tangible

check to see that all is not lost

2012-01-25T10:14:00.000-08:00

Oh, just a little extra radiation. I'm blaming strange human behavior on the sun this week.

And I finished binding the pages that I mentioned way back here...

merci beaucoup

2012-01-06T11:18:00.000-08:00

thanks wanda

favorite recent album acquisitions. merci beaucoup margo & whoever abandoned this guy at the cda goodwill.

sleepy tired jade in the shadows.

2011-12-30T19:04:00.000-08:00

restless day. must find sunshine and water. check.

onward

2011-12-28T15:41:00.000-08:00

a new year is headed this way. a preview of monthly tear-off postcards.

2011-12-25T14:00:00.000-08:00

pages slowly coming together into book form.

oh, and someone else's orange issue #2 is finally ready! what's that?

and merry today.

kitty cats

2011-12-21T08:58:00.000-08:00

http://procatinator.com/

nevermind

2011-11-22T12:04:00.001-08:00

kurt visited this weekend past. the nevermind show.

pooch face

inked holiday cheer has arrived. free shipping to celebrate sweet potato bliss. use CLIPPERSHIP (promo code) over the weekend. here

2011-11-15T10:18:00.001-08:00

messy studio

back in print action.

chris bathgate is currently venturing around for his salt year tour... this friday at our lookaround palouse space. 8pm be there. support michigan artists in the west! full tour information here.

lately

2011-11-01T11:39:00.000-07:00

2011-10-28T12:04:00.000-07:00

afternoons.

new baby

2011-09-27T10:58:00.000-07:00

thank you thank you mr. jones!

hot town

2011-08-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

Big city living in my small town...I moved into my new loft digs downtown palousetown. (franny and orange kitty helping pack the car here) slowly slowly getting things together.

heat wave = sitting in the river all afternoon = getting less accomplished = that's ok.

And these are so much fantastic fun to print!!!!

soil show (seattle puzzle installation) comes down today.

strangers

2011-08-02T09:00:00.000-07:00

Gotye- Somebody That I Used To Know (feat. Kimbra)- official film clip from Gotye on Vimeo.

this makes me so happy

2011-07-25T22:37:00.000-07:00

Summer laundry makes me so happy.

Oh, and I must share....I am part of poppytalk's August "on the road" marketplace: here: me

itching for some travelin adventures....hopefully headed to chief timothy park and the big river this weekend before the bluegrass festival and before sunday when we aim towards to seattle to install at soil. yes. yes. yes. I do love these warm months.

red book

2011-07-11T21:54:00.000-07:00

new book project....I have been playing with piecing leather...well, that's what I am calling it when I carve out (gently) layers from book covers and place leather pieces in so they are flush with the cover board surface. here are some scans...and lot's more over at flickr.

these book projects are generally to store quotes-quips-reflections from current novels. red book here happened while I was finishing Annie Dilliard's teaching a stone to talk and cutting up a found book on historic map-making methods.

2011-07-10T22:55:00.000-07:00

this was printed way back in april. I'm not sure I shared about this yet, but the tour has been happening and it just happened right here in palouse on friday. so so special.

anyhow----attention all west coasters: these amazing musical folks are headed your way.

I think olympia Monday...then off to portland?

2011-07-01T07:49:00.000-07:00

eliza!

eagles and so much making... the last week of my 26th year.

a cappella

2011-06-07T14:43:00.000-07:00

just a little pick me up at work....

no more doom helmet

2011-06-02T14:56:00.000-07:00

oh, the saga of the spring that never was. cold and rainy and cold.

if I can just make it to the weekend, it should warm up a bit and it is the hot rod show downtown which means rollerskating in the street and a panda playing a theremin. yessum. just maintain hanna, maintain.

i love you sapling press

2011-05-26T10:50:00.000-07:00

smile smile smile.

sapling press

weekend weakend

2011-05-25T14:39:00.000-07:00

we had a little bbq. on saturday. waffle-makers were involved. I can't believe it is wednesday already.

2011-05-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

I've gone missing for a bit on a trip to northern california. It's funny how I go on these trips and all I am really looking for is another palouse town. I sort of found it here in Bolinas, CA....well, Palouse plus surfing.

2011-04-25T07:53:00.000-07:00

my hillside digs.
I absolutely love waking up monday morning reeking of the weekend's bonfires.

planting wildflowers

2011-04-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

frolic on the hill this weekend.

pulling dandy lions by their manes

2011-04-18T13:18:00.000-07:00

right now.

The other me is knocking at the door.

