Month: April 2005

First Open Studios Today

Karen

I participated in my first Open Studios today for Arts Benicia, here in Benicia, California. I didn’t show any of my collage art. I only had my altered books which worked out just fine because my space was limited.

Since my “studio” is a spare bedroom about the size of a postage stamp, my husband’s boss, who owns a contemporary furniture store, was nice enough to allow me to show my books in the store. It was perfect place for displaying my books because there are so many surfaces to place them on: coffee and end tables, dining room tables, etc. I even mangaged to get my hanging books on the walls, using nails and screws that were already in place.

Another nice thing about this location was that it is very close to a lot of other artist studios as well as the main gallery where many of the artists, including me, have a piece of their work on display, along with a tag indicating their studio location.

I was very excited that I sold two books and two calendars. Although it’s hard to part with my books, it’s also very exhilarating to find someone who’s willing to pay cash-money for my art work. To me it means that they really like what I’ve created, and that is very gratifying. I know some people create art just for the pure joy of it with no intention of selling. I even had a friend of mine say that she wasn’t interested in selling her art work because she thought that she would be “prostituting” herself and her art. She is an extremely talented and creative book artist, and thankfully has changed her atitude about that. But for me, part of the pleasure I derive from creating my altered books and collage art is sharing it with others. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that the kind gentleman who purchased St. Dymphna (one of my most recent Reliquaries) is going to have that sitting on a book shelf or his coffee table, and he’s going to look at it and smile.

Altered Book Pages :: A Cup of Sky

Karen

Water Poem

I recently updated my Altered Book Pages for A Cup of Sky.

I really love this book a lot. I have gotten so many wonderful responses from people who have read it that I have often wondered how I could publish it into its own little book. I’m afraid it wouldn’t be possible because of the copyright issues involved. However, I want the poems to reach more people, so I renamed the table of contents Nature Poems :: A Cup of Sky, hoping that will bring more people to read it.
Hummingbird Poem

Stuck

Karen

Here I am, working on another reliquary. This will be my fourteenth. [You can see my other reliquaries at Reliquaries at my web site Karen’s Whimsy], so you’d think I’d have the hang of it by now. But noooo . . . I’ve been sitting here for an hour and a half surrounded by paints and papers and trims wondering how to coordinate everything for this book. My mind is a muddle. Maybe it’s the daylight savings time thing. I’m feeling just a little off and very indecisive.

I had an idea for how I wanted this altered book to go, but now it seems to be veering off into a different direction. I thought it was going to be predominately turquoise, but now it’s tugging at me to be shades of lime green and gold, but as I try to get everything straight in my mind, I’m afraid I’m going to make it too green.

It’s fear. Fear of screwing up. I’ve already put so much time into this book, that I’m paralyzed about making a wrong choice. My stomach is in knots. I’m testy with everyone who crosses my path. I keep getting interrupted. The solution is hanging in front of me like a piece of a cobweb, but when I reach for it, it wisps away. I thought if I could write about this it would help. So far, it’s not.

Nature Poems from A Cup of Sky

Karen

I guess it was almost two years ago now that I finished my altered book A Cup of Sky. Here are two poems that I like from the book.

Water
drops fall
in the sweet sweeping rush
of the rain
into the sea
in to
the cup of its shining waters.
Or
down
to a tranquil,
brown-eyed little river
or the brook
that plunged
over the edge of the cliff
and froze to a stalactite of crystal
it
became
my waterfall.

Snow
a frosty gem whirls by
and all is fresh and pure
old scars are hidden
lies heal over
old and gray are perfect
as perfect.
A snowflake of air
crystallized
yet bewildering
is beyond the power of
metal or wood or stone.
Nothing in nature
nothing in art
is so unique
crystals descend
from the fingers of a fairy.
O to be the first
snowflake
as men looked up
at this gift from the skies.

If you like these poems, be sure to visit A Cup of Sky to see the art work and read all the poems from the book.

Listening to Anne Lamott

Karen

One of my favorite books about writing is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. She writes in such an engaging way, making everyday struggles seem sweet and sublime.

When I saw that she was going to be speaking in Berkeley, near my home, I knew I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to hear her. She spoke for about an hour, mixing her wry humor with simple truths about her life as a mother, daughter, and writer. You can read my reflections on the evening in my essay Anne Lamott :: Tender Words.