An embellishment of riches, aromatic & panoramic

Dear Everyone ~

This past week brought several sumptuous shipments from the U.K & Canada. We also received exciting deliveries from up the street and from one county over. Let me start with the newest purveyor for BZS. Dare you hope it’s soap? In delirious fact, the motto of Farm Soap Co. is Soap is hope!

If these products had their own category, it would be Soothing Sense. The soaps from Farm Soap Co. are available in eight delicious scents and two handy sizes. Speaking of hands, we’re also stocking their Lavender All Over Skin Balm, for restoring paper-parched fingertips or dabbing above a furrowed brow. I spent a magical, divinely aromatic afternoon last year with Silvana de Soissons, the proprietress of Farm Soap Co., in the U.K. I returned to Chicago with many bars of soap for myself & a few fortunate friends. Now, I have the pleasure of being Silvana’s first U.S. stockist. You can read more about her products in the shop listing.

Also under the imaginary banner of Soothing Sense are new Potent Lavender Pillows made by Maili at Soutache, two doors up from BZS. These petite (but pleasingly plump) treats are sewn from very vintage Japanese fabrics, embellished with two different buttons. These pillows have myriad uses, including as a de-stressor in your car or carry-on. Read more in the shop listing.

Breathe deeply, close your eyes just for a moment, and imagine we are about to have tea and accompaniments together…while I take you on a tour of our freshest papery products.

Janet Bouldin, my dear friend & whimsical watercolourist, recently completed three new postcards, bringing her full collection to a binder’s dozen! I feel this calls for a celebration, or at least a fresh shop listing. I’m delighted to present Janet’s charmola illustrations as a set of 13 postcards with Carta Pura envelopes. You can also browse the cards à la carte and select your individual favourites. 

Back to the U.K: We have a fresh selection of nine Cambridge Imprint (CI) notebooks, at the ready for your papery pursuits. Because we love how Cambridge Anything (Everything, really) looks with Cambridge Anything Else, we’ve selected a complementary small label and affixed it to the front cover of each notebook.

We’ve also brought in CI’s very latest style of notebook, their very slim list book. It measures 3⅜ x 6¼, with 12 ruled pages that are perforated (lengthwise) for easy removal, should you wish. Do we think a CI petite label would look perfectly sweet on the cover? We do.

This notebook would make a lovely little gift or party favour that you can enclose inside a hand-folded (by you, if your fingers are feeling nimble) complementary envelope. And if not, not to worry, because each notebook comes tucked in a slim glassine sleeve sealed with a bit of YKW.

And furthermore: We have added a third palette to our selection of CI tri-fold document portfolios: Medium Cool. And if you’d like to read (or re-read) about my idyllic interlude at Cambridge Imprint, where I swooned over the document portfolios for the first time, please do.

Last but never least, we are thrilled to herald the latest Saint-Henri blank books by Atelier Écluse. This edition includes the same dreamy details as their blue & white books, only this blank book is in the golden-ochre tones. The handmade pages range in hues from vanilla to mango sorbet.

If you have questions or special requests (such as needing a hand or two with gift-wrapping), we will be delighted to hear from you! For those of you nearby: We’ll have extra-long hours on Saturday (Dec. 23), from 11am–6 pm, and also be open on Sunday (Dec. 24), from 11am–3pm, for last-minute shopping (or deep breathing)! Tuesday (Dec. 19) through Friday (Dec. 22), we’ll be here during regular hours, noon to 5:00.
 
Myself like an elf, Bari

Announcing Bookful of Fanciful Faces

Dear Everyone ~

Bookful of Fanciful Faces is my twelfth Bookful collaboration with artist, author & dear friend Cat Bennett. Our four-session workshop via Zoom will begin on Saturday, January 27, well into winter and a wonderful time for creative camaraderie.

In this series—as Cat previews in her whimsical way— “we’ll explore the basics of drawing faces and also create images that are fanciful and free. We’ll work on different size papers and use different materials, as we wish—permanent markers, watercolors, colored pencils, pastels and collage. We’ll need a few photos from magazines for the first week when we'll explore drawing real people. Then we’ll branch out to making faces in more fanciful ways. For me, accuracy doesn’t really matter as much as communicating a certain joy in life. In the end, we’ll have a small portfolio of friends to amuse and delight us. And perhaps to enclose in snail mail to bring a smile to our real friends!” 

