Please note: For security reasons we never put the Zoom link on our website. If you did not receive an email from Santa Fe Book Arts Group with the link, please text 505-660-9942 with your name and your request.

Brush lettering involves the coordination of hand, arm, brain, and breath. Frequently beginners are so eager to write words that the arm and breath are left out of the strokes. This results in frustration and feelings of never being able to master this method of writing. In this hands-on presentation with a Pentel Color Brush, Elizabeth McKee will show participants how to hold the brush and breathe into and out of strokes.

A handout for the interactive demonstration:

Pointed Brush First Steps

Training our muscle memory by making repetitive strokes can be tedious and boring, so to make this more interesting Elizabeth will encourage everyone to make patterns with the strokes that she provides in her handout.

Tools for the Interactive Demonstration

1. If you have one, a Pentel Color Brush with non-pigmented ink – any color. Available from
   Amazon OR your favorite pointed brush OR a Pentel Aquash water brush (available from Amazon) with some writing fluid or gouache or watercolor.
2. Paper with some tooth. Pacon drawing paper, medium weight, available from Dick Blick OR Strathmore 300 charcoal paper OR some brown paper bags are great.

Elizabeth McKee is a book artist and calligrapher living in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Since the late 1980s she has been studying pointed brush lettering whenever she could, with Marilyn Reaves, Judy Melvin, Carl Rohrs multiple times, Mike Gold, Julie Wildman, and Yves Leterme. Some of her books with pointed brush lettering are in Queen’s University’s Douglas Library, Kingston, Ontario, Canada https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/from-a-circle-of-love, the Bainbridge Island Museum of Art https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/road-guide, Stanford University’s Green Library https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/inversnaid-2, as well as private collections around the world https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/inversnaid-1, https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/that-nature-is-a-heraclitean-fire-and-the-comfort-of-the-resurrection, https://elizabethmckeebooks.com/departure

Her most recent endeavor has been to create an introductory series of pointed-brush classes to help make lettering with a pointed brush more accessible to beginners.

You can see her work at her website: https://elizabethmckeebooks.com.

BAG sponsors two different, ongoing art swaps. You may choose to participate in one or both. To do so, you must be a BAG member in good standing (i.e., your membership dues are current).

It will be wonderful if we can get together in person at the end to look over our completed books. If the world isn’t ready for us to do that, we will plan for a big show-and-tell when it is.

Click here to go directly to: 1. Round-Robin Journal (Book) or 2. Art Journal Pages

1. Round-Robin Journal (Book)

For this swap you select an art journal that will pass from artist to artist. You will not see your journal for four months; but when it comes back, it will be filled with art! This is the second round of our book exchange. Those of us who participated in the first round have been thrilled with beautiful artwork our partners created.

When you sign up by July 1, 2021, coordinator Cynthia Leespring will send you all the instructions. Briefly, here’s how it works.

1. Select a book (handmade or purchased).
2. Select a theme (or you can have no theme).
3. Write your guidelines, if any.
4. Create your sign-in page(s) and at least one art journal spread of your own.

We will exchange our books monthly on the first day. There are two subgroups:

A. Those who live locally will arrange a place to meet and exchange.

B. Those who live outside of the Santa Fe area will mail their book to the next person so it will **arrive** by the first of the month.

To participate, email Cynthia at cynleespring@gmail.com with the following information:

Your Name:

Your Email Address:

Your Mailing Address:

Your Phone Number:

Which Round-Robin Swap(s) You Wish to Participate in:

A. Round-Robin Art Journal via local contactless delivery only

B. Round-Robin Art Journal via U.S. Priority Mail

If you do NOT receive an email confirmation from Cynthia within one week after you’ve emailed her:

1. Check the spam folder of your email program, then
2. Email her again or call/text (check the membership roster for her phone number)
   

2. Art Journal Pages

This swap renews each month. When you sign up by July 1, 2021, coordinator Ruth Anna Abigail will send you all the instructions. Briefly, here’s how it works.

1. Create art on one side of a folded page for each person in your group (four or more people) and yourself.
2. Each person may select a theme or not; talk amongst yourselves.
3. Mail the pages to each collaborator so that they **receive** them no later than the first of the next month (in this case, August 1).