2011-04-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Spring has barely shown its sunshine and all of this march-april dreariness has put me in a strange lazy, somewhat mopey stage where I bundle up in a huge pile of crocheted afghans each evening and stare out at the flooded river hoping tomorrow will bring sunshine. So, I stitched up a coral colored floral bound journal. Warm spring sunshine soon please. please.

message in a bottle

2011-04-05T15:09:00.001-07:00

mini paper scroll message sent via glass bottle with perfect little cork.

2011-03-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

there are so many books on my shelf that are on my to-read list still. I hoard books even though I know full well how frustrated I get with myself when the "to-read" stack towers near my bed. well, regardless, this evening I am taking a moment to look through some of my favorites that I have read or re-read (or am still trying to finish---the whale) in recent months. perhaps this is to help me feel like I accomplished some reading, a digital stack of books?

2011-03-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

I have been on the move quite a bit lately, thus missing the studio. But I just returned from a wonderful San Fran/Oakland adventure that has me all sorts of excited to get back to work. I am hoping to unveil my "WE ARE STARDUST" spring series in early April.

And I am so happy that I have ALMOST made it through another inland northwest winter. whew. Franny and I could really use some sunshine. We will be playing Florence and the Machine REALLY LOUD in the studio until then.

2011-02-07T09:59:00.000-08:00

jot it all down. here.

2011-02-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

do nothing for two minutes

2011-02-02T11:13:00.000-08:00

http://www.donothingfor2minutes.com/

domus

2011-01-31T14:53:00.000-08:00

2011-01-27T10:26:00.001-08:00

elsewhere2, originally uploaded by hannaclark.

My plate of current projects is often a bit overloaded. One of my goals for this new year is to ease this a bit. It's true- I love being busy and I am addicted to new ideas, but heaps of unfinished works or feeling rushed becomes overwhelming.
February is my month to clean all of this up.
So, no new projects are allowed to enter my studio.

I plan to round out the following:
-Avoid the VOID video project (golly, this started in the summer)
-the 94 north shore project with my mum
-my upcoming "collection" of we are stardust prints, books and giant god's eyes (for the spring)
-solidify the porch fort residency program details.
and finally complete the edits on my website (hannadust.com)

whew.
the words here will follow my progress. hope for strong breezes to
carry me along.

I can't believe its already thursday already!

i am doing the best that i can.

2011-01-23T18:44:00.000-08:00

sunshine and saturday printing at the museum. bam.

plan

2011-01-18T11:06:00.000-08:00

I am currently devouring Georges Perec's Bartlebooth character and am leaving you here with a plan that he creates for the manner in which he will carry out the rest of his living days.

An excerpt:

It grew over the following months and came to rest on three guiding principles.

The first was moral: the plan should not have to do with an exploit or record, it would be neither a peak to scale nor an ocean floor to reach. What Bartlebooth would do would not be heroic, or spectacular; it would be something simple and discreet, difficult of course but not impossibly so, controlled from start to finish and conversely controlling every detail of the life of the man engaged upon it.

The second was logical: all recourse to chance would be ruled out, and the project would make time and space serve as the abstract coordinates plotting the ineluctable recursion of identical events occurring inexorably in their allotted places, on their allotted dates.

The third was aesthetic: the plan would be useless, sinice gratuitousness was the sole guarantor of its rigour, and would destroy itself as it proceeded; its perfection would be circular: a series of events which when concatenated nullify each other: starting from nothing, passing through precise operations on finished objects, Bartlebooth would end up with nothing.

- Georges Perec, Life: A User’s Manual

2011-01-13T15:41:00.000-08:00

I finally scanned the book that I created for the seattle residency I took part in this past fall. This was made in conjunction with some sound recordings and a short video. more images on my website: hannadust.com

click here

2011-01-07T10:42:00.000-08:00

my favorite home city as captured by Yves Marchand and Romain Meffre collected in this beautiful little website. look at the rest of the images. that's an order.

retreat. reappear.

2011-01-05T12:20:00.000-08:00

the riverside
solstice train

gypsy lovelies

for the holidays i took a pause from the virtual landscape. i needed a moment (well, i still need a few more) to settle into my new home on the hillside, to spend time in the snow and completely abandon my awareness of the clock.
i am back to work now and thrilled for the start of a brand new year! december was all about clearing out nonsense (both materially and metaphorically speaking).

now. momentum for the new.

and... fantastic news, i was asked to print on saturdays at the letterpress museum on main st., palouse. so, please stop by for a visit if you are in the eastern WA area...I have a few projects in mind that will begin as soon as I'm settled in the space.

I spent all sunday stitching little headbands on some coptic bound books. glorious.

onward and upward.

home

2010-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

headed home today.

