all the things by hand

all the things.

the first time i heard this phrase

was in michelle moode's beautiful letterpress book

PARTICULAR.

it was index item #1.

the first thing was all the things.

 i handle this book,

handle, the touch or the feel of something held in the hands

this book

haptic knowledge

anyway, it has delights and puzzles quietly presented.

The whole world is a series of miracles,  but we’re so used to them we call them ordinary things. Hans Christian Anderson I've been thinking about the intelligence of  our hands, how they become smarter with practice, like our brains do. unmoored, by shanna leino  i've read over and over. it's a small poem, not many words, but about big things. the care she took as she stitched this exquisite spine   the monoprints on silk... see her tiny stitches? an exit in SLU's print studio with my favorite cheesecloth drying after being washed out.

i'm not quite sure why it is

but for me the things that have meaning

are the things made by hands that have knowledge,

and also are my favorites

for (whatever/all the) reasons.

in last summer's seattle workshop

my students' hands all together could indeed have ruled the world,

with exquisite intelligence, grace, and love.

hazel and gabby

 an envelope came recently that held this rich 

surprise:

 Banks of the Dogbane by sarah swett

a hand sized tapestry (3 x 3") rich in simple detail

and texture

 woven on handspun linen

 i love this thing.

 over on the next farm this structure

was never honored by finishing

or by use

 now it's failing

i believe it was intended for hay storage 

for these bovines.

why leave it undone, 

a public testament to failure of some kind?

i watched them build it, but then it was ignored.

these cows don't seem to care. 

the lovely little brown calf stands out in this black and white crowd.

a lilac burl

from my garden.

enhanced by me cleaning and oiling it,

rolling it around in my hands with pleasure and love

handling it into another use

(maybe an awl?)

 a beautiful handwoven hemp textile

hand spun hemp on a cotton warp

found by my dear friend who allowed me to buy it

at mjolk in toronto.

 tiny waxed linen crocheted basket by Nina Payne

a gift from a gifted friend.

 shanna's lake michigan rocks

beautiful and useful.

 a little natural history book nest i made

two feathers on a shifu page and a seaweed float/bladder

 milkweed bast becoming thread

 ginkgo message

from therese

and words from the wise.

i'm reading a new book: 

Craeft by alexander langlands

which may help me understand (or perhaps just frame)

my thoughts on hand work.

all the handwork.

learning printing

i've made lots of flax paper this winter.

one mould,

custom made by britt quinlin the paperwright for a zone 4

and brush gallery project,

makes a dry sheet of about 10 x 24 inches.

the mould is unweildy and tricksy to use.

but i like it. 

working with the expert guidance of melissa schulenburg

i made some collagraphs 

about weave.

my living room furniture as drying rack. 

there was no way i could abandon these to the drying rack 

in the studio for five days,

they're too new and special for me.

and living with them helps me figure out the next steps.

dog kennels re-purposed.

 my living room includes two,

for the visiting setters,

gwen, who has made a happy comeback from her bad spell, 

and tess the princess birddog.

i opened up my sketchbook

looking for pulp stories

 and found this

from two winters ago.

a pulp herbal.

shanna's covered rock holding the page.

at school

the freshman group made 

super mokuhanga self portraits,

here are some of them.

and a warwick press surprise

i found in my mailbox.

a reflection on the times,

a poem, and this lovely, lovely landscape.

it feels like almost nothing in my hands,

so light and airy.
it's been a good week.

web

a web, 

if i were to spin one

the way ms. spider does,

it would include friends and book arts folks

from all around.

catherine michaelis and her husband bill moody

are friends i met through this world web.

they are artists, 

from washington,

on the other ocean.

my first stay on the pacific

was with these two lovely folks.

catheine has operated may day press for many years, 

and is now,

like my lovely friend carol j blinn 

(warwick press) 

making more one of a kind books, 

delving deeper into the world of artists' books

making more special small editions and unique books.

below you see catherine's most recent book, 

Beyond Blue

here's another shot

and

 what she wrote about it:

 The box is salmon leather that Bill made and I beaded it together. That was the whole reason to make that piece - for the salmon leather box! It is for a "box" show. The text is embroidered and wrapped around a seal knuckle bone. There is a "map" embroidered and beaded onto indigo dyed cotton and the box is also lined with the indigo dyed cotton, courtesy of your workshop!!!! Thanks for being excited about it! I want to just make salmon leather boxes now. . . 

Catherine wrote this little bit about the book for the show. 

Every box holds a story. That story may be known or yet to happen. The story for my box became known during its making, and began with a piece of salmon leather. Salmon are adaptable creatures; they are born in fresh water, but adjourn to the salty seas. Nearing the end of their life, they swim against the current back to where they were born to reproduce and die. The salmon from which this leather was made might have been on its return to the river, or on a runaway adventure into unknown depths and perils with the desire to embody the fierceness of Moby Dick, the TV fame of Flipper, or the allure of an Aegean mermaid. The story this box holds is none and all of these. It is told one stitch at a time, and strung into a semblance of meaning making. The point of the story is that whatever was once known was taken by the unceasing stealth of the Pacific tide, broken, and left for scavenging. There’s a map, for those wishing to find, but not be found.

the poem i haven't quoted here, but it is a 

very 

good 

poem.

~~~

catherine is serious about the embroidered book/box path that she is on,

she says that she will gladly accept commission work, 

along these lines, 

please contact her for a conversation.

~~~

therese swift-hahn sent this photo of me

from sandra brownlee's workshop this summer.

therese says it's the only photo she took in our workshop

it was great to share the table with therese

and great to look out the window

and see her spiraled by paper

as she worked in the meadow.

~~~

shanna leino sent me a new weight

 the woman knows how to make you want to enjoy

each step of the opening.

 i have two already

and always need one more.

now i have one more,

and it's yellow!

shanna will be at the guild of bookworkers 

annual meeting 

and selling tools, i believe.

new tools

she always wraps things in this thread

 i knew they were coming

two new tools 

little fat leather weights

just the right size for my small bookwork 

so i scattered some of my stuff with them

just for fun 

they smell delicious

thank you shanna. 

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