To participate, email Ruth Anna at raabigail@gmail.com with the following information:

Your Name:

Your Email Address:

Your Mailing Address:

Your Phone Number:

Your Theme, if Any:

If you do NOT receive an email confirmation from Ruth Anna within one week after you’ve emailed her:

1. Check the spam folder of your email program, then
2. Email her again or call/text (check the membership roster for her phone number)

Ruth Anna will send your collaborators’ contact information.

Friend of BAG Karen Hanmer has several online workshops coming up:

Binding Fundamentals: rounding, backing, and other engineering essentials
July 6-27, 2021 | Thursdays, four sessions
Details and registration here.
A handsome, functional book is built on a solid foundation of traditional forwarding skills. Students will review and reinforce these skills, by going through all the steps of crafting a traditional binding prior to covering: folding, marking up and punching signatures; sewing on and off a sewing frame; gluing up and rounding the spine; lightly backing the text block; sewing endbands; spine lining; selecting endsheets appropriate for board/case attachment and full opening. To complete the binding we will anchor the text block into a folded paper case.
Binding Fundamentals is a prerequisite for all advanced binding workshops at Karen Hanmer Book Arts.

Leather Working for Bookbinding: Paring, headcaps, corners.
August 3-24, 2021 | Thursdays, four sessions
Details and registration here.
Students will be introduced to the tools and techniques required for fine leather binding. Tools: English or Swiss paring knife, Scharfix, spoke shave. Techniques: lining boards to accept leather; paring for spines, corners, headcaps, and all-over thinning of the leather; paring and edgeparing for onlays; sharpening using microfinishing films; stropping; covering of a plaquette; forming corners and headcaps; adhesives and drying procedure for leather binding.
Leather Working for Bookbinding is a prerequisite for all leather binding workshops at Karen Hanmer Book Arts.

Biblio Tech: reverse engineering historical and modern binding structures.
September 23-December 2, 2021 | Thursdays, 10 sessions | 10 bindings
Details and registration here.
Students will create ten binding structure models. These models will remain unfinished so engineering remains visible for future reference. Structures include: Tacketed binding, Crossed Structure, Ethiopian, Medieval, Laced-on boards, Scaleboard, Split Board, Case Binding, Sewn Boards, Non-Adhesive Paper Case.

Leather Binding II: Raised Cords.
September 21- November 30, 2021 | Tuesdays, 11 sessions
Details and registration here.
In this workshop, students will further develop their binding and leather-working skills including sewing on raised cords, rounding, backing, paring, and covering. Students will complete one full leather binding with sewn endbands, flexi endsheet with decorative paper, and simple blind tooling around raised bands.

The Medieval Girdle Book
This is a self-guided tutorial only, no online sessions The girdle book is a Medieval binding structure featuring a long extension of leather which could be attached to a traveler’s belt. The leather extension terminates in a decorative knot. This tutorial will guide students through the construction of a girdle book on the foundation of a typical Medieval binding: Text block sewn on double raised supports; wooden boards shaped all around, with special attention given to the inside spine edge to match the text block’s shoulder, then laced on and pegged; sewn endbands; covered in vividly-colored suede leather; strap and pin closure, simple bosses at the corners, parchment page markers.
Details and purchase here.

I’ve added new workshop handouts and demo books to my online store. Simplified Binding, Even More Simplified Binding, Edge-to-edge and Sunken Suede Doublures, Jacob’s Ladder, Triangle Book, the Sewn Boards Binding with three variations, Drum Leaf, and a wide variety of paper cases.

Karen Hanmer Book Arts
karen@karenhanmer.com

Thanks to BAG members Sally Blakemore, Barb Macks, Helen Fabel, and Lynn Grimes, Santa Fe kids are going to look at bugs in a whole new way. Recently the four artists decorated two windows at the Santa Fe Children’s Museum: one with Nature Bugs and one with Urban Bugs.

“The installations are a wildly diverse experiment using materials as inspiration,” said Sally. “We created a Mylar ‘waterfall’ filled with bugs made from repurposed cookbooks from Kitchenality and Barb’s Tyvek color experiments.”

While working on the installation, the team heard that Eric Carle died. “Eric was a beloved children’s writer and illustrator who created bugs from paper and was one of our heroes of children’s publishing,” explained Sally, “so we dedicated the whole Bug exhibit to his memory.” The 91-year-old author was best known for his book “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.”

The BAG Bug Team also created kits for the Museum’s Garden Camp that starts in June.

