Bookish Mary

Spring has arrived, on the calendar, anyway.  In the city, we are still experiencing the frothy flurries from Old Man Winter.  Mistress Spring has not made her big entrance, although she has seeped into the edges of some days with her warmth and beautiful sunshine.  I have taken up the call of the printing press and entered a class to learn printmaking.  These techniques will be a beautiful addition to my bookmaking.   NEW ARTIST BOOK: Symbiosis  This book has been influenced by the milkweed plant and the importance of its relationship to the monarch butterfly.   There is a symbiotic relationship between the Monarch butterfly and milkweed plant.   They share similar biological elements. In their life cycle, each has a pod which nurtures and transforms egg and seed to full maturation. Silken threads securely wrap the caterpillar in the Chrysalis allowing transformation to butterfly. The seeds of the milkweed are attached to sil...

The dog days of summer are still lingering as we turn the corner from August into September.  Soon leaves will be falling from the trees, the days will get shorter and frost will be seen on the tops of puddles in the early morning rush. Geese will be gathering in flocks, riding the waves until one of the leaders tells them it's time to fly south.  And all the while I will be preparing my books for the fall and winter season.   COOKING BOOKS  In order to keep things fresh with my book making, I tried out a different technique for decorating the pages of a book.  I started cooking books.  Yes indeed, these books have been cooked for a long period of time over a high heat.  The most interesting thing about it is, I never know what I will find once the cooking is done.  I use all sorts of flora to create the designs, combined with clothing dye and a cotton rag based paper.  It's all in the mix and once cooled down, and dried, there a...