According to the club, “The entire committee was unanimous in its admiration for your work.” The Caxton Club’s purpose is the literary study and promotion of the arts pertaining to the production of books and we are so thrilled that they have honored Jana’s work.

Jana came to United States from her native Korea in September 2002. After earning her BFA in painting from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaig, Sim relocated to Chicago and entered MFA book and paper program at Columbia College Chicago. Sim’s works can be divided into two themes where one is the Korean doors which represent the memories of childhood and past, the reminiscence. The other theme is about the difficulties she faces living as an International Student and the cultural differences between Korea and the United States. Sim started exhibitions from 2006 and her book art works are at numerous exhibitions in the US. She has been featured in several shows here at 23 Sandy Gallery and is in our regular inventory as well.

To view more of Jana Sim’s beautiful work click here. Be sure to check out Nesting, her gorgeous double sided transparency flag book. Highly recommended!

Artist Book Spotlight

08 Jun 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Jim Lommasson

Acclaimed Portland photographer, Jim Lommasson, is one of our featured artists in this month’s show, Book Power! I Wouldn’t Wish War on My Worst Enemy is a book you won’t soon forget. Lommasson has incorporated a collection of 176 photographs taken by American soldiers after their return from the Iraq and Afghanistan Wars. An integral part of the book includes stirring quotations by soldiers and their families. The book if full of compelling images and a heartfelt essay by the mother of a twice-deployed Marine who is quoted as saying “Mom, I wouldn’t wish war on my worst enemy.”

Lommasson has not included any of his own photographs or writing in this piece, stating, “I want this book to feel like it is its own thing, with no outside authorship. I would like an unsuspecting viewer to wonder where the book came from, almost as if it fell out of the sky.” To add impact, Lommasson utilizes scanned copies of the last Iraqi newspaper published while Saddam Hussein was in power.

We’re sure you’ll find this book thought provoking, enlightening, heart wrenching—and powerful.

To view more of Jim Lommasson’s book and the Book Power! catalog, click here.

Special Note: All proceeds* from the sale of this book will go to Returning Veterans Project, an organization that provides free counseling and other health services for returning veterans and their families; and Coffee Strong Coffee House, an organization that provides free counseling and other health services for returning veterans and their families. *(Yes, the entire purchase price will be donated!)

Weekend Update Reminder

29 Apr 2010 / 2 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Poetry Reading and Discussion with Mar Goman and Judith Arcana
Saturday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.

Mar and Judith will close this month’s show with a performance and discussion of Judith’s poems used in Goman’s piece Maternity Dress along with some of her own related work. Goman and Arcana will discuss collaboration across art forms—describing how Maternity Dress and other works have evolved and developed between them. Copies of What if Your Mother, Judith’s poetry collection will be available for sale.

Arcana is a Portland resident and often performs her work at colleges, libraries, bookstores and community organizations. She is also the author of two prose books about motherhood, Our Mothers’ Daughters and Every Mother’s Son and two short poetry collections: Family Business, 4th Period English, and Grace Paley’s Life Stories, A Literary Biography.

Also in the gallery on Sunday, May 2, 2010, be sure to check out Passages Bookshop Trunk Sale 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. David Abel will offer artist’s books, fine printing, broadsides, books about books, art and photography for sale. There will be many items that have been long out of print and hard to find.

For information on both these events, please click here.

We hope to see you!

New Artist in Inventory

27 Apr 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Mary Beth Boone

We are pleased to introduce our newest gallery artist, Mary Beth Boone. Boone specializes in unique books and assemblages and has been making books for twelve years.

Since 2005, Boone has been pondering her family history, sorting through old photographs and other odds and ends from her childhood home. Growing up in a family of creatives, whose mastery included needlework, sewing, and furniture making and refinishing, Boone developed a love of old objects which speak of the past.

Common Threads and Portions of a Matriarch are about my mother’s family. The small accordion books contain reflections, descriptions of relatives, and poems. The third assemblage Wrightsville Beach, Summer of ‘42 is based on a photograph taken by Boone’s father. In her ongoing series, Family Matters, Boone explores her personal thoughts about the meaning and dynamics of family.

