Accordions in Kalamazoo and Trenches return

My button book is finally done and hopefully it's only one of many to come "Button Tales, Myths, Superstitions Vol. I MMX". This accordion book has been entered into a show at the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center in Michigan. "The Illustrated Accordion" April 2nd - 30th. What fun to work on it- thoroughly enjoyed making this and envision several more in the button series. The superstition illustrated claims that you must hold on to you buttons when passing a hearse or cemetery to keep the deceased from taking you with them ! (I love that 2010 is written MMX in Roman numerals)



The book is wrapped with a paper band with a Velcro closure...and sewn paper button. The cover is flax dyed with walnut hull handmade by "Cave Papers". All the buttons are made from my handmade papers.



Each foldout page is a different shaped headstone with buttons attached in random patterns. To see more books in the show go to the Kalamazoo Book Arts Center's flickr page, many amazing creations.



"In The Trenches", an illustrated hand made book about NY's Hart Island, finally returned home from the Atlanta Mixed Media/Collage Show at the Gallery at Paper Mill Road in Sandy Springs GA...... and with an award of Merit. We are very pleased with the way this adventure turned out. Pat Sahertian and I put our hearts and souls into the making of this book. Looking for the next show to display it.....

Book Buttons and Trenches

GREAT NEWS....."In The Trenches" the book collaboration with myself and Pat Sahertian is finally completed... all 3 volumes and one will be shown at:
The Gallery at Paper Mill Village
"Atlanta Mixed Media/Collage Exhibit"
March 5th- March 26th 2010

We spent an enormous amount of time in preparing this dedication to all those buried in a potters field - everywhere- those that go unnamed and unremembered. We traveled from Phoenix to Bluffton SC and Bluffton to Phoenix - experimented with many different pulps to get the paper for the pages and covers right - spent hours and many back and forth emails, video's and mailings to get our images right and then join all together. Two artists (originally from NY ) now in the South and the West with different ideas and techniques came surprisingly close to one uniform piece of work in this unique handmade book. (can be viewed on YouTube)

"In The Trenches" is specifically about Hart Island New York and the conditions that have existed for more then 100 years. The subject of this book is our reaction to a web site we came upon a year ago... "The Hart Island Project" with Melinda Hunt ... please refer to her web site for detailed information. However, the sentiments apply to all potter's fields. It's a tough subject.

We are very excited to have the opportunity to show this book ! Yea!

So exciting !!!!... I've found a way to make buttons from books.... and usable buttons at that ! To be used for closures, decorations, jewelry...... sweaters, vests - anything!!!! I'm just going to call them BOOK BUTTONS ... divided into... poetry, mystery, prayer, historical... math equations, music - different languages - just about anything printed in a book. This a very new project and seems like this will consume about every waking moment for awhile. I'm still making buttons from my hand made plant fiber papers - banana skins being the best so far.

I guess I can always find shark teeth along the beach in the fall !!!

What do you think ? Cute? Interesting... email me !

Buttons and more Buttons

Paper Buttons!! How wonderful! I've been planning to construct a Button Book for some years now but never quite satisfied with what I had sketched out. Of course I love buttons, doesn't everyone? But how best to make an artist's book on the subject?

I found a small punch for paper buttons then a larger one and couldn't stop making them. I brought the first few (smaller ones) to the Dard Hunter Paper Conference in Atlanta last October along with sea grass paper from my new Moon Tide Paper Studio and found the attendees were almost more interested in the buttons. I'm going to make bags of them for the next conference. I tested all my paper and found that the banana skin and corn husk papers were best especially if dipped in wax. So my button book will be of paper and wax. I finally feel I have the right idea for this little passion of mine.

So cute I could just about eat them.



I've always been drawn to buttons and never quite realized how much - until I packed up the house last year for my big move from New York to South Carolina. I had jars of buttons, bags and boxes of buttons and a bowl of white shell, bone and glass buttons.

I found buttons all over the place... could never pass a notions department or button shop. I spent many years on Long Island digging in old dumps for bottles and found the most fantastic things along with bottles dating back to the 1850's. One of those small little extras were bone and glass and shell buttons, many in this bowl pictured above. I found metal buttons, a little rusty but fun. I have horn buttons, coconut shell buttons and bakelite buttons, cloth buttons, fur and leather buttons, rhinestone buttons and knotted buttons and clay buttons but until now NEVER a paper button... Are there other closet button people out there? Truly did not know I was collecting them until I had to gather them in one place. Wow... but fun.

I have to finish my copy of "In The Trenches" about Hart Island one of an edition of three in collaboration with Pat Sahertian. Pat's copy is finished, our joint edition done and on YouTube but mine still needs more work. Our primary goal for the next few months is to promote the book and find some book art shows to exhibit them. Then I can have fun with the buttons !