The structure we will make together in the first session of this series is a portfolder. It has a soft fabric spine, hardcovers, and an interior envelopment created by 3 flaps, each with  2 “gusset folds”. The portfolder measures 9 x 11 x ⅝, and closes with a single tie of vintage Japanese cording. This structure encloses & protects your loose sketches, drawings, paintings—and inspirations. 

 The kitful of materials I’ve selected for this Bookful features the bright & cheery patterned papers of Cambridge Imprint. If you haven’t worked with them yet, you’ll discover one of my great joys when using them for a book (or box): Beautiful as the papers are when flat, they are mysteriously even more charming when paired with a solid bookcloth. Your kitful includes complementary linen bookcloths for the spine and Japanese cording for the tie. As you know, I delight in mixing & matching colours and patterns. If there’s a particular palette or CI patterned paper that strikes your fancy, please feel free to e me and I will do my best to accommodate your request.

 In weeks #2, #3 & #4, Cat will begin the workshop with exercises in the basics of drawing faces. She will then lead the class in painting & drawing using a variety of mediums, including coloured pencils + watercolour, pen & ink, and collage. We’ll also explore painting with gouache, which is opaque, and wondrous for the layering of colours. 

Cat & I want to assure you, especially if you are a Bookful newcomer, that truly no drawing or bookbinding experience is necessary—all levels of artistic skill & interest are welcome. Our pace is relaxed & supportive, and the camaraderie is delightful. Plus, you will have four complete workshop videos (recorded in real time) to watch and rewatch at your leisure. We look forward to seeing you soonish via Zoom!

Bookful of Fanciful Faces

Fancifully, Bari

Après–Thanksgiving gratitude

Dear Everyone ~

I have long been an avid fan of Velké Losiny (VL, the opposite of LV [Louis Vuitton]), the glorious 100% cotton handmade paper from the Czech Republic. Earlier this year, I received word from Pavel, my VL paper purveyor, that he had a handsome stash of VL envelopes & notecards that he thought I might be enthused about. Well, swell-ké! I acquired the complete cache, and want to tell everyone what happened next.
 
I selected a septet of customers with whom I correspond…and invited each of them to experiment with the grand VL notecards—which measure 8 x 8—and their companion envelopes, which measure 8¼ x 8¼ . But that’s not the half of it! I asked everyone to mail me something and to email me about their experience working with the VL and expediting it via post.
 
I loved being able to share my love of paper with the septette, seven customers who have become such a part of the BZS ecosystem—only three of whom I have met in person (yet!). Herewith their respective oeuvres…and some of their thoughts about VL. As you’ll read, the medium, the message, and the momentum aligned.

*  *  *  *  *

Karen E. is an accomplished watercolour embellisher of envelopes (and postcards). She praised the VL for its luscious thickness, saying “You know I am a fan of painting envelopes and it's hard to find thick enough envelopes—without resorting to making my own from watercolour paper. The VL was a dream.”

We are honoured to describe Janet B. as our in-house watercolourist. She is also the artist of our BZS postcards. She assesses the VL thusly: “Perfectly lovely for watercolour and gouache. It takes water easily, from dry-ish to a light wash before laying on colour. Overall, it’s beautiful stuff—beyond perfect for creating a special card when you want some space for a larger work.”

Susan M. is a long-time customer, student, and traveling bookbinding enthusiast. When she is in a multi-media mood, she describes her approach as Zentangle. For her VL piece: “The circles are made with the bottom of a coffee cup dipped in Winsor & Newton ink, the splatters from additional ink and water. Also used were Sakura Pigma Micron pens for the tangles and Pilot Parallel pens for the calligraphy.” She adds, I had absolutely no problems mailing this large envelope, and received only oohs and aahs from the postal staff—and from fellow patrons.”