I need to prepare myself for the "snowpacolypse", but thought I would share these last few sunshine photos.

beach findings. bare feet.

goodness gracious

2010-11-25T16:29:00.000-08:00

well, in honor of those that refuse to go to the horrifying mall and decide to begin the holiday shopping extravaganza online, I am offering 25% off any order from my tangible shop.

(Just enter: goodnessgracious into the coupon code section.)

I cannot believe I am talking about shopping. It must be some sort of pumpkin pie induced delusional moment. Take advantage of this.

2010-11-24T08:11:00.000-08:00

Our good friend Scott runs a brewery nearby (Paradise Creek Brewery)...here are some photos I have stitched together and mounted that will be on display for the next month or so.

I love this brewery building... it happens to be the old post office. we all know I am obsessed with all things postal and mail related...plus amazing beer, so once everything is installed I will certainly share some more photos here. (and there will be a lovely opening reception bash too sometime in mid-december...yay! stop by if you are in the northwest!) Anything for scott.

xo palouse.

In other news, I may disappear from the blogosphere for a bit because I just moved into a new house!!!...beautiful, magical, overlooking the palouse river (much more about this to come though) and then had to jump on a plane...I am in SUNNY florida for a long overdue visit to my amazing mother perfectly coinciding with thanksgiving. Highs in the 80's today...beach bums and seashell collectors we are.

I will get back next week in a sort of frenzy to nest and get my new place (AND studio...oh my goodness, I have a whole room for a studio....goodbye kitchen studio!) in order. So, I may be quieter here, but will come back with an explosion of images and hopefully new work. I couldn't be happier. LOTS TO DO. happy thanksgiving to all.

2010-11-17T11:57:00.000-08:00

tweed portfolio.

i save almost everything.

when placed on a shelf, this looks just like a book. a classy tweed book. secret safe.

the orange kitty looked extra handsome this a.m. with the tweed. just his style. he needs a little interweb shout out love since he has been putting up with the enormous black fluffy pup so gracefully.

happy wednesday.

2010-11-12T14:42:00.000-08:00

mary and i have completed our first issue of "someone else's orange"...a little zine collection of excerpts...those juicy bits of books you love. I will be stitching them up this weekend. love.

winter has been holding back so nicely...anticipating a lovely weekend of wandering through the remaining yellow leaves with my good friend carrie who is on her way from olympia as we speak!

warm weekend wishes to you all.

circles

2010-11-10T14:30:00.000-08:00

circles on my mind.

woe is me.

2010-11-10T10:42:00.001-08:00

I somehow managed to catch a bug last week that has left me with a cough that won't seem to depart. On top of that, I woke up yesterday with hives that have now turned into swollen fingers and toes and a really puffy face. so gross. I'm not sure what is going on here, so I just popped a few benadryl and am pushing my sluggish self through the work day. I feel whooped...like it should be friday. But alas, just wednesday.

Good news though: I finally got some images of my new holiday cards! Check them out here.

Based on recent forest creature doodles, I am hoping these little notes will spread some cold weather cheer.

I should have taken a picture of my swollen fingers to share with you. The little sausages are having quite the time typing. he he

Introducing: Frances Clover!

2010-10-25T10:31:00.000-07:00

Frances Clover: my new pup (labradoodle and australian shepherd mix)
frannie and her sister zinnia who lives nearby...

my fabric obsessions for this fall.

more tweed.
I just returned from Seattle where I was working on a collaboration with meadow starts with p...part of an artist in residence program that andrew peterson runs called: fifty-five-oh-six. A wonderful chaotic exploration of play that will result in my own book project based on my time there as well as a short video. I'm sure I will be blabbering on about this as it progresses...so, for now I thought I would share a few images of some tweed portfolios and cases for i-pods that I have been working on just for fun.

way back when I lived in ann arbor, I worked in a book conservation lab at a university of michigan library/museum. It was so wonderful roaming through the archives everyday as I learned to repair old books and documents...I have been a bit nostalgic for this era lately. The majority of my time was really spent building "folders" and boxes to protect items from damage...and now a few years later this has evolved into a subconscious obsession to create little boxes and containers for precious papers and well worn books. I have some old prints and drawings around that I am making this tweed portfolio for...and may list some cases similar to this in the tangible shop.

2011 calendar!!!

2010-10-12T11:54:00.000-07:00

opal
sapphire
peridot
ruby
moonstone/pearl
emerald
diamond
aquamarine
amethyst
garnet

Ok, lots of images. The calendars are ready!!! I just put them in the online store, but only a few images can be shown on etsy, so I wanted to have all of the monthly images available for reference here.

