Up-cycled Stories: Books as Process

I participated in a workshop called Up-cycled Stories: Books as Process.    The description of the class said: "Bring a personally challenging story to retell in a new light or a daily routine to reconsider and reframe. With a focus on finding joy and beauty in the everyday, participants stamp out insecurities, recontextualize shortcomings, and re-imagine the self in book form. In this active workshop, employ ink, brushes, stamps, mark-making tools, text, and re-collected common objects to produce process pages. Through a reimagining of the past, reinvent present perspective with an open heart, mind, and eyes toward gratitude and compassion. Instructors demonstrate a binding to be completed post-workshop from produced sheets. Come with a willingness to play with color, shape, narrative, and texture."

I had a difficult time coming up with a story.  I just didn't know what I wanted to do.  The night before the class I was frustrated that I couldn't think of anything.  I was also tired and feeling ornery. I decided I would just write the first thing that came to my mind: 

I don’t know what my story is.  My story isn’t my own.  It belongs to so many other people.  I am daughter, mother, sister, wife.  My story (or is it our story?) is expanding, growing, and changing like my daughter-in-law’s womb.  I grab at pieces of what I think my story should be.  I try to fit the pieces together into something sane, and sensible.  Some days are more successful than others.   

Today is not one of those days.

I went to class with a new attitude and was excited to meet new people, and create new art. 

My work station, all ready to go. My table mate brought a lot of slides that were really cool in the mono printing!

Half of the classroom in the Book Arts department.

These rows and rows of type intrigue me.

We started the class with some physical and emotional exercises.  They were enlightening and I wasn't really expecting them.  I'm glad we did them though.  Next we moved on to creating with these new insights. We were taught how to create background pages for our books using Gelli® plates, inks, tea and coffee, as well as another transfer method which I didn't use and wish I had. I can't even recall what it was called. We were also taught how to collage pieces on to these backgrounds.

Some of the beautiful creations the class made.

I got in the zone and had a good time.

It's always a good day when I have painted hands.

After creating our backgrounds we took our story and cut it apart to create a new story.

Playing around - trying to make sense of the cut up words.

I didn't finish my book but got a good start - these are the front and back covers.

I was very impressed with the books others created. 

I'm sorry I don't know the names of these artists.

This cover really spoke to me.
Gorgeous design.

It still amazes me how much lovely detail you can get from an object like a leaf.

Love the texture of these pages.  She used a net bath sponge.

I believe this was made with walnut ink.

The image looks like a negative when you use black paint on the Gelli® plate.

This was the technique I wish I had tried.  The trees were transferred using a blending marker.
The fumes are pretty strong and so it had to be done under the hooded vent in the wet room.

It was a very enjoyable class.  

The only thing I didn't like was that it ended too soon.  

I can't wait until I take another class there this weekend!