Jane H. discovered BZS in 2020 in Uppercase magazine, via the “Snippets and slices and shards, oh my!” piece written by my postal muse. So, she is a relatively recent—and ardent— Bookful & BZS student, calligrapher and artist. Jane had this to say, lyrically, about the VL: “I LOVE this paper, Bari, and am so glad to have experienced it and intend to send many more big messages to gladden the hearts of my friends. There is something about writing on this beautiful, majestic paper that speaks for itself—it passes on the message of caring and sincerity from one to another. I felt as though I were sending a gift of myself and a big note of happiness.”

Deborah R. is an artist of many mediums and an avid correspondent. We featured her elaborately embellished BZS shop postcard in a recent blog post, April showers brought a bouquet of marvelous mail. She used two VL notecards to make two different prints. She elaborates, “Both plates required printing on damp paper, and the Velké Losiny stood up perfectly to a 15-minute soak and towel blotting. The paper also cuts like a dream.” And here is her rave about the raw paper: “it is scrumptious like a delicious pastry. I loved the texture, the color, the weight and the oversized square format makes it very special. Just holding this paper in my hands was a delight.”

Gabriele is from Austria and a dedicated practitioner of illumination, calligraphy & bookbinding. She has attended many Bookful and BZS workshops, despite the seven-hour time difference. For her VL notecard, Gabriele used several mediums for her ‘B is for Bari’ (and beyond): from a steel-cut italic pen nib to fine gouache, and a stamp made from a hand cut eraser. She shared several technical details, and these are my favourites: “The black outline [of the B] is normally done with a pointed steel nib and waterproof ink, but I decided to take the safer road because ink tends to bleed, and I did not want to risk ruining the beautiful card with the first lines. For the lettering on the back, I decided to use gouache because it does not bleed and produces defined edges even on this slightly rough paper. The cards have a wonderful velvety feel and a bit of tooth but still take even minute details nicely. The paper is wonderful to work with but you have to be a bit careful because it is rather ‘soft’ and creases easily, particularly at the corners.” And here is the exciting tidbit: “The size lends itself to miniature painting and I already have this idea in my head of illuminating the entire alphabet on such cards.” 

Sue L. lives in Vancouver, British Columbia. I almost know her Canadian postal code by heart, because she has taken every single Bookful and every bookbinding and boxmaking workshop in the BZS repertoire! She loves to draw & paint. The nosegay on her notecard is primarily watercolour, which she noted ‘worked well’. She also acknowledged being pleased with the outcome. She has lined the interior of the envelope with painted paper collage that she’d photocopied. Sue also added an additional layer of collage cascading from the inside flap onto the back of the envelope, then sealed it with a bit of washi-tape, which we love.
 
Sue’s envelope is a great reminder that the mailstream has a mind and a method of its own. My Mondrianesque address panel is topped with a hand-cancel atop a bilingual meter strip, of which my favourite bit is “Do not cover chevron.” (Why not? Pourquoi pas?) And at the bottom, what seemed at first blush to be a single upside-down gigantic machine cancellation…is in fact two cancellations, one from Vancouver and one, mysteriously, from Los Angeles. Scenic detour!

Voilà-là! I am incredibly grateful for everyone’s continued creativity, enthusiasm, kindred spiritedness, and support for BZS! This past year, I’ve been thrilled to see so many more out-of-town visitors and in-shop shoppers—some of whom I’d only met via Zoom, and some of whom I’d never seen (who follow me on IG and have longed to visit and now finally can and have!)
 
 It is an honour to be the ‘first’ paper purveyor of my longtime favourite papers from VL thanks to Pavel (30 years and counting), and more recently James Winrow and Atelier Écluse. Our relationships to paper and my paper friendships with you bind us together literally & figuratively.
 
My thanxox to all the VL correspondents who executed their missions with such grace & creativity.

*  *  *  *  *

And last but not least, Ruby & I have collaborated on a simple yet charming way to embellish a VL card to frame a minimal message. We’ve trimmed a quartet of Cambridge Imprint origami sheets to 3 x 3 and affixed them to the card in a simple patchwork, then added a VL enclosure envelope, which we filled with vintage postage. Ruby then hand-lettered ‘for you’ on a petite CI label with a Winsor & Newton fineliner and attached it to the top flap. We’ve used a Christmas-y palette, but you could just as joyfully make a Hanukkah palette—or a valentinear colour scheme.