Boone received a BFA in design from University of North Carolina and an MFA in sculpture from the University of South Carolina. She has received numerous grants and shows her artwork extensively. Boone is a resident of Greensboro, North Carolina.

Mary Beth Boone exhibited in our Secrets and Lies show in 2008. To see Boone’s work click here.

Mark Your Calendar!

22 Apr 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Poetry Reading and Discussion with Mar Goman and Judith Arcana
Saturday, May 1, 7:30 p.m.

Please join us for a poetry reading and discussion with Mar Goman (currently exhibiting in the gallery) and Judith Arcana.

Mar and Judith will close this month’s show with a performance and discussion of Judith’s poems used in Goman’s piece Maternity Dress along with some of her own related work. Goman and Arcana will discuss collaboration across art forms—describing how Maternity Dress and other works have evolved and developed between them. Copies of What if Your Mother, Judith’s poetry collection will be available for sale.

Arcana is a Portland resident and often performs her work at colleges, libraries, bookstores and community organizations. She is also the author of two prose books about motherhood, Our Mothers’ Daughters and Every Mother’s Son and two short poetry collections: Family Business, 4th Period English, and Grace Paley’s Life Stories, A Literary Biography.

To learn more about Arcana, visit http://www.juditharcana.com/.

Also in the gallery on Sunday, May 2, 2010, be sure to check out Passages Bookshop Trunk Sale 10:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. David Abel will offer artist’s books, fine printing, broadsides, books about books, art and photography for sale. There will be many items that have been long out of print and hard to find.

For information on both these events, please click here.

We hope to see you!

Artist Spotlight

20 Apr 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Linda Welch

We hope you’ve been able to visit the gallery this month to take in Linda Welch’s Concealed Within series. In this series, Welch has created unique and truely one-of-a kind books, in which the individual pieces are wrapped and encased. Welch’s books respond to the constant bombardment of fractured images and past emotions that seem to interrupt present thought on a daily basis. Primarily focused on visual texture, color and composition, threads of storyline appear in unexpected ways. Welch employs wax, paint, bookbinding techniques, and collage. With this in mind, the viewer can’t help but handle and experience these intriguing treasures.

Linda Welch is a painter, sculptor and book artist from Portland, Oregon. Her artist books emanate from a true love of books. She states, “My work is driven by process. Raw material is gathered, selected and manipulated to create further material. It is combined and reworked until the final piece is completed. The act of involvement with the materials ultimately dictates the final form. Each series explores the balance between containment as comfort versus confinement. The notion of what is kept secret versus how much is revealed.”

Several books from this series have been acquired by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. But don’t let them have dibs on everything! All Concealed Within books are available to take home right away and add to your collection.

See Welch’s online catalog here.

New Artist Book Spotlight

10 Apr 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Introducing Our Newest Book Artist—Alicia McKim

We are very excited to introduce a new book artist to the gallery roster, Alicia McKim of Denver, Colorado. McKim has worked as a studio and book artist for over twenty-five years. She explores visual language and memory collecting, consciously blending art and mass culture, creating work that we can all relate to in many ways. McKim is a traditionalist in process, yet often unorthodox and experimental at the same time.

Alicia’s latest artist book, Greetings from California exemplifies this beautifully. The structure of the book is a carousel book, an amazing structure for visual story telling. Using images from vintage California postcards, the reader is transported to the “Golden State.” You will definitely let out a sigh, long for palm trees and sun, and yearn for days gone by when life seemed a little simpler.

Alicia holds a Master of Fine Arts in Printmaking from the University of Colorado. Her work is exhibited and sold internationally and is found in such collections as the Getty Research Institute, L.A., the Printing and Graphic Arts Collection, Harvard University, and the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis. Alicia is an instructor at the Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design in Denver, Colorado where she teaches typography and book arts.

Learn more about Alicia and this book here.

Weekend Update

25 Mar 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Last chance to see three awesome exhibits!

If you haven’t already, you still have time to see our current shows. These exhibits demonstrate paper and book arts at their best.