Each month has the corresponding gemstone...It was so fun to pull together odds and ends from my sketchbooks with these big raw gemstones. I have been staring at the big rocky bluffs near where I live and went to an excellent lecture on meteorites last night, so the jagged look of these colored birthstones has been really present in my visual mind lately.

The whole process also made me create collages that somehow remind me of each month, and hopefully set up a good starting off point for each month as it comes throughout 2011. April, for example includes a sketch of my mom when she was younger. Her birthday is in April. April and diamonds always bring mom to mind. :)

Enjoy! and please feel free to ask me any questions if you are curious.

calendar sneak peek

2010-10-08T13:42:00.001-07:00

a sample from my (in the works) calendar for 2011. mix of small sketches with images of gemstones that correspond to each month/birthstone. i am a ruby, so july will be pretty special.

i should have these all set for printing by late next week.

i think i'll go sit by the river

2010-10-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

I sort of locked myself in this past weekend and finally got down to some making. lots of tweed portfolios, journals, etc. on the way...I will be pulling together the images and posting them in the store over the next few days....Struggling with so many ideas, but not enough hours in the day.

I saw a moose climbing a huge hill on my way to work yesterday. long walks through the changing scenery, trips to the river. This fall is so lovely and has only just begun.

Oh, here's a song about a river I love:

2010-09-29T11:24:00.000-07:00

sunday

2010-09-26T12:11:00.000-07:00

My first loaf...Whole wheat with flax.
a new journal...spine covered in SUPER soft suede from an old jacket.
An ad I found on the posting board at the market. If only I had a full yard that needed mowing...
Oh, I am really wishing this weekend wasn't coming to a close. Wonderful adventures in bread making, dancing with mr. tim, estate sales and sunshine. It's a bit cloudy this morning, but I am finally making progress with some computer work...website on its way and I also have a 2011 calendar in the works. More on all of this later in the week.

my my my

2010-09-22T22:24:00.000-07:00

good night harvest moon.

these new list books have very light blue graph paper pages, the smallest grid i have ever found, but printed lightly enough to prevent any interference with my not so careful scribbles.

2010-09-22T08:09:00.000-07:00

plaid

2010-09-21T09:16:00.000-07:00

fall has arrived. (well, technically not until tomorrow) but i have been craving soup and foods involving pumpkin, squash, cinnamon and apples, the palouse wheat harvest is coming to a close and we have all pulled out our flannels to keep warm. i have also finally been spending more time hibernating in the studio rather than frolicking outdoors, so lots more items have arrived in the tangible store....

my skills at keeping in touch with family and friends via snail mail has been pretty lackluster this summer. plus, my postman Mitch is retiring. so, i have been going through my fabric scraps as inspiration for a series of plaid postcards in the hopes of catching up with folks...perfect for sending quick notes while listening to Mitch hum oldies.

photo booth weekend

2010-09-17T13:40:00.000-07:00

lauren.
I am so excited to be taking portraits of folks like this all weekend! These are from last year...but, tomorrow (saturday) mary and eric and I will be running the photo booth for Palouse days 2010!! Complete with a gold frame and shiny letters I made from tin foil last night as well as boxes and boxes of apparel including tiaras, raingear, an assortment of goggles and glasses and hats and one particularly spectacular polka dot number from my closet.

Yes!

please please come visit if you happen to be located in the northwest. all photo proceeds will benefit the new palouse community center.

starts back to its beating.

2010-09-15T23:19:00.000-07:00

new stationary is in the shop! here.

2010-09-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

I came across Hilary Judd, a book artist positioned in the UK and can't stop thinking about her pop-up books. Here are a couple of images, but you can find lots more info about her and her other incredible creations here.

Earlier last month, my mom and I started a project together. We got to talking about how much we loved the little white house on the lake where I spent the first 7 or 8 years of my life...but we realized how different each of our memories were. For me, it was such a peaceful, magical childhood home. For my mom, a single mother raising two little ones, it was quite a different era. Anyway, we got to sharing and we have decided to work on a series of large images (drawings for me, watercolors for mom) all about that little house. It has become a wonderful opportunity for me to try to get to know my mom as her younger self. Hilary's pop-up books remind me of childhood...I was (and still am) obsessed with books of all type, and my mom has been reminding me lately about all of the little pop-up books and cards and paper dolls I created as a tot. I just may have to give another go at the pop-up structures. We'll see. More info about the collaboration with my mom here: 94 North Shore.

that's that

2010-09-12T23:01:00.000-07:00

Come, come, my conservative friend, wipe the dew off your spectacles, and see that the world is moving. -elizabeth cady stanton

A sunday packed with printing, kick-ball, showers for babes, dinosaur-shaped rice krispy treats and more printing. Sunny and lovely with wonderful people everywhere. Yes, the images are of new mustache prints...a new little woodcut for fun and I am in the mood for new stationary, so a few packages will be in the shop later this week. check 'em out!