Thank You ... from the bottom of my paper loving heart!

~ Bari ~

Elan, éclat, esprit for Studio Sale ‘23!

Dear Everyone ~

Studio Sale 2023 will go live this very evening (November 17). Bookie-wookie to barizaki.com at 8pm Chicago time to see all of the delights on offer. You may want to have a beverage handy. If you are thinking of making a New Year’s resolution to beautify your desk, up your correspondence game, or become an inspired gift-wrapper, this is a stellar opportunity. Speaking of gift wrapping, we wish to draw your attention to our new patterns of Grafiche Tassotti papers, debuting on this festive occasion.

A glassine bag of 30-ish Cambridge Imprint scraps, strips & snips (up to 5 x 7) will be included gratis with every order of $88 or greater (excluding shipping, natch)—while scraps last—during the sale.
 
This evening may be a bit of a shopping frenzy, but in the comfort of your own home or phone. Please consider yourself gently urged not to dilly or dally, lest your cart be forlorn. The Studio Sale will continue through Sunday, December 3. Orders will ship promptly, and in-shop pick-up will be available Tuesday–Saturday afternoon (except for Thanksgiving).

2023 Studio Sale

At the ready, Bari

Treasures, pleasures & paperie for Studio Sale ’23

Dear Everyone ~

Our fourth annual virtual Studio Sale is henceforth virtually upon us. The Studio Sale page will go live on Friday evening, November 17, at 8pm Chicago Shopping Time (CST). A fresh preview page is already available for oohing & eyeing, but not for shopping. Herewith a peek at some specific offerings. And, as our tour de fourth, we’re announcing a gift with purchase.

If you’re feeling bookish, lookish here! An abundance of books made by me are on offer—all created before a live studio audience during Zoom workshops. Bindings include Boxful of Summer, Collector’s Album and Triptych of Coptic-stitch Books.

BZS Beribbonments Beaucoup: Our bountiful bags of beauteous ribbons and our dreamy seam-binding suites are bowing to be of service. As always, ribbon bags are madly assorted; as seasonally, seam-binding suites have been palette-ized by Ruby. We’ve named her assortments: L’Orangerie, Bois de Joie and Toujours Paris! “Put a bow on it” indeed.

 Writing Xoxcessories include an amplitude of pencils wrapped in Cambridge Imprint patterns, beribboned as a Jotter’s Dozen and also available singly in the studio shop. Also several bottles of fountain pen ink and a few pouches o’ pencils.

Gift with purchase: A glassine bag of 30-ish Cambridge Imprint scraps, strips & snips (up to 5 x 7) will be included gratis with every order of $88. or greater (excluding shipping, natch) placed from 8pm Friday November 17, until Sunday, December 3. 

The Studio Sale will continue through Sunday, December 3. Orders will ship promptly, and in-shop pick-up will be available Tuesday–Saturday afternoon (except for Thanksgiving).

BZS Studio Sale 2023
 
In anticipation, Bari

What will you put in your Pocket Book?

Dear Everyone ~

Pocket Book via group Zoom debuts Saturday, November 11, a little over a fortnight from now. As I type this, all the Japanese papers and pieces of bookboard have been trimmed to size (as seen above). They are stacked and ready for action on the “kit assembly line.” We will count and collate, assemble and wrap. By the time you are reading this, all the complete kits will have been neatly organized on my center table, eager to be shipped to destinations in twelve states, plus three to Canada and one to Austria.

The materials I’ve selected for this kit are three of my current favourite Japanese Chiyogami & Katazome papers, paired with complementary bookcloths & waxed-linen thread. You can read about the kit in more detail here. The Pocket Book structure is elegant as well as useful, whether you are traveling or nesting, documenting or collecting. 