Virginia Flynn

The Butcher, The Baker, The Candlestick Maker

In this new body of work, Flynn re-interprets the ornate vintage signs that hang over the doorways of merchant houses throughout France. The original cut metal signs created a picture: here a fish shop, here a leather tanning shop, here a tailor. Flynn’s distinctive paper cuts re-create this antique commercial culture. Her delightful paper cutting techniques re-interpret their modern message about “what lies inside.” This is Flynn’s second solo show here at 23 Sandy Gallery. View an online catalog of Virginia’s show here.

Karen Hanmer

Déjà Vu: History, Memory, Place

Chicago binder, book and installation artist Karen Hanmer’s intimate, playful book works fragment and layer text and image to intertwine memory, cultural history, and the history of science. Hanmer skillfully pairs imagery and text with structure to create moods and invite the reader/viewer to become part of the story as they interact with the work physically and emotionally. Karen Hanmer exhibits widely, and her work is included in collections ranging from Tate Britain and the Library of Congress to UCLA and Graceland. Karen is the current Exhibitions Chair for the Guild of Book Workers. Complete online catalog of Karen’s show here.

The Naked Book

Expose Yourself to Journaling

The Naked Book was curated by Linda Kiley to honor the technical beauty of book construction with an exhibition of blank, handmade books suitable for use as journals, sketchbooks or other creative gestures. 35 artists from the US, Canada, and even Italy, will show their books in all their naked glory. All books will be available to take home immediately so you can get started adding your own special touches or thoughts to the pages. These books also stand on their own as wonderful pieces of art and craftsmanship. A full online catalog for The Naked Book can be found here.

23 Sandy Gallery is located at 623 NE 23rd Avenue, Portland, OR. Gallery hours are: Thursday-Saturday, Noon-6:00 p.m. and by appointment. We are open until 8:00 p.m. on both First Thursday and First Friday.

Call for Entries

22 Mar 2010 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Book Power! Artist Books Addressing Our Social, Political or Environmental World

THEME – Book Power is seeking 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 artists who make things happen? War, poverty, decay, politics, conflict, revolution, feminism, environmental, economic and political upheaval are but a few of the issues that concerned book artists can use to engage their readers in an effort to raise consciousness, call for justice or provoke action. Perhaps we really can use our creative powers to solve the problems of the world.

MEDIA – This exhibit is open to book arts related artworks created as either edition or one-of-a-kind. Artist books, sculptural books, book objects, altered books, zines or broadsides are encouraged. Any medium, any style, any size.

More information and a complete call for entries can be found here: http://www.23sandy.com/bookpower/callforentries.html

Happy creating!

A View from Santa’s Sleigh

25 Dec 2009 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas!

We would like to wish you a Merry Christmas and share a view only seen by Santa this time of year. North IV (Noon), a color photograph by artist Jennifer Schlessinger, is one of the featured images for our February show New Directions: Down and Out.

New Directions, the annual juried photography show at wall space gallery in Seattle, seeks to discover new talent in the world of photography. 23 Sandy is very pleased to host the fourth annual New Directions in February after its Seattle premier. This year’s juror is Carol McCusker, PhD, Curator of Photography at the Museum of Photographic Arts (MoPA) in San Diego. The photographs will present two points of view: looking down from a high vantage point, and looking out to a vanishing horizon.

New Directions: Down and Out will be our first exhibit of the new year, scheduled for February 4-27, 2010. Be sure to check back for more information on this upcoming exhibit. And, just like last year the gallery will be closed for winter break from January 10th through February 3rd.

Holiday Schedule

21 Dec 2009 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Holiday Hours

23 Sandy Gallery will be open on December 24 for last minute shopping or a relaxing browse before the big day! We will also be open our regular hours on New Years Eve. The Gallery will be closed on December 25, 2009 and January 1, 2010.

Please also note that January’s First Thursday and Friday will be held on Second Thursday and Friday due to the holiday. 23 Sandy will feature a closing reception and awards ceremony for our current exhibit, The Assignment, on Friday, January 8 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. Please join us for the festivities. We are also open late on Thursday, January 7.

Be on the lookout for info on our upcoming February exhibit, New Directions: Down and Out.

T-BAG Tonight!

