Last week an idea flitted through my mind....
what if I took one of my large rust beauties and
cut it into 5 inch strips and
what if I stitched on it
mostly length-wise
with a only a few vertical lines?
Today I wondered what if bees wax were painted on it?
[Thank you Patricia Baldwin Seggebruch for the suggestion of encaustics! This is my version of it.]
The marks left on the newsprint after ironing to remove the excess wax were fascinating
and had me wondering if the paper could used as well.
And then it was time for a few photos.
OMG how totally utterly wonderful - a beautiful beautiful book! I love your what ifs....
ReplyDeleteThank you Fiona! I'm sitting here smiling at your comment as it warms my heart on a blustery wintry morning. It must be admitted that I was a bit scared to post the photos given the books that you, Susan and Ronnie [to name a few] create.
DeleteStill, I've wanted to create books since taking Dorothy Caldwell's class in 2006...yes, it really has been that long...and finally decided that this is the year. No more over-thinking the process...start simple and play, experiment and learn as I go. And just maybe, if luck is with me, something good will be made. Oh! This is going to be fun!
Wow, just amazing, I love this book, way to go.
ReplyDeleteThank you Debbie! Gotta admit that I'm very pleased with my first attempt...and can't wait to make more.
Deleteutterly delicious. and i agree, the left-over prints are fascinating too.
ReplyDeletehow did you feel about the very final effect of the beeswax?
Thank you Monica! Besides leaving the slightest scent of beeswax, I like the final effect. The beeswax toned colors down a bit...merged them really. It gave a sort of aged feel too.
DeleteI painted the beeswax on rather than dipping the piece in. It was just too long to do that. After the beeswax dried, I ironed most of it out. Was getting a bit frustrated at standing over the iron and started letting the iron sit until the wax could be seen coming through 4 layers of newsprint. Probably not the best thing to do, but it worked. The book doesn't look or feel waxy, but is just the tiniest bit stiffer.
great idea! dumb question will the wax make it attractive to insects??? hope not.
ReplyDeleteHa! Good question Lyle. I have book of samples made in the Dorothy Caldwell class I took way back in 2006. The front cover has beeswax on it...just simply painted on and not ironed out so the wax is definitely visible. It's been in the studio ever since and, so far, bugs have avoided it.
DeleteBut then again, now that I think about it, I rarely find bugs in the studio. Could be all they don't like the smell of the rust, tea, paints, papers, fabrics, etc. that the studio holds. Or maybe the cats eat them when I'm not looking...yuck!
Gorgeous, gorgeous! A thunderous applause, since I don't know what else to say!
ReplyDeleteOh goodness Ersi...you've got me blushing. Thank you so so much for the applause!
Deletelovely!
ReplyDeleteI tea rusted some pages yesterday
to go with my sandwich
of course you inspired me
I personally love beeswax
the way it smells of honey
and makes for a honeyed translucence
"A honeyed translucence"
DeleteWhat a delightful description of how the beeswax works.
And what a delight that you still find inspiration here.
Will you offer a peak at your rusted paper?
Oh! I hope so.
Yes soon... at my sister's now
DeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteI just received my parcel from you, thank you so much, love the extra goodies, blogged about it on my site hope that was ok to use pictures of your work
Debbie
Hi Debbie,
DeleteOf course it was okay to use photos of my work...they are yours now after all to do with what you will. Actually, I'd love to see how you use the threads and bit of cloth. Thank you for the nod on your blog! Enjoy!
Beautiful what ifs !!! Keep on experiment like this !
ReplyDeleteThank you Kim! There will definitely be more such experiments.
Deletei've been playing with wax...and have learned two key things.
ReplyDelete[1] when it gets really hot here in South Australia the wax runs off the work
[2] those dang rats love it. i cam home from my nearly three months away last year and found the rotters had nibbled holes in some big paper pieces i had stitched together and waxed. was tempted to direct the heat gun at the vermin as well as the work!
Oh no! To #1 and #2...especially #2!!! The visual image of you going after the vermin with a heat gun is just too funny.
DeleteWe've field mice that get in the basement every now and then, but they've yet to make it upstairs to my studio [which is really one of the bedrooms on the second floor]. My cats would have a fine time chasing a little mouse through the house. No doubt it would be chaos and I'd have to rescue the terrified little mouse.
Be interested in seeing what you're experimenting with...
wow its gorgeous. Something poetic about those pages.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Maya! The stitching added a flow to the pages...or at least, I think so. Of course, now my mind is dancing with ideas.
DeleteI love what you've done with your rusted beauties. Such lusciousness. I've coated some rust and eco-dyed papers with bees wax and really like how it brings out the color. Rather than ironing it, I've hit it with the heat gun and it just seems to fuse the wax to the paper giving it a feel and look I like a lot.
ReplyDeleteThank you Leslie! This experiment has me eyeing my rusted tea bags and wondering what if...? There's also a second book that is still waxy [not enough newsprint] and I may just put the heat gun to it and see what happens. Be interesting to have the two to compare.
