Last Round of the Round Robin

The last round of the Round Robin! This is the spread I made in Maria's book which is on the way back to Sweden. The theme was "Secrets in her handbag" and I imagined that this bag contained keys of houses where the owner of the bag would always be very welcome.

I also received my book and I am so inspired by those who worked in my book: Maria, Anke, Shakti and Mika. My book travelled to Sweden, Germany, Spain and came back to Holland safely! A real gem. I might make a special box for the book.
The Round Robin was organised by ABEurope, a Yahoogroup for Altered Books.

Three little books

A few weeks ago I made these little books. I had some pastepaper that I had marked with 4 inch blocks (10 cm) in pencil. I cut those blocks out (2 together forming a spread) and sewed them.
One of the books was covered completely in booklinen, the first time that I did this. The books were a little exercise and fun to make!

Watercolour Lily

A year ago, I took several photographs from red lilies. The curves and the colours were just gorgeous. A few weeks ago I started making watercolour sketches from these photographs. I had a great time making them, but I did not managed to get the sketches express the curves and the colours from the photographs. I decided then to take photographs from the water colours and layer them on the PC. After some trial and error I made this image. Quite different from my other collages/montages, but IMHO quite good as well!

Third Book in Round Robin

This is the third spread that I made for the Round Robin of altered books: Secrets in her Handbag. This book belongs to Anke from Germany. The book is about a funny girl. I thought that a mystic red spread would fit the theme.

Patterned Wall

This is the fourth digital collage that I made from French windows and/or doors. The stripes on the wall were beautiful, the metal doors too.
Sometimes I have trouble uploading the images here on the weblog, so I almost forgot about this last one. That is the reason why this one is posted so late!

Carved in stone

French door and shutters, carved in stone. Timeless and still standing. Digital collage made with photographs taken in France last summer.

Second round RR Secrets in my handbag

This month I worked in Shakti's book from Spain in the Round Robin 'Secrets in my handbag'. Although I do not know Shakti, she seems a very positive person. So this spread is about her carrying pink coloured glasses in her handbag to cheer herself up when she needs it.
The text says: in case life gets too serious: pink coloured glasses to see life bright again.
I also received the new book from Anke from Germany to work in...

Digital Collage 3

Image made from several photographs taken on our holiday in France. Old doors and old windows always seems to attract my attention. I like the way that I can layer the images and can give it more depth, something very hard to do in paint!

Back to textiles

As long as I can remember, textiles have always been in my life. My aunt was a very creative woman. She allways worked with textiles, knitting, crochet, weaving, etc. My mother used a knitting machine to make our dresses and socks. I still remember crocheting clothes with my elder sister for our Barbies. It was the only way to get them dressed because we did not have the money to buy these beautiful doll clothes in the shop.
The last few years quilting has been my main textile 'interest'.
This week I went to Nellie de Mulder, she is an artist for whom I made and maintain a website. She started wool felting and taught me to felt a shawl in one afternoon. The picture here is the result of it - and I am getting hooked. It is very relaxing to felt the wool, and working with colours has always been my favorite. By putting a loose-weaved fabric as a base for the shawl, the felted fabric does not get stiff.
This is her web site http://www.nelliedemulder.nl . It is in Dutch, but you will find photographs under Expo (fourth expo).

This is the back side of the shawl.

Signs and symbols

A while ago I made some small watercolour paintings of invented symbols, inspired by the work of Parisian artist Luciano Di Concetto. Luciano makes mixed media work and combines symbols and calligraphy in his work.
Inventing symbols and painting them was pure fun for me. But of course, no works of art. So instead of risking them to be put away and never to be seen again, I decided to bind them into a little book (- long before I started a course bookbinding).
The book is not perfectly bind - I definitely need more lessons, but this is my little book of signs and symbols. Maybe I should try to create a new set of alphabet?

Binded books

Two weeks ago I started a course in bookbinding. After two lessons we got the assignment to make a simple book at home. Despite a heavy cold I managed to make two. Too bad that I missed the next lesson, though...
The first one was based on the exact measurements we were given. The pages are just plain printing pages, not very inspiring.
The broad version is made with thicker paper (200 grms), with a light texture, good enough for drawing. I like the broader shape, it makes it easier to draw landscapes. It is quite thin, but also light. Very handy to take with me on trips.
At the end of the course I will probably end up with a lot of sketchbooks in all kinds of sizes and weights...

Old windows from France

This summer we went to France and visited Honfleur, a little town with lots of galleries. Apart from one or two galleries, I did not like the art that was on display there. Mostly made for tourists, I guess. The backstreets of Honfleur were wonderful though - I made a lot of photographs: old doors, windows, aged walls...
In this photograph I melted the ancient wall with the new rosebud. Somehow they seem to fit together well.

Digital Collage

Digital collage: the clean way of combining photographs - you do not need glue! This is a photograph from a statue that I bought several years ago. The look of the girl is so serene. It is standing in my workroom for several years now and it still moves me.
I combined her face with pictures that I took this summer in France. I am working on several collages with statues as main objects. Their stone faces and expressions appeal to me. Always wondering whether their faces belonged to real women...

First spread in the board book

The first spread in the book "Secrets in her handbag' is a list of places that this lady would like to visit. Journeys which she longs to make but never came around to.
I think that most people have dreams and fantasies about the things that we want to do. Sadly, they keep being dreams because there are so many other things that we give priority to. Still, it is hopeful if we remember those dreams and keep them alive. Maybe, maybe just one day we can make it happen....

The images are transfers done on sticky transparant paper. The map was aged by folding, wrinkling and inking. The same treatment was given to the handwritten list. The text was stamped on painted paper.

Round Robin 'Secrets in her handbag'

Last month I joined the Round Robin of the European Altered Books Group. The theme is: Secrets in your handbag. The rules are simple, we had to prepare a boardbook, decorate it, make a sign-in page and do the first spread. I choosed not to use my own handbags as a source of inspiration. They are often black and only carry the essentials! So my book is about the handbag of a lady with a rich past.

The cover is made from board and in the shape of an old fashioned handbag. When the book is finished and comes back I will add a clasp and some hinges as well.

The sign in page has small envelopes with a tag in each one of them.

A place to exhibit

So, now I have started my own blog. I need a place to upload pictures of the artwork I made for swaps from the Yahoo Groups I belong to. Instead of designing my own website, I opted for this easy solution.