Curating the kit of materials for each workshop is perpetually a pleasure for me…I actually love the repetition & tidiness of kit assembly. And my joie de Zoom warms right up when I receive emails from students about their delight in decanting their kits—and expressing their sense of workshop anticipation. Increasingly, students are ordering extra kits, either for upcoming workshops or for workshops they’ve completed.

Last Saturday, I taught the first session (of two) for Book of Engaging Pages. I had fourteen students, and almost everyone had previously taken one or more BZS workshops via Zoom. As always, I asked everyone to introduce themselves, and I added a “twist,” inviting students to share how they imagine using their books. It was so heartening to hear that many people will be gifting their books to friends and family. And then, the students were collectively curious about how I would be using my book! I happily shared my “habit”…

Whenever I’m out and about, even when it’s just to the studio and back home again, I always have a book with me, whether it’s a book to read or a sketchbook or both—and I’m always tucking papery things between the pages. The pockets in the Book of Engaging Pages provide a way to secure my bits of ephemera and so forth, including to draw and sketch and document a moment. I was inspired to hand-fold two envelopes and attach each one, flap-side out, to a page for holding assorted postage stamps for mailing in the moment.

I look forward to asking students in Pocket Book to share with each other what they envision doing with their books. If this workshop is speaking to you, but you haven’t yet registered, there’s still time for me to assemble & ship your kit. As always: I’d like to emphasize that no previous bookbinding experience is necessary, and a bit of glueing experience is a plus but not a must. You will have ample time during each step to ask questions while we work. I will live record this workshop session, and it will be available to you later the same afternoon to watch and rewatch at your leisure. If you have any questions now, please feel free to call or e me to discuss!

This workshop will be the grand finale of BZS group Zooms for 2023! I have taught six (almost a binder’s half-dozen!) group Zooms this year, and enjoyed them so much. They are all still fairly fresh in my mind and my heart…and I am already pondering & percolating to find a papery way—in addition to my follow-up blog posts—to “commemorate” them.

Pocket Book via group Zoom

Joie de Zoom, Bari

Workshop recordings for your pleasure at your leisure

Dear Everyone ~

Workshops are central to Bari Zaki Studio. Now that I teach group workshops via Zoom (as shown above), enthusiasts from around the globe are part of the BZS community. Students work in their own creative spaces, using the elaborate kit of materials delivered with each workshop registration. The workshop sessions are live recorded in their entirety, available to students almost instantly after the session concludes.

In the past year or so, several students have asked to purchase the recording of a group workshop they haven’t actually taken. I have been delighted to do this, and I want to make sure Everyone knows this “workshop mode” is available.

You can purchase the full-length recording on its own, or you can opt to schedule a private workshop with me via Zoom (in addition to receiving the recording). The recordings include the “natural pauses” from the original workshop sessions, which give you time to complete the various steps. It is possible to pause the video wherever and as often as you’d like, but you may not need to at all.

We’ve updated all of our previous group Zoom workshop listings to include pricing for these options. You’ll also find easy directions for scheduling.

We’ve also recently updated several palettes. Much mixing, matching & measuring, thanks to Ruby’s nimble fingers, her zeal for colour coordinating, and her zest for stitching.

For the workshop Triptych of Coptic-stitch binding (TCSB), Ruby has selected four beautiful seasonal palettes, which you can read about in the shop listing. (Seen here is Autumn.)

My 2020 workshop for Sonheim Creative’s Words and Pictures series was Loopy-link stitch booklets (LLSB). The kit for the workshop showcased lovely Saint-Armand 100% cotton papers…and I offered additional kits in several palettes. I still have a limited quantity of these papers in my reserves, eager to be of service. This kit will continue to be available in my online shop, independent of any workshop.

We have created four fresh palettes, each presenting two colours of paper and five colours of waxed linen thread, for you to enjoy mixing & matching. If you’re feeling lucky-go-loopy, we have also assembled a kit that includes all eight colours of Saint-Armand papers, with a rainbow of eight assorted waxed linen threads. This is a looperb opportunity to work with these papers, for which I’m already feeling nostalgic.