17 Dec 2009 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

T-BAG (Thursday Book Arts Gathering) is a group of Portland-area book artists, who meet the third Thursday of each month. It’s an opportunity to meet other book artists, see their studios and their work. Everyone is invited to join us for this casual monthly event. Feel free to bring some of your own recent work (completed or in progress), to share with the group as this is also a good opportunity to show off and get valuable feedback. There are no minutes, agendas or dues, just great company and art. All who work with books or in the book arts are invited.

This month 23 Sandy is hosting the group in the gallery. We’ll meet at 6:30 pm on Thursday, December 17, 2009. (We will get back to our usual 7:00 pm start time in January!) The current exhibit is The Assignment, a juried show organized in conjunction with the College Book Art Association (CBAA). It’s a chance not only to see some great books, but also to feed your brain with the assignments, parameters and jumping-off places that inspired them. We also want to see what you’ve been up to, so please bring your own work and ideas to share with the group.23 Sandy Gallery is at 623 NE 23^rd Ave, three doors north of Sandy Boulevard. More info and a map to the gallery here.

To stay informed of T-BAG and other book arts events in the Pacific Northwest you should join the NWBookArtsList at: www.groups.yahoo.com/group/NWBookArtsList.

Remember, T-BAG meetings and events are only announced on the NWBookArtsList. No other emails or invitations are sent out. So, if you want to join us, join the list! T-BAG is sponsored by the NW chapter of the Guild of Bookworkers.

Guild of Bookworkers National Exhibit in Seattle

14 Dec 2009 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Be Sure to Visit the Marking Time Exhibition

The current Guild of Book Workers (GBW) national exhibit, Marking Time, opened in Minneapolis this May, and is currently touring the country. For those of you who have been patiently waiting for it to arrive here in the Pacific Northwest, your wait is over! The exhibit has finally opened at the Suzzallo/Allen Library at the University of Washington, in Seattle. Marking Time will be on display through February 19, 2010.

The books will be displayed in three separate locations within the Suzzallo/Allen Library. Through January 6, only two parts of the exhibition will be open. Between January 6 and February 19, all three parts of the exhibition will be on display. Please note that the Special Collections Lobby exhibition space has shorter hours than the Suzzallo/Allen Library and is not open on Saturdays. Be sure to check the exact hours and exhibition schedule by clicking here. If you’re not familiar with the University of Washington campus, the Library website provides a map and other information.

Several of our favorite gallery artists are featured in the Marking Time exhibit. Click here to see their work in the show.

You can also click on the names below to see their work that we carry in the gallery. Or better yet, stop by the gallery and take a look.

Alicia Bailey
Susan Collard
Karen Hanmer
Andrew Huot
Sue Huggins Leopard
Sarah Smith (currently in The Assignment)
Jessica Spring
Shu-Ju Wang

Congratulations to all of our local and gallery artists who are featured in this very important exhibition.

Image credit: A Short Course in Recollection by our very own Sue Collard.

New Artist Book

10 Dec 2009 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Mary V. Marsh Introduces Everyday Reader

At 23 Sandy we are thrilled to call Mary V. Marsh one of our regulars. We have recently received Marsh’s latest artist book, Everyday Reader. Marsh brings new life to old books by using library discards to create her unique works.

In Everyday Readers, drawings of people reading—sketched during Marsh’s daily commute—are translated into block prints and printed on discarded library cards and newspapers. In different postures of concentration, they are creating a mental space for themselves, an escape, or just making time pass. The visceral materials, the nostalgia of the old cards and newspapers, suggest expiring mediums and a history of the changing methods of reading. Everyday Readers, is a series of prints and a new open edition artist book. Block prints on library checkout cards are combined and bound in pamphlet format and finished with a unique vintage book cover.

A native of Beaverton, now residing in San Francisco, Mary has shown her artist books at our Beautiful Book exhibition this past June and we love offering her work at the Gallery. To see Marsh’s online catalog click here.

Artist Spotlight

07 Dec 2009 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Julie Chen

Book artist and printmaker, Julie Chen of Berkeley, California was first drawn to the book arts after receiving her degree in printmaking. She entered the book arts program at Mills College in 1984 and from there things have never been the same. Chen became an associate professor and has been teaching at Mills since 1996. For over twenty years, she has published limited edition artist books at Flying Fish Press, a print house she established in 1987, in Berkeley.