The Santa Fe Children’s Museum is at 1050 Old Pecos Trail, Santa Fe, NM 87505; visit https://santafechildrensmuseum.org/ or call (505) 989-8359 for more information. The bug windows are in the Lego building and will be on exhibit through September 2021.

Here are a few photos of the Bug Team at work.

Places/Spaces

A Retrospective Show of Prints and Artist’s’ Books by BAG Member Ann Kresge

June 4 through 27, 2021

Remarque Gallery in Albuquerque (Nob Hill)

More information: https://www.remarqueprintshop.com/ and http://annkresge.com/upcoming-exhibits/

Everyone can learn to print like a boss in these fun weekend workshops. Whether you are a complete beginner or a pro looking to add some new tools to the toolbox, these workshops are for you. The Introduction class will provide you all you need to know to pull a small, sweet edition of your own design, while other workshops focus on specific topics and students collaborate on printing posters, wearables, or fine art prints.

Artist and instructor Mike Kimball has been a fine arts printmaker for over 25 years and founded the Santa Fe Hand Prints Workshops to teach others the joy of making prints by hand in this world of rapid digital image making.

The classes are presented by the Center for Printmaking and Book Arts in the print studio of the Santa Fe Community College Fine Arts Department.

Introduction to Screen Printing

Saturday, June 26, and Sunday, June 27, 2021, 11 am-4 pm

This 2-day, 10-hour workshop introduces you to the screenprinting process from start to finish. You will learn the techniques to create the artwork, make the printing stencils, mix ink colors, and proper printing techniques to produce a screenprint poster of your own design. Each student will complete a small edition of a 2-color print over the course of this workshop. $150

Screen Printing for Textiles and Wearables

Saturday, July 10, 2021, 11 am-4 pm

This 1-day workshop introduces you to the process of screenprinting onto textiles, including T-shirts, tote bags, and more. Everything from creating your own artwork design, preparing the stencils, mixing inks for fabric printing, and curing your finished pieces. Students may bring fabric items to print, and printable tote bags will also be available for purchase. $90

Screen Printing: Old School Meets New School

Saturday, July 24, 2021, 11 am-4 pm

In this 1-day workshop you will explore how digital media can be incorporated into making screenprints. Digital typography, photographic images and other graphic effects using the computer software programs Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop are covered. Using these digital methods, you will participate in making a print to take with you at the completion of the workshop. Prior completion of the Introduction to Screen Printing workshop is recommended but not required. $90

Introduction to Screenprinting

Saturday, August 7, and Sunday, August 8, 2021, 11 am-4 pm

This 2-day, 10-hour workshop introduces you to the screen printing process from start to finish. You will learn the techniques to create the artwork, make the printing stencils, mix ink colors, and proper printing techniques to produce a screen print poster of your own design. Each student will complete a small edition of a 2-color print over the course of this workshop. $150

Advanced Techniques in Screenprinting

Saturday, August 21, 2021, 11 am-4 pm

In this 1-day, 5-hour workshop you will be introduced to four advanced screenprinting techniques to add to your technique toolbox. Techniques include using metallic pigments, transparent effects, blended and graduated tones, and creating a monoprint by painting directly onto a screen. Participants will make a print featuring these techniques to take with you at the completion of the workshop. Students must complete Introduction to Screenprinting prior to taking this workshop. $90

Screenprinting: Posters of Protest & Revolution

Saturday, September 4, 2021, 11 am-4 pm

The history of printed posters as expressions of political, social, and cultural ideas are explored in this 1-day, 5-hour workshop. You will choose a cause that you feel strongly about and create a powerful, graphic poster that expresses your view. All steps of going from print production to peaceful protest are addressed and you will participate in the creation of a poster that you can take with you at the completion of the workshop. $90

To register, visit https://www.handprints.art/#/

BAG Member Meeting: Online via Zoom

Saturday, June 12, 2021, 1 pm to approximately 3 pm MDT
Free; Open to the Public; All are Welcome

Agenda

• Welcome by President Linda Zwick
• Tribute to Mary Ann Stoddard with Photos by Gail Murray
• Cyanotype Printing Presentation by Ashisha and Liz Paterson
• Round Robin Journal Collaboration Project Update by Cynthia Leespring
• Art Journal Pages Swap Project Update by Ruth Anna Abigail
• Self-Introduction and Presentation of the Letter U for the Monthly Mail Art Exchange by Susan Surprise
• Overview of BAG’s Social Media Presence by Amy Thompson West
• Community Projects Update by Barb Macks and Sally Blakemore
• Pop-Up Demo (on in a series) for “Origins in Mud” Project by Sally Blakemore

Santa Fe BAG’s member meetings are via the Zoom virtual meeting platform. The login information is NOT shared on this website. To participate in the meeting, you must be signed up for BAG’s email newsletter.  If you are not, please visit this link and sign up.