2010-09-09T15:07:00.000-07:00

the book as tent. love. (these images are from the traveling arts encampment that landed in auburn, wa in august...a piece by mary rothlisberger...my lovely neighbor.)

begin again

2010-08-26T13:32:00.000-07:00

I have returned slowly but surely.

It has been quite a year, to say the least. All sorts of changes, mostly for the good, have whirled me and my activities in every which way, but the linen thread and binders board and all forms of inspirational scraps have found their way to my studio table. I am now situated in a little town on a river in eastern Washington. I have been cultivating a small garden plot all summer and now that the tomatoes are starting to ripen, I am feeling settled and heading back to the quiet comforts of bookbinding.

Featured Tangible Journal #1

2009-10-24T13:32:00.000-07:00

Library Style Journal:
Approx. 200 pages, powder blue Buckram cover with original etching, circa 2004-5?

This fall has flown by. October is almost over, my gosh. Speaking of flying, I am so excited to feature one of the books I made ever so long ago (pictured above).
I made this book 3 or 4 years ago, covered in a bright blue buckram cloth with one of my etchings from Ann Arbor for my lovely step-sister.
I have to admit that seeing this etching from so long ago is rather embarrassing, and I can see so many flaws with my binding technique, but I am excited to see that the book has held up despite the worn edges. Buckram is often used for "library bindings" because of its durability. Around the time that this book was put together I was really into buckram...I loved the bold colors and the texture, plus I was still working in the conservation lab at a rare book library, so everything I made revolved around my obsession with the library aesthetic.

Thank you so much Cheri for sending these photos...and for the lovely note. It makes me want to dig out the good ole buckram for some new journals!

I hope to feature another tangible journal from the past sometime next month---please send images if you have any to share: hannaclark@gmail.com

Rainy Days and Mondays

2009-09-07T17:37:00.001-07:00

I have been running around lately like a crazy person, but I finally found a quick moment to explore the etsy world and post a new creation. Last spring I made a bunch of handmade paper...Here is one of the resulting notebooks...complete with polka-dot fabric and leather along the spine.

unwind

2009-08-07T14:41:00.000-07:00

The time has come to head back to reality....leaving rural Pennsylvania tomorrow for Detroit and then Spokane. I am finishing my last few drawings tonight while I finish watching Blade Runner...(in the mood for 80's sci-fi...who knows why?) and I have put a sneak preview on flickr.

A fawn lives under the porch here...I think that he was raised by the goats nearby? Anyway, incredibly tame which is likely not a good thing for surviving the winter, but I will try to avoid worrying about that for now.

Last night I went for one of my last runs on these country roads and I kept noticing how loud it actually was. Everyone claims to head to the woods for peace and quiet, but I could barely think over the crickets and wind in the trees and the river. I will miss these sounds.

Back to the bookbinding studio though. I will try to have some new journals up within the next few weeks...just in time for the fall.

hello inspiration...

2009-07-28T10:30:00.000-07:00

I found this video on etsy...Please check out Margaux Kent's etsy shop: the black spot books

Inspiring.

Speaking of Sketchbooks

2009-07-27T19:47:00.000-07:00

I was browsing some webpages that I had bookmarked ages ago and came across Book By Its Cover...a website by a Brooklyn designer...I have been particularly obsessed with the Sketchbook Series. I thought this was fitting to go with my recent conversation about loving to see filled books! Here are some glorious images from the Ben Finer Sketchbook Series...

Sketchbook Interiors...and Glorious Rainstorms

2009-07-24T11:15:00.001-07:00

The messy drawing studio...
text pgs: Ingres lightweight

covered with grass green book cloth and amate bark paper for the spine as well as screen-printed bits and pieces for fun

photos from a really old sack of lentils....
Anais Nin quotes and an old etching proof.
It is so peculiar how most of the best things could never be planned for. Today - iced coffee on the porch during a rainstorm...perfect.

It has been raining on and off for then entire week here (in rural PA), but it is the lovely sort of rain-warm and breezy and everything smells so wonderful when the drops stop falling. Plus, this has been a very productive week for drawing, so no complaints here!

In other news, I have been wanting to do a feature on this blog for a while about some of the books/journals/sketchbooks that I have made in the past...how are they holding up? Are they filled? How have they been used and by whom? I am afterall most interested in making functional items. I love gorgeous old bindings and really intricate detail work, but in the long-run I am always more satisfied when I give someone a journal that they will actually use, even if it happens to be a simple leather notebook.

