Category Archives: Artists’ Books

College Book Arts Association Conference: Inspiration, Technique, and More

Posted on January 9, 2012 | Leave a comment

I spent Friday and Saturday at the College Book Arts Association (CBAA) Conference and, wow, what a lot of amazing people, ideas and art!

It was great to reconnect with friends and colleagues that I haven’t seen in a while and to meet many new ones. It was also fun to meet people in person that I recognize from their participation in the Book Arts ListServ.

I spent the two days going to seminars on topics ranging from “Electronic Innovations in the Artist’s Book” to “Cross Purposes: Merging Book Art with Other Genres and Media” and going to demonstrations on techniques such as the Secret Belgian Binding and the Linked Baseball Stitch.

You do not have to be in, or associated with, a college to be a member and attend the conferences. And, even though it’s over now, you might want to peruse the Conference Program to see if this is something you’d like to go to in the future. In 2014, the conference will be in Salt Lake City.

I’ve got a stack of inspiring ideas, techniques and people to learn more about and I thought I’d share these with you. I’ve got at least a month’s worth of blog material! Tomorrow I’ll start with some of the artists whose artists’ books I found most inspiring.

Did you go to the CBAA Conference? What inspired you?

Next: Luz Marina Ruiz

~Ginger

www.gingerburrell.com

Happy Thanksgiving – My Gift to You – A Thanksgiving Book

Posted on November 22, 2011 | 2 comments

Every year I think about giving a Thanksgiving message to the people in my life for whom I am grateful and every year I get too close to Thanksgiving and run out of time. So this year, I’ve made this foldable book, using one of my all time favorite fall foliage photographs, to give away. It’s a simple structure and, as my gift to you, you’re welcome to print and make as many of them as you’d like. Use it to say thank you to someone who is important to you. Or many someones. I’ve left the last page blank for you to write in a personal message.

Here is the PDF file, click on the link, not the photo. Be patient, it is a very large file: Thanksgiving Book by Ginger Burrell

For instructions on how to fold it, try Marc Snyder’s How to Make an Eight Page Book Out of a Single Sheet of Paper. (Except there are no edges to trim before beginning.)

For more free books, check out Free For All.

I’m thankful for my many friends in the art community. To all of you, thank you – And a very Happy Thanksgiving.

~Ginger

www.gingerburrell.com

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Posted in Artists' Books, Handmade Books

Tagged art, artists books, free book, Ginger Burrell, handmade books, photography, Thanksgiving, www.gingerburrell.com

Making Art from Paint Chips: “So Different” (3 of 3)

Posted on November 18, 2011 | 4 comments

Don Drake, who is the artist at Dreaming Mind, recently completed an edition of So Different. When I saw the book, I loved his very creative and thought-provoking use of “white” paint chips. I’ve looked at a lot of paint chips and I’d never thought of using them in this way. But then that is what makes art so wonderful, many of us can look at the same starting materials and create such different art. Today is the last post about art using paint chips. From boxes, to flag book flags, to exploring perception of color.

Don says of his book, So Different:

“So Different was sparked by a routine conflict with a friend and the subconscious urges to forgive and punish that bubbled up. The result was a cycle of 4 short poems. I read them as psychic autopsies; an opportunity to stand aside and view the paradoxical logic the us-and-them. Paint chips seemed a perfect illustration for these character studies. Their subtle hues only take on real meaning when placed in a context and their names are crafted to evoke emotion and memory.”