Book Binding & Josh Ritter

Now that the semester is over I can finally catch up on some blog posts. I wanted to include some info about this one weekend a while back. (I love the vagueness of that sentence). A weekend full of friends, music and learning. I attended a "four needle coptic with cloth covered boards" book binding workshop with VSW alum and current student at University of Iowa's Center for the Book, Heather Wetzel. The workshop was INCREDIBLE. I learned the coptic binding technique and created a wonderful, functional, notebook. The majority of my classmates attended the workshop as well and we all had a book to show for it in the end. Brian made a bright red dream journal. Ha ha ha. 

Heather instructing Alicia and Megan.

The spine of my book. 

The next day I went to Ithaca to see Josh Ritter with Katie Brennan and John Brennan! It was truly magical. What a show! I'm so thankful that I was there amongst good people. 

I've got a great life. 

You Made My Day

Friday, April 23rd. Drove Eleanor nearly six hours to Lebanon, PA to see The Welcome Wagon. Teamed up with my two good friends Liz and Lizzie the drive seemed to go by very quickly. It was a beautiful day for a drive and we enjoyed viewing the grand Pennsylvania countryside.    

We arrived in Lebanon and it took us quite a while to find the church. The Welcome Wagon was performing for the 250th anniversary of Tabor UCC. The crowd consisted of elderly church members and families. Let's just say...not many "fans" were there.

We were SO happy to get there! 

The music was heavenly. Vito and Monique were genuine. They performed wonderful familiar melodies and a few that I hadn't heard. Sufjan played in their band. Woah! 

They did a 'meet and greet' afterwards and I was such a giddy little fan! Truly lovely people. My summation of the entire experience... 

SUCH a worth while journey! QUITE the day! A wonderful bless-ed day! Lots of driving. Experienced The Welcome Wagon's glorious musical stylings. Spoke with Vito, Monique and Sufjan. Incredible. GREAT conversations in the wee hours of the morn on the drive back with sisterly friends. Twas good!  

mmmmMMMIX disc!

A couple of weekends ago (March 27th, to be exact) I went to the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair, held in Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum. There was an amazing showcase of artists, writers, poets, musicians and publishers. I enjoyed chatting with individuals about their work and lives. There were many precious hand made items. I was truly encouraged to see the vast amount of people working in the arts in the Western NY area. Needless to say, I came home incredibly inspired to MAKE things! 


One of my favorite pastimes is making "mix tapes" for people. I absolutely LOVE sharing music with people that I find wonderful and moving! When the melodies give me goose bumps or the beats make me DANCE. It's good. :)


My good friend Lizzie made a lovely CD case out of Bristol board for a mutual friend of ours and it has always been in the back of my mind to do something similar. Here are some pictures of some of the personalized mix disc cases I have been making!

I've been using tracing paper, ink, and thread. The transparencies of the tracing paper create an interesting effect while layering ink drawn imagery. I've mostly been just doodling on the paper and laying the pieces on top of each other - It has been great! I hope to start working with some different materials and possibly coming up with some more unified and specific imagery. Crafts!

      
  

Welcome Home, Son [Daughter?]

What I have been working on lately. With the help of my carpenter/father. An independent studio project - experimental video. Video installations are becoming a large area of interest for me. This piece is still in the intermediate stages. Outlining the process of a house structure being built. This miniature structure is primitive, but is still able to communicate the imagery of a dwelling place. 


Ideas I am exploring - residing in buildings/houses that were not built by our own hands, our attempts to adapt to these spaces and make them comfortable and cozy - and the memories that we bring with us from previous homes to these new spaces that will always be present. Attached. 

I'm really excited about this project, because I think that the end result will have a lot of visual interest. However, at the same time I am worried that these themes have been explored too often and I question whether my means are communicating anything unique. 


Do most artists feel this way about their work? Or is it just my ever-so-common lack of confidence?  


With this piece I am incorporating many elements from my personal life. Will it be compelling enough to catch a viewers interest? Or might they simply walk by without giving it a second glance? 


I want people to connect with my work. I need to learn to articulate my ideas both verbally and visually. 


I am still excited about this project. With the end of the semester drawing near, time is of the essence! May I get my act together and may my final projects as an undergrad be works that I am proud to call my own!   


Also, the song Welcome Home, Son by Radical Face has been a reoccurring melody in my life these past two semesters. The imagery! The harmonies! The rhythm! The build up! Oh Glory! And the themes it (and other songs on the album Ghost) explore, tend to deal with the notions of "home" that I find so engaging.