That being said, I decided to begin the feature with a book that I have carried around for the past year. I created it as a sketchbook...filling it with an earthy toned lightweight Ingres paper, which I have always loved to draw on....though I must admit it has been used as more of a storage location for my racing thoughts and inspirations (photos, exhibit cards, quotes, etc.) that I want to remember.

Take a look, and let me know what you think...and please send any images and/or notes about the tangible press journals that you have been filling my way to be featured!

Oop Bop Sh' Bam

2009-07-15T19:17:00.000-07:00

July is half over!?! Spending so much time on the road from place to place...I have lost track of the days....though now I have settled in Eastern Pennsylvania for an artist residency until August 9th. I am spending this time working on a series of drawings based on photos of the region. Today I spent the morning going back and forth between the studio and reading in a big chair in the sun....perfect day! I am so excited/spoiled that I get a whole month of this!

I have only been exploring the area for a few days, but I think the drawings are coming along nicely...I will try to have some images of those up soon. For now, check out my flickr for images of the super old church I am living in and various images of the area.

The one downfall of the summer/travel adventures is that I will be away from my bookbinding supplies (the station) for way too long! In the meantime, I found this article in the New York Times archives about a wonderful craftsman in the Washington Heights area who is keeping the craft of book repair lively! Reminds me of my good old days in the Clements Library Conservation Lab at the University of Michigan....how the process of repairing old bindings teaches and inspires you to bind your own books....Read the article here...

Heidelberg Project and Tangible Press Anniversary!

2009-07-10T13:28:00.000-07:00

I have been away from the studio for a couple weeks now, so the blog updates have been lacking as well.....I just drove from Idaho to Detroit to visit my family before I head off to Pennsylvania (tomorrow) to work on a series of drawings...much more on all of this later. For now, though I want to promote my JULY SALE in the tangible press etsy shop! I have now been happily sharing my handmade journals through etsy for 2 whole years, so for this month I would like to offer FREE SHIPPING for orders within the USA. Happy Birthday Tangible Press!

Click on the etsy shop images at the right to view the sale items or click here.

The pictures above are from an artist (Tyree Guyton) project in downtown Detroit known as the Heidelberg project. Read more about it here! A truly bright spot to visit in the city...I recommend it to all!

rainy + cold = perfect day for making books!

2009-06-21T16:48:00.000-07:00

the photo collection. I just love these images. I am not sure how/if they will be incorporated into the journals, but I like to have them around while I work and they are so great with my fabric scraps...

I am all about decorative stitching lately...(rose colored decorative end-bands below). not entirely functional (though I will argue that they strengthen the book structure overall) and incredibly time consuming...but lovely!

I will be heading off this coming weekend (road trip to Michigan to visit Dad and run around Detroit/Ann Arbor) until mid-July when I will begin a month long artist residency in rural Pennsylvania. That being said, I am going to try to spend every waking moment this week in my bookbinding studio (aka corner of my bedroom) because it is oh so hard to make books while driving cars and the residency will be all about drawing.

Oh, and a side note: I finished the summer newsletter...all printed and ready for the post office bright and early Monday morning. Watch your mailboxes. And for anyone interested in receiving the seasonal newsletter, just send me a quick e-mail with your postal address. ( I love snail mail.)

hannaclark@gmail.com

Ooh La La

2009-06-07T13:08:00.000-07:00

Moses the cat posing with the new books...Be sure to check the tangible etsy shop!
Here are some process photos..stitching and covering wooden boards with fabric. Please forgive the poor lighting! (A lot of this occurs rather late in the evening and I have just not mastered color settings.)

my fabric collection...There is a little town nearby called Palouse. They have a wonderful antique store that I spend far too many hours exploring as well as a quilt fabric store in town that has a huge bucket of fabric scraps...I believe it is $3 to fill a brown paper bag (lunch size). I so often find the greatest little pieces of fabric and I love the challenge of finding the perfect project for a small piece.

Old Ways

2009-06-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

For the past few months I have been studying traditional bookbinding methods with Jim Croft, a former instructor at Penland, and local Idaho resident. With Jim, the focus is not just on the making of the book, but also on the making of the tools and all materials from scratch. He harvests his own flax to make paper and thread and makes all of his tools from found bones and scrap metal. I recently made a paring knife for leather from scratch with him (which could explain the interest in making leather books lately). He guided me in shaping the metal using a hand grinder and sand paper to fit my hand perfectly and it has been so wonderful to work with new tools that fit the contour of my palm.