Chen works like a conceptual artist, allowing an idea to determine its form and content of her pieces. She often uses original writings and three-dimensional paper techniques, “holding embedded messages to be discovered and journeys to be taken, in form and text. I have become increasingly interested in exploring the time-based aspects inherent in the book form—the turning of the page is an enduring fascination for me, and one of the book form’s most singular features.”

Julie Chen was featured in Craft in America, a PBS television series, this past October. Today, Chen’s books are considered exceptional for their craft and quality. She regularly gives lectures on bookmaking and teaches workshops in cities across the nation, including Oregon College of Arts and Crafts in Portland, Oregon.

When you come in to see The Assignment , be sure to take a close look at Chen’s piece, Personal Topology. Her books are in very high demand, and this is a great opportunity to own a one-of-a-kind book by this very popular and inspiring artist.

Weekend Update

03 Dec 2009 / 0 Comments / in Blog Postings/by LindaKiley

Your Assignment: The Assignment

23 Sandy Gallery and the College Book Art Association (CBAA) are pleased to present The Assignment, a national, juried book arts exhibition held in conjunction with the annual meeting of the CBAA in Portland, Oregon. To illuminate the meeting’s focus on book arts teaching practice and pedagogy, this exhibition features artist book works that were generated directly from course assignments or from self-assignments generated by the artist.

Please join us for our artist reception on First Friday, December 4, 2009, 5:00-8:00 p.m. and for our closing reception on Friday, January 8, 2010 from 5:00-8:00 p.m. During our closing reception, one book will be awarded the “Purchase Prize” and will be purchased and donated to the John Wilson Special Collection Room at the Multnomah County Library in Portland. In addition, the CBAA will give cash awards and several honorary awards.The CBAA meeting attendees, many of whom will be featured in the show will be here for the closing reception. We are also open during First Thursday, December 3, 2009, from 5:00-8:00 p.m. We invite you to join us for any, or all three, of these exciting evenings.

The Assignment was juried by Macy Chadwick and Clifton Meador. Macy Chadwick is an instructor at Academy of Art University in San Francisco, the San Francisco Art Institute, and the San Francisco Center for the Book. She is also the proprietress of In Cahoots Press, Oakland, California. Clifton Meador is associate professor and director of the M.F.A. program in book and paper at Columbia College in Chicago. He is also the editor of the Journal of Artist Books.

The College Book Art Association is a non-profit organization fundamentally committed to the teaching of book arts at the college and university level, while supporting such education at all levels, concerned with both the practice and the analysis of the medium. The Association aims to engage in a continuing reappraisal of the nature and meaning of the teaching of book arts. The annual meeting to be held in Portland January 8-9, 2010.

In the meantime, enjoy this mini peek at these Assignment submissions.

Fairyland, by Leilei Gou, comes to us from Bejing, China. Gou states, ” My idea of this work comes from my grandfather’s home, which is a very old style building in Beijing. There is a huge space in the center of the building, all the apartments are around this space, so when you are on the first floor (ground) you could see the sky through this space, and if you are on the top of the building, you look down could see what happens in the ground.” This silkscreen tunnel book is gorgeous and intriguing.

Angela Early of Brooklyn, New York offers Many Stories in Just Six Words #5 . Early’s accordion book contains portions of everyday conversations which, according to Early, “…include powerful statements that have universal and infinite meaning. My goal in creating these relief printed accordion books was to make these statements visible, tangible, and accessible. I limited my stories to just six words in order to edit the endless possibilities.” Bold graphics + minimal text = big impact.

To view the complete online catalog click here.

Author Archive for: LindaKiley

Announcing The Poetic Pen Best of Show Awards

Breaking the Codex has Arrived!

Three Extraordinary Broadsides

Weekend Update

New Artist Book Spotlight

Artist Book Spotlight

Weekend Update Reminder

New Artist in Inventory

Mark Your Calendar!

Artist Spotlight

New Artist Book Spotlight

Weekend Update

Call for Entries

A View from Santa’s Sleigh

Holiday Schedule

T-BAG Tonight!

Guild of Bookworkers National Exhibit in Seattle

New Artist Book

Artist Spotlight

Weekend Update

Welcome to the 23 Sandy Online Gallery

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