Layers and More Layers
with Abigail Read, Cynthia McGuirl, Joelle Webber and Sandy Weisman

Join us Friday September 8 through Sunday September 10, 2023, 9:30 – 5:00 each day for the Book Arts Intensive! $375 for all three days or $160 a day plus $15 per day for materials.

The book arts intensive is an opportunity to work among like-minded artists all day. It is a weekend to learn, laugh and share ideas, but most importantly to make work together.

Our 3 day Book Arts Intensive teachers have just planned a tremendous weekend for all you book artists and book arts enthusiasts. The theme this year is LAYERS. By that we mean that most processes are improved and enriched by building multiple layers and layers over time. So here we go!

DAY ONE – Paper Marbling and Gelatin Prints

Cindy McGuirl and Abbie Read will be teaching gelatin prints and paper marbling all day. You will work with both of them, half in the morning and half in the afternoon, giving you some solid instruction in those two processes. Create your own marbled papers that can be used in handmade books or other paper arts. Acrylic paint will be applied in a variety of ways: with eye droppers, brushes or bundled broom straw. We will take an initial print with a variety of papers. These first prints will be more traditional in appearance. Then the real fun begins: we will continue working in the tray with the leftover paint, creating ghost prints that are conducive to layering. We will also explore friskets, tray tipping and Spanish Wave pattern. Our main paper will be mordanted 10×13” Arches text wove.

Gelatin printing is a monoprinting technique in which you use a soft gelatin surface for your plate. The gelatin can be either true gelatin, which is very soft, or a commercial type which is more resilient. Each has its pros and cons and you will be introduced to both types. Techniques will include mark making, rubbing, image transfer, stencil and more, all with an emphasis on building up layers of color and shapes and imagery to achieve rich and unusual prints which can then be used for covers, pages, unique prints, decorative papers etc.

Day Two – Creating Layers

The idea behind more layering is to push you into adding into work you’ve already made. On Day Two Cindy and Abbie will guide you to take a look at Day One’s prints with an eye toward further developing your gel prints and marbled papers, to take risks in adding to what is already there and towards greater complexity.

Again you will work with either Abbie and/or Cindy to add subtle nuances to your gel prints and marbled papers. If you are looking for a break during the day, Sandy Weisman will offer some simple folded and/or stitched ideas for basic books.

Day Three – Calligraphic Mark Making, Paper Folding, Boxes

In our morning session, Joelle Webber will teach calligraphic mark making, using water soluble pigments and a collection of simple tools. She will guide you through the basics of using large broad edged tools as well as round pointed tip brushes in calligraphic ways. In your exploration of creating marks that can be lyrical or staccato, she will also discuss page design from a calligraphic perspective. From there you will create patterns of marks which you can add to your gel prints, marbled papers, plain white or colored paper surfaces.

The afternoon will be filled with creating three-dimensional structure from your weekends work of two-dimensional design. Both Joelle and Sandy will take you step by step through folding some of your papers into boxes, folders, puzzle purses and books.  If you missed the flexagon and origami box demo from Day 2, it will be repeated here.

You can sign up for one, two or all three days. Join us! We will work from 9:30 – 5:00 each day. Please bring a bag lunch. NOTE: You may sign up for any single day or register for all three days. There is a $15 material fee for each day. Please register accordingly in the signup section below. If you have any trouble with this, please contact me at sandy@26splitrockcove.com

About the Artists

Cynthia McGuirl works with fiber, metal and paper utilizing the techniques of stitching, hammering and bookbinding and discovering a back and forth repertoire between creating narrative images and creating objects. Cindy states: “I try to work in an intuitive way when creating books. One image or word leads to another and when I feel it has come together completely, the book is done. I hope people find the narrative informative and entertaining but that it also inspires them to think about their own stories.”

Abigail Read works in collage, book arts and mixed media sculpture that usually incorporates old and discarded books as well as found objects. She has taught art in high school and college; most recently she teaches workshops relating to Book Arts in the mid coast Maine area. She lives and works in Appleton, in her studio on Appleton Ridge.

Joelle Webber began her career building boxes for photographers, print makers and book artists. Mermaid Bindery traveled for many years offering decorative treasure boxes and other hand bound gifts at craft fairs. She now creates artist books that combine her almost forty years of collecting binding techniques with her love of philosophy, nature, writing and sculpture.

Sandy Weisman is a poet and visual artist. Her poetry has been included in two anthologies and several other journals, including Salamander, Spillway, Barrow Street, The Maine Review, Off the Coast, and Muddy River Poetry Review. Sandy’s art work has been exhibited locally at the Michael Good Gallery in Rockport, Granite Gallery in Tenant’s Harbor, Waterfall Arts in Belfast, the Maine Jewish Art Museum in Portland, and other locations in the Boston area. She is a member of the Midcoast Maine Book Arts group.