Deleteyes! cheers to what ifs, play in the studio and fortunate discoveries!
ReplyDeleteI second that! Thank you Anca for the encouragement!
Deleteyes to this! very much yes!
ReplyDeleteLove your comment! Thank you Velma. There will be more. My mind is spinning with ideas. Must get them out...once the little urchins are back in school tomorrow.
DeleteWhat ifs are my absolute favourite..... and yours are stunningly beautiful! I hope you do something with the lovely waxed paper as well!
ReplyDeleteWhat ifs are freeing, aren't they? Luckily this one worked out well...and created more what ifs. Stunningly beautiful, you say? Thank you Kim! You guys are making me blush.
DeleteHello Jennifer .... I think I was the first to comment on this blog and it has not come through .... this has happened to me quite a few times lately when I have commented - either people do not like my comments which I doubt because I am always full of praise and appreciation - or the comments just don't go through. Has anyone else ever mentioned this problem in the blogging world? I have a feeling it happens more when I am using my ipad in bed than here on my iMac.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I just LOVED this idea of yours. Your 'what ifs' have yielded a fantastic result and I love the idea of creating an artists book from one long strip of work. May try that idea out for myself sometime. Work the whole huge sheet and then cut into two or three strips and fold down into a book. isn't it grand how we can inspire one another ....
I am sorry that you and others have been missing out on my comments over the last little while .... jsut don't know how they could be going astray. Maybe you marked me as spam?????
Mark you as spam Susan??? NEVER!!! I've had the same thing happen and, for me, it doesn't matter which computer is used - lap top or iPad. Now that I think about it, it seems to happen most often when commenting internationally...and then mostly with Australian blogs, but that could be because most of my favorites are located in your neck of the whirled. I put that awful comment code thingy back on because without it, I was getting far too many spam comments. Do you think your comments went through better when the code wasn't required? I'll happily turn it off if so.
DeleteAs for my what if...I'm so glad you like it! As I told Fiona, I was a bit nervous posting the photos given the talented book artists who frequent my blog. Books have been dream for a long time now and to have finally begun to figure out how to create my own is thrilling. My mind is spinning with ideas too. Just need it to be Monday with the urchins in school so I can get in the studio again.
Can't wait to see how your what if turns out. A book from one sheet of paper should be intriguing. If it's an accordion book, would you make it double sided? Just wondering...
Hi JQ - extremely delicious - funny how the original artwork is but the stuff for such creative works - you have taken a beautiful original into new territory. Go well. B
ReplyDeleteThis time last year, just the thought of cutting one of my large rust beauties into strips would have had me hyperventilating. Now...well, cropping is good...and lots of fun! Not to mention a good tension release every now and then. Ha!
DeleteThank you Barry for such lovely thoughts on my latest what if. Enjoy!
I just came back for a sticky beak...and by the looks of the comment list you're onto something good! I took a big breath in several years ago and decided to try and make a book; and have never looked back. It seems to me the perfect way to produce intimate artworks and the variation is infinite! I love where you are going and I know that total daredevil sense of delight when you chop something up! yay!
ReplyDeleteSo...what's a sticky beak? Is it like a quick peek? Gotta admit to enjoying a small chuckle at the phrase.
DeleteYour thoughts are so appreciated! It feels good to finally be producing something I've dreamed of for...hmmm...nearly 7 years now. Took me long enough, don't you think? There's plenty of rusty fabrics to work on and maybe the indigos will find a new life too. My first thought for them was as pages in a book anyway.
Here's to finally taking the plunge!
I think I htought about it in 2002 and did it in 2007...so the book-making thing has a long gestation period Ihtink!
ReplyDeleteToo funny! What is about creating books that has us yearning to do it, but taking so long before actually doing it? I'm having a blast right now and wondering just why I waited so long.
DeleteTook me forever to get over hear. Love this book! Was wondering if you serged the edges with a serger or worked something out with your sewing machine?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...should I share my secret for how the edges are finished? Two words. Can you guess? Zig and zag.
DeleteMy trusty Singer has numerous stitches programed in, yet I've only used two of them...so far. I really don't sew enough by machine to need a serger...whatever exactly it is.
Hello Jennifer, Sorry that it's taken me so long to get over here and see this gorgeous book. I can't believe that it's your first! Absolutely inspired...and I don't find it at all surprising that it's taken years for your yearning to create a book to finally manifest. I think that every step/path you've taken in the last several years have all gone into its creation. Don't you just love the beauty of the creative process?
ReplyDeleteBravissima!
A great big huge heart felt Thank You to you Lisa! It's a wonderful feeling when all the experimentation of techniques and mediums finally come together. The response to these first books has been overwhelming.
DeleteJennifer, may I add my wow to the many others before me.
ReplyDeleteThis piece is really fabulous. xx
Hi Judy! You're all making me blush a bit with the praise for this piece. That said, I'll gladly take it! Shameless of me, I know, but honest. Thank you for adding your wow.
Delete