BAG member meetings are usually held on the second Saturday of the month; please mark your calendar. We look forward to seeing you at the next meeting!

Harwood Art Center in Albuquerque, New Mexico, holds an annual Artist Trading Card (ATC) swap under its Women & Creativity Program. We received an email with the following information:

Hello lovely humans who have participated in our Artist Trading Cards in the past! We have been receiving a lot of questions about our timeline for this year’s swap. The good news is that will be hosting this beautiful exchange again this year! With the uncertainty of now and the last year, our timeline just looks a little different.

We will be opening sign up in July. Sign up will be open from July 1 to August 1, 2021. We will send out another email with the link to sign up with more information and the deadlines to return cards in the summer.

Thank you for being a part of our community,
Dani Belvin, Director of Education
Jordyn Bernicke, Associate Director of Engagement

You can sign up here for Harwood’s email newsletter to be reminded of the ATC swap and other programs:
https://escueladelsol.wufoo.com/forms/s1k1b2721lmef61/

Explore and stretch your inner artist through an 8-week summer course, Creative Expression, at Santa Fe Community College. This course is designed to enhance creativity for those interested in art and writing. The students will explore and discover by unlocking their creativity with a sense of adventure. Some of Ro Calhoun’s approaches include:

• Vision Boards
• Collage
• Assemblage
• Writing
• Group Discussions
• Personal Feedback
• Spotlight on Inspiring Artists’ Work

The class is held online through SFCC starting Tuesday, June 8, and meets Tuesday and Thursday from 3 pm to 8 pm through Thursday, July 29, 2021. To register, visit https://www.sfcc.edu/get-started/apply-and-register/current-returning-students/ and look for Creative Expression (Arts 1142L, CRN 10231) with Ro Calhoun.

Other courses of interest to book artists at SFCC:

Summer 2021 (June 7 through July 31)

• Arts and Design Advanced Projects: Book as Sculpture (Arts 2115L, CRN 10280), Monday and Wednesday 9 am to 2 pm, Online, Marci Easterbrook
• Special Photographic Projects: Photo Book (Arts 2429, CRN 10139), Schedule TBD, Online, Laurie Turner
• Beginning Calligraphy and Lettering Arts (Continuing Education Class 1239), June 2 through June 23, Wednesday 1 pm to 3 pm, Sherry Bishop
• Intermediate Calligraphy and Lettering Arts (Continuing Education Class 1239), June 30 through July 21, Wednesday 1 pm to 3 pm, Sherry Bishop
• Collage Art (Continuing Education Class 1058), July 1 through August 5, Thursday 9 am to 12 noon, Long

Fall 2021 (August 23 through December 11)

• Book Arts (Arts 1123L, CRN 20529) Thursday 9 am to 2 pm, Online, Marci Easterbrook
• Creative Expression (Arts 1142L, CRN 20245) Thursday 3 pm to 8 pm, Ro Calhoun
• Relief Printmaking (Arts 1153L, CRN 20434) Monday 12 noon to 5 pm, On Campus, Jennifer Lynch
• Letterpress (Arts 1160L, CRN 20685) Friday 9 am to 2 pm, On Campus, James Bourland
• Introduction to Printmaking (Arts 1710, CRN 20814) Tuesday 3 pm to 8 pm, on Campus, Jennifer Lynch
• Arts and Design Advanced Projects: Printmaking (Arts 2115L), two sessions:
  • CRN 20221, Wednesday 12 noon to 5 pm, On Campus, Patricia Pearce
  • CRN 20668, Wednesday 2:30 pm to 7:30 pm, On Campus, Steve LaRance

Register today! Classes fill or are dropped by SFCC if they don’t meet minimum enrollment.

Suminagashi Workshop: https://makesantafe.org/shop/suminagashi-workshop-05-19-21/
Wednesday, May 19, 2021 from 5:30 pm–7:30 pm
$45

A meditative practice that translates to “floating ink,” suminagashi is the oldest form of paper marbling and can be traced back to the 12th century in Japan where families guarded its secrets for many generations.

