Sunday, November 15, 2009

Relay Replay Press now part of my regular website

I finally redesigned my website which now contains the Relay Replay Press books and information. Although It perhaps needs to be a bit more obvious? It's under Prints & Artist's Books, and from there, you see Relay Replay Press. I wonder if I need a link from the front page. [I just now added a link under the Highlights section on the front page, maybe that will help.]

Here's the website: fingerstothebone.com, and here's the Relay Replay Press page.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

Mare and Foal, the first Relay Replay Press print



I have started to work with the wife of an elderly gentleman—a WWII veteran who served in the South Pacific—to create the next Relay Replay Press book with him. In order to fund this project, I have created Mare and Foal, a varied edition Gocco print. The money raised from selling this print will pay for materials and my time to go out to The Dalles for a week in July and work with this gentleman. In the mean time, I have started to go out to meet with him, to get to know him a bit, before we start to work on our project.

You can read more about the history of the Relay Replay Press projects in this article in The Oregonian.

The Dalles is about an hour and half away by car from Portland, where I'm located. A donor is providing me with a place to stay, which is greatly appreciated. Your purchase of a print will help pay for printmaking/bookbinding supplies, papers and any other materials necessary to edition 20 copies of this book, as well as my time for one week.

There are two versions of this print. Copies 1-90 are printed in 5 colors (the "Pastel" version, see above) and 91-141 in two (the "Sepia" version, see below). The image area is 6"x6" and paper size is 9"x10". Prints are numbered, signed, and dated.

To read a bit about the process of creating this print, see the making of Mare and Foal.

Please use the PayPal buttons to the right to purchase a print. Thank you very much for your support of this Relay Replay Press project!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Relay Replay makes it in the Oregonian

Inara Verzemnieks of the Oregonian did this article on the Relay Replay books today. It's truly a wonderful write-up; I am thrilled. I also love the photographs by Motoya Nakamura, staff photographer at the Oregonian.

This was an interview that was scheduled way back, but due to the storms, we kept on having to reschedule it. So unfortunately, it didn't come out until today, and the show at the John Wilson Special Collections had already come down. But I'm happy to report that the Arts Center at Hillsboro, where Intersect/Parallel is at, is willing to add the Relay Replay books to that show, even though we're already part way through Intersect/Parallel.

I've heard from so many friends today, some of whom I hadn't heard from in ages, so that was a very nice side effect. And my artist friends are all impressed with the write-up, thrilled that she wrote a sensitive and very in-depth piece.

Inara really got it—there were things that, after the interview, I thought "oh, I should've mentioned that," but I decided to leave it alone and let her do what she does...and she did a great job! All the things that I didn't say, she connected.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Relay Replay news

Although all the books and the room divider screens are now completed, I haven't had professional photos taken of the fourth book and the screens so there have been no updates here recently. Although I should mention that the exhibit (at two locations) are going well.

At the John Wilson Special Collections, the exhibit is scheduled to come down on December 31, 2008. The artist talk went very well. We filled up the room...although admittedly, it's a small room!

At Rose Schnitzer Manor, the exhibit there was extended and will also end on December 31, 2008. Some of the seniors who participated in the project have been heard to be bragging about their artwork represented in the books and room divider screens! That's sweet news to my ears—that they're proud of their work.

The project has received quite a bit of attention from the local press too. The Asian Reporter ran an article on December 9, and the Portland Open Studios Blog ran a story on December 27. Also, RACC, the organization that gave me the grant to work on this project, ran an Artist Spotlight on me and my project for November - December.

And more good news—the four books from Relay Replay Press (along with some of my own work) have been accepted by Vamp and Tramp Booksellers, dealers in contemporary fine press & artists' books, to represent. I just got the news this morning and am very excited.

Thursday, October 2, 2008

Book 3, Esther

Esther's daughter dug up a treasure trove of family documents and photographs, and this was a walk down memory lane for mother & daughter, with me enjoying the stories. Esther is a life long dedicated mah jongg player; came snow or blizzard, she met with her friends for a weekly game or two. The game was a constant through the many changes of her life, the kids, and grandkids. She continues to play.



I chose a palm leaf binding because I wanted her book to resemble a pile of mah jongg tiles on the back, but still have the pages held together. Her prints and my prints are laminated together with Gudy O adhesive from Talas. I suppose they more resemble playing cards then mah jongg tiles, but a similar idea anyhow. The pages are held together with two bone mah jongg tile beads at the ends. And this is a 2008 winning hand in American mah jongg.



Everything is Gocco printed, on Rives Lightweight and Rives BFK.

6 1/16" W x 3 15/16" H x 5/8" D (includes thickness of mah jongg tiles)
Edition of 20
$220, plus shipping & insurance $9

Book 2, Marion

It took me a long time to figure out that Marion wanted to paint watercolors. Once I figured that out, she and I spent many wonderful afternoons chatting and painting. She returned again and again to the image of the meadow with trees, hills, and a sunset sky.

I chose two to include in her book:



Detail of the opening page:



As we painted, she would quite often talk about the family picnics that they had, with all the brothers and sisters there. I wondered if the images were about the family picnics? Thus the title.

Her watercolors are reproduced with an Epson Stylus C88+ with DuraBrite Ultra ink; I wrote and printed the text with the Print Gocco; on Rives BFK; covered in Nepal Heavyweight.

7 1/16" square x 3/8" D
Edition of 20
$125, plus shipping & insurance $9

Book 1, Martha

Martha took to the Print Gocco like fish to water! She created 18 prints, each full of wonderful little observations about her daily life and sage advice. I thought her prints were like letters to her friends and family, and therefore chose a page format that referenced an envelope form. The book has extra pockets for her to add photographs or keepsakes, and the wrap around cover keeps everything together.

Interior view:



The cover:



Martha designed and Gocco printed the individual prints; I designed and Gocco printed the envelopes and the cover. The cover was also dyed with a very diluted acrylic paint; on Rives Lightweight, Nepal Light, and Nepal Heavyweight.

7 1/16" H x 5 3/16" W x 1 1/4" D
Edition of 20
$320, please see Abecedarian Gallery.