In the summer Jim leads various intensive bookbinding workshops at his place in Santa, Idaho. This year the first workshop begins on June 10th. Click here for a link to his website or contact me for further info. If you are even remotely near northern Idaho or willing to travel this summer I really suggest you wander up to Santa and join the workshops! The website goes into much more detail about the skills offered through the workshop, but who gets a chance to harvest flax for paper, split logs for wooden boards often..? I will unfortunately be missing the big July workshop, but hope to stop by during the wooden board and clasp intensive (June 10th-20th, 2009). Yes, that's right...you get to make your own metal clasps for book closures from scratch! Oh, and he will be in Portland, OR for a short workshop later on this month...(Jim is pictured here with Rachael, another MFA student here)

thursday

2009-05-28T11:15:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to the smell of the lilacs outside my window. So nice.

Lot's of new journals ready for the etsy shop...be sure to check them out and let me know what you think!

Bright was the Day

2009-05-25T08:46:00.000-07:00

It has been quite a while since I posted anything...I have been hiding away working on new book styles and finishing up a crazy semester. This week I made it to the cedar groves to roam about and the weather has been gorgeous...Happy Memorial Day!

stripes

2009-04-04T16:26:00.001-07:00

clap and dance

2009-03-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

just some pictures for today...

the color blue

2009-02-20T12:58:00.000-08:00

palouse, WA sky

wait around, watch the shadows change

2009-02-17T09:16:00.000-08:00

The electronic harvest project is in motion...
For the past 4 months, I have been collecting unwanted electronic items such as broken cell phones, old computer monitors, etc. Now, I am developing a series of photographs using the items as subject matter...
All of this will culminate in October with a photo and sculptural installation at a gallery on campus. Ideally, the project will promote proper recycling of the ever-expanding accumulation of e-waste.
More info here: electronic harvest!

icicle

2009-01-03T09:50:00.000-08:00

It is oh so cold. Here are some recent images of a two-story icicle. Happy New Year. More to come soon...promise.

get out the scissors

2008-11-16T15:45:00.000-08:00

Card orders will be shipped out Monday!
The latest woodcuts have been in this silhouette style, just one color. I was looking at a bunch of Hans Christian Andersen cut-outs that went with his famous fairy tales. For example,

(thanks to Airform Archives blog)
Clearly, my woodcuts look terrible and childish in relation to the intricate patterns of Andersen's. (I am aiming for a more simplified translation of the paper-cut-out process to wood-carving, but still trying to retain a bit of the whimsical nature of the narrative imagery.)

Oh, and then I came across an exhibition that took place last spring in Dublin at the Museum of Contemporary Art Museum. It is a comparison of the cut-ups and cut-outs of Hans Christian Andersen and William S. Burroughs. Read more about it here: exhibit!

gray days

2008-11-10T17:14:00.000-08:00

It won't stop raining here...which equals far too much time spent staring out the window at the last few leaves left on the trees and various bird activities.
Here is the resulting woodcut print and some other related snapshots. (it will be available in the online shop soon.)

makings

2008-10-25T16:21:00.001-07:00

My little intaglio studio is finally up and running! Prints are in the making. Happy weekend.

2008-07-31T16:01:00.000-07:00

Everything in the space was originally concealed in boxes.
I want to put everything into one box labeled: collection.
From all of this I have learned that I have a minimalist streak.

2008-07-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

I have been interested in the way that repetition works within this experience-the image loop, the loop of the space, the loop of the day, and how quickly patterns arise within an experience that is still so new.
I thought that maybe I would be drawn in to specific areas or details of elsewhere, but rather have discovered a continuous rhythm, found repetition in the whole.
Repetition in color palette and patterns, even within such an array of materials, repetition in the walking paths within the space, daily schedules and the relation to time in this sort of environment.

I have also discovered comfort in working more ephemerally. A desire never arose in me to think about working something permanently into the space, building, or altering anything significantly.
I imagine this stems from what I understand led to the foundation of this space as it exists now. (the exploration that was involved in order to end at the idea of creating a layered art space. The process of digging through piles.) In a sense I wanted to have that level of exploration myself...thus the interest in exploring and reformatting my surroundings in a way that I can understand and step toward something else.
The other influence of the impermanence in what I have focused on here must have to do with the social environment, and the restraints and tensions that I guess inevitably go along with communal activities. I often need to seek privacy in this sort of space, and I feel that I spend a lot more mental energy on thoughts about getting out of someone's way, or seeking ways in which I can be more helpful. So, when the time comes to focus individually on my experience and work within the space, I don't want to be noticed, or watched, or require assistance. At some level I want my physical self to disappear, but the documentation, the evidence to remain.
To go back to later?
To show someone as proof of some sort?