Despite the ancient beginnings, suminagashi is becoming en vogue with a variety of artists including tattooists in recent years. Other applications include stationary, craft works, components for artist books and so much more. Part of the allure of the practice is the connection between the creator, the environment and the finished piece itself. The focus of the artist, the water, and even the air in the room will influence the organic pattern the ink takes on the surface of the water. It is truly a timeless art that is simple to understand but can take years to master.

This workshop is sponsored by Yasutomo, who is providing brushes, paper, and sumi ink as a starting point for a suminagashi practice. Additionally the process needs a tray to hold water and surfactant which will be provided for the workshop. It will be held outside in our courtyard, dress accordingly.

What you’ll learn:

• Applying the ink to float properly on water
• Strategies for different patterns
• Successfully pulling a print
• Drying techniques

Please Note:
No previous experience is necessary and no special clothing is needed. Details on the Yasutomo supplies provided are: SW2 All-purpose brushes, KF2 Sumi Ink, and HYP500 Shiki-shi Hosho rice paper.

About the Instructor:
Kent Riggs has been actively practicing suminagashi for over a year and is a Yasutomo sponsored artist. You can see more of his work on his website at KentRiggs.com or at instagram.com/misconceptionworks.

BAG President Linda Zwick challenged members to create faux postage stamps. (The U.S. Postal Service used to allow creation of custom postage stamps through approved third-party vendors, but ended the program in June 2020.)

You can view the submissions in a video by clicking here.

(Added link to Colette Fu’s giant pop-up book.)

BAG Member Alicia Bailey announced some calls for entry: Page from Shawn Sheehy’s Fresh Cut Express

Movable Medley

Originally scheduled for 2020, this show will now be held October/November 2021, in conjunction with the Movable Book Society’s Denver conference. The deadline to submit is July 12. Any book with movable components beyond opening the cover or turning the pages is eligible. Submissions will be selected by Teresa Burke, Head Librarian ACA Library of Savannah College of Art and Design, Atlanta and Elliot McNally, archivist at The Coca-Cola Company Archives. Full details at http://www.abecedariangallery.com/assets/content_files/opportunities/Movable%20Medley%20prospectus.html.

Meggendorfer Prize + Paper Engineering Prize

Offered up by the Movable Book Society is the Meggendorfer Prize for Artists’ Books and Emerging Paper Engineering prizes. I’ll be jurying the Artists’ Book prize with pop-up rockstar Colette Fu. For more info on the conference, and the prizes, visit https://movablebooksociety.org/conference/.

Colette Fu installation of Tao Hua Yuan Ji

Focus on Book Arts is offering up

Where  We Live

a virtual juried exhibition. The deadline to submit is May 17. Selections for will be made by Laura Russell, found of 23 Sandy Gallery, and Erin Mickelson, current owner of 23 Sandy Gallery in Santa Fe. Details at https://focusonbookarts.org/2021exhibition/.

Studio shot of Lisa Harkin’s Where We Live challenge project

Focus on Book Arts is also offering a challenge book project opportunity—again with the theme of Where We Live. No jury for this one, just a bit of fun with some directed inspiration. Details at https://focusonbookarts.org/2021challenge/. The deadline to submit is June 23.

All in all,  2021 is shaping up to be an exciting year for Abecedarian Artists’ Books. I hope the same is true for all my fellow book arts friends.

Alicia Bailey
Abecedarian Artists Books
PO Box 202551
Denver, CO 80220-8551
https://www.abecedariangallery.com/

Sally Blakemore, BAG’s Artist-in-Residence, will be demonstrating pop-up engineering at the BAG member meeting on Saturday, April 10, 2021. She will do this because it’s fun, but also to help those who are interested in being part of the “City of Mud” large pop-up book project. Here are two of Sally’s designs. Click on the image to open in a new tab.

Many of you are familiar with BAG’s new book published in fall 2020, documenting the Pantone Postcard Mail Art project. But what you may not know is how we came up with the idea.

On Valentine’s Day  2013, Emily Martin, professor at the University of Iowa Center for the Book, was given a box of 100 Pantone postcards by her sister. On the one hand she thought she would like to keep the collection intact—“pristine and complete,” but on the other hand, “I wanted them to be used.”

Her inclination to have people do something creative with these cards won out. So on her Facebook page she posted a request for volunteers to receive these postcards, respond to the color in their own ways, and mail them back. In 17 hours, all the cards had been claimed. She mailed them in April 2014, and the 100 cards came back that fall, each individually treated by 100 people.

