the sensory delights of text

I'm pleased to announce that my friend and fellow book maker, Gabriella Solti, has won third prize in the Alcuin Society annual book competition in the limited edition category with her book "The Sensory Delights of Text." Two photographs of the book along with her thoughts on the visual beauty of text. Congratulations, Gabriella!



We often place a heightened importance on the content of texts, giving a status of superiority to the ideas in them while neglecting their materiality, the physicality of their creation and their pictorial beauty. We celebrate text and language as the primary means of communication, as the depository of knowledge and ideas; but do we honour their cerebral character to the detriment of their sensory qualities?

“The Sensory Delights of Text” is a selection from my collection of manuscripts of artists and scholars. Each has its own visual attraction, unusual placement on the page, odd rhythm, and often striking peculiarity. Their sequence in the book highlights and strengthens their sensory qualities. In my own personal engagement with these manuscripts, driven by my aesthetic, the materiality and pictorial beauty of texts can be just as exciting as the thoughts they may contain.

life drawing in black and white

strong lighting makes for high contrast.

pencil, black ink on white paper

F L O W E R

although these sketchbook pages were done a couple years ago, the sky for a while today had a very similar look

the potential of Chance

Michael Byron writes about Chance in his article “Korsmit* and Chance”

In order to harness the creative potential of Chance a rigorous set of procedural steps must be established in order to have pure Chance appear. If one strays from the established equation and, there are many Chance will respond to, the result is mere subjectivity.

* artist George Korsmit, The Netherlands

BOLDNESS. 47 BOOKS.

yesterday I was asked what I valued the most about going back to school. this found poem is perhaps the best visual answer: determination or the boldness that critical thinking through education fosters. the tea stain echos the hours spent with tea and assigned readings as scholarly companions.

sketch book page, 24 02 2010

as an ongoing part of my art practice, I collect and assemble fragments of print culture

this page from a sketch book includes found materials and a drawing

in this small work I see echos of past and current investigations into line and surface texture

my vancouver

Fir SPRUCE PINE

vancouver collage

thinking about
"my" vancouver
during the
2010 olympics

objects of beauty

a page from my sketchbook

found vintage admission and raffle tickets

be excited.

we all should be excited.

The fusion of experiential art, Fluxus, drawing, radio, Mexican food, the future, the past, science, make believe, diagrams, and critical theory together with intimacy, poeticism, science fiction in art practice provides the potential for the unexpected.

I'm excited.

Artist Erin Marranca is building a kit with step-by-step instructions for how to accomplish the impossible. I have been privelidged to attend a special work-in-progress preview and can only say that I believe it will be worth seeing at it's official unveiling scheduled for May 2010. the how-to kit

image above: a sample of Erin Marranca's secret and preliminary work in the moleskin series

found.

oh, so lovely penguin engraving from the 1890s for 95 cents = a find

found at RubyDog's Art House, 623 Kingsway, Vancouver, B.C. 604-873-2825
www.rubydogonline.com

any time

white in Vancouver as seen by Rolf Erni

rubberboot design 1885

in acknowledgement of ongoing winter rains and in appreciation of dry feet... the humble rubber boot

design. e.b. preston. rubber boot or shoe, no. 16,208. patented aug. 1885. inventor: e. bruce preston

for this printable vintage image and many others go to vintage printable

letterpress is cool

still from Mike Dacey's letterpress coasters video as shot by Stebs, more projects by Mike Dacey at Repeat Press

seen from the bus

today I remembered a summer photo that reminds me, ever so slightly, of both snowflake shapes and lace dollies

modus press

sock monkey loungin' letterpress greeting card

the studio of Modus Paperie & Press celebrates the elegant and simple beauty of historic letterpress printing





modus press and online shop

the christmas cards of artists

Dan Flavin, famous for creating sculptures with fluorescent lights, sent this Christmas card to artist Andrew Bucci in 1962.
see more: Smithsonian Magazine

oh christmas tree!

Date: 09 10 05, Set: 001, Zone 7, Colour CMYK, Title: fir, spruce, PINE ST 00 / Fir St 1800, SPRUCE ST 2300, pine [photographic colour inkjet print], Site: shot on location in vancouver
lphillips22, ••••••, 0031277

an atlas of radical cartography

From South to North by Lize Mogel
New artist's book: an-atlas-of-radical-cartography

the lovely early morning fog of january*

* Fog is sadly rumoured to be the possible cause of the continued haziness in regards to the status of the collage artist known as P. L. Phillips and her early retirement from art practice. However as more details are confirmed in the ongoing investigations regarding LIMONEIRA copyrights as well as any further developements will be posted as made available.