(FYI: posts lately have mostly been about my current experience as a production assistant at Elsewhere Artist Collaborative)

splitting at the seams

2008-07-25T13:52:00.000-07:00

I have begun work in secret. I guess it's not a secret anymore since you know. I had to tell someone.
protection
control
boundaries
documentation
comfort
seclusion

let's make a quija board

2008-07-22T15:57:00.000-07:00

exercise in gaining control pt. 2

2008-07-21T20:21:00.000-07:00

really difficult to photograph.
Process: cover shit continent with black clothing to obtain some degree of calm.

2008-07-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

I am uncomfortable with the common practice of waste disposal... The overwhelming growth of landfills and our disregard.
However, I believe that some items do actually need to be disposed of, removed if they cannot be recycled.
I am working on the third floor, a place called "shit continent".
A few artists are coming in that work with old clothes to create amazing installations. We are sorting the clothes from the continent...so that they can get right to work when they arrive.
There is a lot more shit than anything else. I cough up black dust.
The constant references to "the collection".
This is not how a collection should be handled. Everything is coated with years of dust and mold.
It is kept hidden. Kept in these conditions much of the continent is literally becoming unusable, unhealthy. I am losing sight of any purpose.

an attempt to gain control

2008-07-20T17:26:00.000-07:00

sunday. all to myself.

interior dialogue

2008-07-17T17:05:00.000-07:00

I need a focus for my energy.
It was brought to my attention that a space to consider conservation/preservation/protection of the objects here at Elsewhere should transpire.

As I am adjusting to my current surroundings, a focus on creating this space seems necessary and relevant. (both to past experience with UM library conservation and with current work)

primary goals:
•minimal intervention, restrict further deterioration of objects
•documentation of all aspects of collection, treatment, analysis
•organization categorization of damaged specimens

Images of the space(above)

elsewhere

2008-07-16T16:30:00.001-07:00

I have arrived elsewhere.

Beginning to adjust to the mountains of things to sort and ponder.
Beginning to adjust to communal living/working environs.

wake up, wander downstairs and around Elm street before it gets too hot,
then sort through the wardrobe....A current artist in residence has taken on the overwhelming task of re-organizing and sorting by color a room that contains the most significant portion of Elsewhere's clothing collection.

More images of this to come.

motion

2008-07-06T18:38:00.000-07:00

the daily collages have been paused. currently in transit and will be until late August.
Within the next few weeks I will be starting a daily drawing series...a daily endeavor that travels well.
more on this soon!

daily collage 10

2008-06-24T17:07:00.000-07:00

The drawn boxes here are based primarily on the boxes that I see all around Idaho and Eastern Washington farms...clearly a minimalist representation though.
Huge repeated stacks. I need to do some more research about what could be stored in these boxes for so long. I like how the drawn boxes look like they might topple over soon...they have the leaning, tired feeling.
Finding the edge.

daily collage 9

2008-06-15T16:28:00.000-07:00

If approached too closely
it was a day for playing with words. The larger text comes from a copy of How Much is a Million? that I found in the garbage. Most definitely on my favorite list for kids books.

daily collages: 7 & 8

2008-06-12T21:06:00.000-07:00

back to it...
here are some various images of the two latest collages.
slug pendant (#7) & personal histories (#8)

daily collage 6

2008-06-04T12:05:00.001-07:00

beans and rice and rain

2008-06-03T23:09:00.000-07:00

I just finished my collage for the day. It is currently drying (and being pressed flat under a pile of books). The tangible studio is currently located somewhere between the desk in the bedroom by the window and the kitchen table. create, cut, paste, arrange in the evening---photograph in the am.

process ->
I really have no idea or plan when I sit down with my pile of scrap paper, yet somehow each collage reflects some element/essence/mood/color/weight of the day. I am growing more and more interested in the accumulation of the collages. They are sketches, but even faster and much more to the point than sketching (for me lately).

The rule: create a collage a day.
The "a day" part is so crucial. Sometimes when I sit down and start debating which papers to play with, the psycho speed-racer-get-her-done voice comes through my head with the idea that I should make a bunch of collages to last for a few days...but no. bad idea. What is actually working with this whole one-a-day thing is the variation and development of reflecting through torn pages and old prints.
This being said, I will probably seem a bit lazy in the collage making this weekend..out of town...but back mid-next week. In the meantime, some photos of lovely Idaho from last weekend.

daily collage 4&5

2008-06-03T08:10:00.001-07:00

Daily Collage: 3

2008-06-01T14:27:00.000-07:00

Here's number three! Titled: In the key of E!

daily collage: 2

2008-05-31T10:36:00.000-07:00

here is number 2 ...a quiet collage.

I based this one on the Wordsworth poem: Strange Fits of Passion Have I known