In 2017 Emily published a book of all 100 cards. The BAG mail art co-chairs got wind of the project, and thought it would be fun to use the idea for our monthly mail art exchange. Emily generously gave her permission.

With 54 BAG members participating, we got so excited we made not just 100, but 200 cards! In fall 2020, BAG’s own compilation of Pantone postcards came out in book form, and Douglass Rankin mailed a copy of the book to Emily. In January she replied:

Dear Douglass,

I was finally in the office at school and picked up my mail. What a treat to find the Santa Fe BAG Pantone postcard project catalog! Well done. You have a wonderfully active group out there. I hope you are keeping well, fingers crossed for vaccines soon for everyone.

My best to you,

Emily

Copies of the BAG Pantone Postcard  book are available from the Blurb Bookstore:

https://www.blurb.com/b/10438615-pantone-postcard-project

Thanks go to Emily https://emilymartin.com/, Greg Berg, Barb Macks, Gail Murray, Douglass Rankin, and the BAG board of directors for inspiring, supporting, and instigating the project, and putting together the book. And a special thanks to the BAG artists who created the exceptional Pantone postcards.

Throughout this year the BAG board is challenging the members to create something, then photograph it and send it to BAG. We’ll post it here on the website and on social media.  Challenges and challengers so far (click links to see the results): Holiday Greeting Cards by Liz Faust, Valentines by Ashisha, and Postage Stamps by Linda Zwick (due Wednesday, March 31, 2021; click here for submission details).

Books with Fabrics and Fibers Challenge

BAG Vice President Julie Filatoff is challenging BAG members to make a book using fabric and/or fibers. The percentage of fabric/fiber content is not important; use as much or as little as you wish. The book can be any structure you like, from simple to complex.

Take one or more photographs of your book–or even a short video–and email to julie@jirafstudio.com no later than Friday, April 30, 2021. (If you’re sending a video, email Julie separately to ensure she received it.)

To inspire you, here are a few artists who work with fiber/fabrics:

Sharon McCartney

Ro Bruhn

Ingrid Dijkers

Frances Pickering

Paula Hertfordshire

DJ Pettit

Yuko Kimura

Susan Hart Henegar

Julie Filatoff (shown above: Both Sides Now)

BAG member Austa Oliver created a greeting to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the pandemic. “I want to wish all BAG members well as we have just finished a year of hibernating,” explained Austa. “I made the word cloud (below) at the beginning…on 3-12-2020. And on 3-12-2021, I decided the part about changing my age number! Just a thought, as we all think about how long this has all been going on.”

See Austa’s artwork below. (If you’re receiving this via email, click on the title of this post–A Pandemic Remembrance, above–to view it in a web browser.)

BAG President Linda Zwick has issued the following challenge. Each BAG board member will issue a challenge to all members over the next year.

Art on Postage Stamps

The Citizens’ Stamp Advisory Committee is appointed by the US Postmaster General. The committee selects subjects for recommendation for future stamps and accepts recommendations from citizens, with many rules in place: https://about.usps.com/who/csac/. These rules include honoring individuals only after their deaths and not considering disasters and negative events as subjects for stamps.

The committee selects subjects for recommendation about three years before a stamp design might be issued. However, BAG would love to see your design(s) for US postage stamps now.

Linda’s Challenge: Create one or more design(s) as an image for a postage stamp and submit images of those to julie@jirafstudio.com by Tuesday, March 30, 2021, for posting on the BAG website and social media.

(Note: The US Postal Service used to allow creation of custom postage stamps through approved third-party vendors, but ended the program in June 2020. Alas, Linda’s hope for seeing BAG members’ designs on actual postage has been dashed. We may, however, recreate these as non-postage stickers. We will keep you…posted).

You’re welcome to use the postage stamp template for your design, or develop or find another to your liking.

Click here to download the Postage Stamp Template as a .pdf (Acrobat file). (When it opens in another window, use the download arrow to save it to your computer.)

Click here to download the Postage Stamp Template as a .jpg file. (When it opens in another window, right-click then left click on “Save image as…”)

What a talented, loving bunch of people are BAG members! We received photos of more than 50 valentines. Click on “Continue reading” below to see them. (If you are viewing this post in an email, visit https://wp.me/p88BbH-SC to see the post). Continue reading “Valentines by BAG Members” →

The Santa Fe Book Arts Group’s bylaws call for at least three and no more than 10 Directors. A Director’s term is three years. Officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Secretary) are elected from the Directors, serve one year, and may be re-elected.