The year-end gift-giving season will soon be upon us. Should you wish to give a workshop or kit à la carte as a gift, we will be delighted to personalize our gift certificate presentation for the occasion. We are likewise happy to add an enclosure (provided by you!) to the dressy envelope. We can mail the gift certificate to you, or send directly to your recipient. (And of course we will be pleased to send you a process photo or two!)

Enchantée by Atelier Écluse

Dear Everyone ~

I am deliriously delighted to herald the arrival of my inaugural order of Atelier Écluse (AÉ) handmade papers & blank books at BZS. AÉ is in Montreal, Canada, and I am honoured to be their first stockist in the U.S for their wares!

 From the moment I received lovely photos of AÉ’s new line of papers and books, I knew I had to touch them, fold them, and score them. These papers are even more exquisite in person. As you might imagine, as soon as my experimentation sheets arrived, I had to make a buttonhole-stitch book… and then another buttonhole-stitch book, and another …

The paper is 100% cotton and 100% a dream to work with. It is also incredibly glue friendly. Truly, my only quandary was to decide which pattern and what style of binding to stitch first. These blue & white patterns are so wondrous on paper, a colour combo that we love on Japanese ceramics & textiles, English tea sets, and even envelope inside tints. And the paper feels fabulous, felicitous, luscious. The sheets are 11 x 15 (as large as a Serizawa calendar page), so you can take a single sheet and turn it into a voluptuous casebound or softcover book measuring 5 x 8 x 1¼. 

Yannick Allen-Vuillet, the founder of Atelier Écluse, graciously answered my inquiries about his new enterprise. I learned that he had been a papermaker at Saint-Armand Papeterie! And that experience has inspired him to fully dedicate his career to book craft. Here are some details he shared, the next best thing to being there—for now!

“ Ecluse means ‘lock’. We are situated on the banks of the Lachine Canal, which played a very important role in the industrial development of Canada. The canal has always been a center of craftsmanship and savoir-faire, and our name tries to pay homage to that history and location. ”
 
“ Our studio is situated in a larger post-industrial building that used to be an industrial ceramics factory. We're just across the street from Saint-Armand. ”

​​“ The decorative papers are all printed in our studio on our etching press. We had a polymer plate made with our design, and then we printed with high pressure on slightly damp paper so we could get a good impression. For our patterns, I got inspired by fabric and textile patterns, and I tried to emulate a woven surface.”

I am also stocking AÉ’s dreamy Saint-Henri blank books in both sizes: 5 x 5¾ x ½ and 6 x 8¾ x ½. The pages are also 100% cotton, and are handmade by Yannick. 

Announcing autumnal resplendishment!

Dear Everyone ~

I delight in my daily ritual of wrapping, packing up parcels, and sending them on their way to addresses from coast to coast, and even farther-flung destinations. Part of my pleasure comes from envisioning the recipients of these packages and their anticipation… As for me, parcels arriving at BZS are always exciting. I find the process of decanting…enchanting, and then there is the displaying and the photographing. September so far has been a boon for refreshing, restocking, and re-energizing. Read on for uplifting details of what’s new and what’s renewed.

For starters, I’m beyond delighted to report that after many, many, many moons, my little linen-covered books have been assembled, hand-stitched & restocked! They debuted in the summer of 2019, as we wrote about here. For this latest edition I have chosen Plover Bond for the pages, and cashmere yarn for the Japanese style binding. Ruby, my nimble shop assistant, bonded with the Plover by testing out each of the inks, pens & pencils I stock in the shop, as you can see below. From woodless graphite pencils to Kyo-no-oto fountain pen inks, Ruby can confirm that the Plover Bond takes all manner of medium beautifully!

Speaking of mediums, let’s talk of Kuretake: I am now stocking the warm-grey fudegokochi brush pen. The ink in this felt tip pen is the same pigment-and-water base as its black counterpart. The warm-grey colour is great for layering from lighter to deeper shades. It’s lovely on its own, or as a companion to the black pen. The Kuretake Fine White brush pen has been restocked, and Ruby has given it high marks on both a textured black watercolour paper and on Euro-kraft notebook paper.