Announcing BAG’s Board of Directors for 2021

President: Linda Zwick

Vice President: Julie Filatoff

Treasurer: Liz Faust

Secretary: Gordon Fluke

Directors:

• Tracy Armagost
• Ashisha
• Ro Calhoun
• Barb Macks
• Lisa Miles

Retiring from the board after several years of service as Secretary is Marilyn Bennett. Thank you, Marilyn!

If there is anything you wish to discuss with the Board, please don’t hesitate to reach out to one of us or email santafebag@gmail.com.

At the December 2020 membership meeting, Kim Burkholder led us in an exercise to create a “Word Cloud” by submitting words/terms of what comes to mind when we think of BAG, or what we are thankful for about BAG. She used the tool at Menti.com, and the larger the word and more centrally located, the more people submitted it.

Below is a screenshot; click to enlarge. You can also see it by clicking here.

Because we won’t be able to gather in person at our Annual Meeting on December, we asked BAG members to send their year-end greetings digitally.

We’ll continue to update this page as we receive more cards, so check back!

Click on any image to start the slideshow. Click on the < and > arrows to go forward and backward. Use the X to close the window and come back to this post.

Ashisha: Front

Ashisha: Inside

Liz Faust: Front

Liz Faust: Inside

Julie Filatoff: Front

Julie Filatoff: Inside. If I cannot bring you comfort Then at least I bring you hope For nothing is more precious Than the time we have and so We all must learn from small misfortune Count the blessings that are real Let the bells ring out for Christmas At the closing of the year Let the bells ring out for Christmas At the closing of the year. Now all the winter bells are ringing Hear them echo through the snow And the children’s voices singing On the streets so far below This is a time to be together And the truth is somewhere here Within our love of people At the closing of the year. Trevor Horn / Hans Zimmer / Christian Kolonovits

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Gail Murray

Joan Plummer: Front

Joan Plummer: Inside

Kim Burkholder: Wishing all a holiday season filled with love, hope, and creativity!

Mary Elizabeth Nelson:  Happy Holidays to my friends in Santa Fe BAG.

Mavis Murphy: Front

Mavis Murphy: Inside

Rebecca Best: Front

Rebecca Best: Inside

Amy Thompson West

Amy Thompson West: Inside

Douglass Rankin: Front

Douglass Rankin: Inside

Geri Michelli

Geri Michelli

Geri Michelli

Geri Michelli

Judy Crawford: Front

Judy Crawford: Inside

Lisa Miles

Tracy Armagost: Front

Tracy Armagost: Inside

Rhae Burden

By Barb Macks. A haiku: Paste paper designs BAG ornament so festive FELIZ NAVIDAD!

Because we won’t be able to meet in person at our Annual Meeting in December, we would like to give you an opportunity send your year-end greetings to your BAG friends.

All members are encouraged to make a greeting card. It can be a holiday card (Christmas, Hanukah, Solstice, Kwanzaa, New Year’s, or any other holiday you want to celebrate). It can be a card that communicates any message you want to send out in December that is not linked to a specific holiday.  You are artists; I don’t have to explain the concept of “no rules.”

Once you have completed your card, photograph it and send the photo to elizfaust@gmail.com no later than Tuesday, December 1. You can send a single photo of the front of the card or two photos—one of the front of the card and one of the inside. These will be assembled into an online gallery that will be posted on the BAG website. Also, send me a greeting from you to other BAG members. This greeting will be displayed along with the images of your card.

Cards can be any size and shape that you can dream up. If you would like some help kickstarting your creative process, our Artist in Residence, Sally Blakemore, has designed some pop-up templates that you can use as a starting point for your design. The templates are listed below.

Liz Faust

Sally’s Templates

All of these are just formats, so I encourage artists to just the the idea for themselves and do something totally in their own styles!

Tiny Book Holiday Greeting Tree		Download the template here.
Tyvek (FedEx Envelope) Angel Wing Prayer Flag
Slot Movement Mechanic (Butterfly, Bird, Bee, Sugarplum Fairy— Anything That Flies)		Download the butterfly template here.   Download the bird template here.
Skinny Comet Pop-Up Card Using Mylar for the Comet		Download the template here.
Soft Pop-Ups Using Florals Made of Tyvek and Paper, Platforms Stacked		Download the template here.
Slot Designs: Floral or Cactus Pop-Ups		Download the template here.
Pop-Up Basketball Court (Can be Adapted to Fireplace With Hanging Christmas Stocking)		Download the template here.