Watercolour postcard pads are a staple for any art supply kit, in my opinion. Having a pad at hand while you are padding around provides a noteworthy way to doodle & draw whilst you dilly & dally. As seen here, I’ve painted a few colour swatches using the Japanese Sumi-e watercolour set, and Ruby has illustrated every other medium in the shop. Note to self: be sure to keep a few postcard postage stamps on hand—our current fave is the sailboat—so you can promptly post your card while it is at its freshest.

Pencil Shaving greeting cards have been a perennial favourite since I opened the shop in 2015. I’ve added an endearing couple of new designs, the birthday pheasant and the birthday penguin, and restocked umpteen classics.

Also from across the pond, Molesworth & Bird seaweed postcard sets have been amply replenished—A faint seaside scent floats by when you open each portfolio—not exactly, but we can dream.

Washi tapes. Need I say more? Yes absolutely, the more the merrier!  My largest shipment in a long while rolled in last week. After decanting & unwrapping, oohing & aahing, we stacked them on the counter—their original configuration in the shop pre-pandemic days—and proceeded to photograph them with glee. Then Alyson, my beloved postal muse, couldn't resist naming them, so we have: Cute Fruits, Flower Album, Foxy Moxie, Floradorable Sweets, Chevrons, Musical Notables, Acorn-ucopia, and Floating Birds to name a few. 

Falling for it all, Bari

Bookful musings on art inspirations from the palette palace

Dear Everyone ~

Bookful of Art Inspirations, my 11th Bookful collaboration with Cat Bennett, begins on Saturday, September 16, just before the autumn solstice! As I type, all kits have been dispatched, three to Canada, and a huge armful to students stateside, from north to south and east to west! This past week, the palette palace was a hive of kit assembly: measuring, trimming, colour coordinating, and mixing & matching the assortment of Japanese decorative papers and bookcloths (and thread & button combinations). Then counting, stacking, wrapping, and packing up all the kits. Three students ordered an extra kit, and several students expressed an interest in having the materials to make three books, one for each of the three accordion blocks we will fill in the Bookful. That inspired us! Before I provide those details, I want to share with everyone something from Cat that continues to resonate with me.

When Cat and I were talking about “inspirations” as the theme for this Bookful, I asked her if there is an artist who particularly inspired her in her career. I was rewarded with her insightful reflection:
 
“ When I was starting out as an illustrator in my twenties, I took a lot of inspiration from the British artist David Hockney. His early work was full of playfulness, bold color, distorted perspectives and patterns. And also the truth of his life as a gay man, which was the boldest thing of all. It wasn’t that I wanted my drawings to look like Hockney’s, but I wanted to grow my own playfulness, my love of color and disregard for realism and perspective. It was Hockney's free spirit that inspired me! And when I was most myself in my work, I found a ready  audience for it. What we’re attracted to in other artists may well be something we want to grow in ourselves and in our own art. Looking forward to being inspired in this Bookful by Vanessa Bell, Sonia Delaunay and Rose Wylie—3 wonderful and quite different artists. ”

Our inspiration for students who would like to make two additional books is a supplementary kit (shown below). All three of your accordion blocks (Vanessa, Sonia, and Rose) can be permanently beautifully housed. The kit provides all the materials you need to make a pair of “matching” drop-spine accordion books, so that you will have a trio in toto. Gentle reminder: The “standard” kit included with your Bookful registration provides all the materials to make one (1) drop-spine accordion book (5½ inches square) with hard covers and three (3) individual accordion-blocks. The back cover has a vertical pocket that secures your accordion-block in place and also allows you to easily remove & replace it with a fresh accordion-block. 

It occurs to me that you might like to label your three books, so I have devised a delightful way to do that. The supplementary kit will also include a set of five little Stonehenge hand-deckled “labels” that you can use for this very purpose. You can coordinate your ink, you can add a border, you can be inspired!

If you are considering joining us, there is still time to ship your kit(s). As always, Cat & I like to emphasize, especially if you are a Bookful newcomer, that absolutely no drawing, painting, collaging, or bookbinding experience is necessary. The pace and camaraderie are truly zen. (Plus you will have complete videos to watch and rewatch—all 12 hours-ful!)