Pantone Postcard Project: Mail Art 2017-2019

Left, The “plain” Pantone postcards that artists used as the basis for their artwork. Right, the cover of the book showing a selection of the cards by 54 artists. Click to enlarge the photos.

217 full-color pages! This book showcases a collection of mail art postcards from members of the Santa Fe Book Arts Group. It is a visual fiesta, a diverse exploration of art that illustrates the range of talent within the BAG membership, keeping alive the mail art tradition.

This book tells the story of the two-year project, fashioned after Emily Martin’s similar project. The project was based on the Pantone Matching System (PMS), considered the “universal color language” used in art and industry. The cards, created by 54 members of BAG, are original and very creative.

$35 if picked up locally; buy here with PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=UY8XMF9VKRT3C

$39 with U.S. mailing; buy here with PayPal: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=7VHSZPAAYEJFU

Or send a check for $35 or $39 per book, along with the shipping address, to:

BAG
PO Box 4332
Santa Fe, NM 87502-4332

23 Sandy is excited to announce the relaunch of its online gallery and a transition of ownership.

23 Sandy was founded in Portland, Oregon, by book artist and photographer Laura Russell in 2007. For 10 years it was a brick-and-mortar gallery space exhibiting a wide range of unique and edition artist books and paper art. 23 Sandy closed its physical doors in 2017, becoming an online gallery. In July 2020, the gallery is relaunching under the ownership of book artist Erin Mickelson, 23 Sandy’s long-time gallery assistant until her relocation to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

23 Sandy’s new online gallery will feature book and paper art as well as maintain a record of the gallery’s rich and vibrant history through exhibition archives, a vast catalog (over 1,000 titles) of available and sold works, and historic posts. Over its years, the gallery hosted 91 inspiring exhibitions—20 of which were international juried exhibitions featuring thoughtfully curated works by a talented roster of artists from around the world. In addition to featuring creative and contemporary works, the online gallery is an extensive resource for anyone curious about artist books.

In addition to managing the online gallery, Erin will represent 23 Sandy at book arts workshops, conferences, and visits to institutions, and will work with local art spaces to exhibit artist books. She will continue to grow and diversify the gallery’s catalog of works.

A few words from Laura and Erin:

“It is such a thrill to pass 23 Sandy into Erin’s knowledgeable and capable hands. For four years she played a vital role in the success of the gallery, and I’ve always been grateful for her time and energy. Erin’s well-trained, critical, and thoughtful way of looking at books will bring a fresh and considered viewpoint to the wide world of book arts. I am thrilled to be able to retire into my studio and that 23 Sandy will live on with such an exciting vision.”
—Laura Russell

“Much gratitude is due to Laura Russell for creating such an impactful and inspiring art space. 23 Sandy has been an invaluable resource and platform for the book arts community, thanks to Laura’s diligent efforts and creative thinking. I’m excited and honored to carry the torch.”
—Erin Mickelson

Visit the gallery online at 23sandy.com and contact director@23sandy.com with any questions or comments.

The Recycle Santa Fe Art Festival nonprofit is opening northern New Mexico’s one-of-a-kind creative reuse center, Resourceful Santa Fe.  It is at 2879-A Industrial Road (off Siler Road). A creative reuse center is a well-curated thrift store with real thrift store prices, an unofficial art supply store, a dumpster diver’s paradise, a community space, an economic development driver for local artists, and a local nonprofit. Its mission is to divert material from the waste stream by collecting and redistributing discarded items to artists, educators, social service providers, and the community for reuse and repurposing.

You can:

• Donate items (see the guidelines here; then make an appointment with Sarah Pierpont by contacting her at (505) 603-0558 or skpierpont@yahoo.com). All donations are tax-deductible.
• Make an appointment (contact info above) to shop or to be placed on the mailing list for future pop-up events.
• Attend the grand opening later this fall.

BAG member Laura Wait participated in a studio tour/interview with one of the galleries that represents her, Gallery Mar in Carmel, California. Click the link to see Laura at work in her studio: https://www.facebook.com/gallerymarcarmel/videos/335709957403021/