willow weep for me...

comics, art classes at dallas county jail, cartoneros...

i have been teaching art classes to incarcerated women at the dallas county jail through a non-profit organization called resolana. this week the women made small pamphlet bound books. i asked them to write and illustrate their daily routine in the jail. they were shown examples of comic books (jeffery brown, allison cole, and others), zines, and graphic novels. many of the women deviated from the daily routine plot and instead, wrote about their struggles and heartaches. we will continue to explore book binding and comics as an expressive platform for the women. i don't have images of their work (but i hope to soon). above is a character from a comic book that i made a looooong time ago...
this is a really interesting cooperative project in argentina. eloísa cartonera, is a work cooperative placed in the neighborhood of la boca in the city of buenos aires, argentina. they produce handmade books with cardboard covers. they purchase cardboard from the urban pickers ("cartoneros") who pick it from the streets. the books are of latin american literature.
 

zuni watercolor

this watercolor came to our studio for repair. it was partially attached to a poor quality backing board and had several tears and related fiber and media loss.
the tears were mended and areas of media loss were inpainted with watercolor.

start making your diorama....

ANNOUNCING
the second annual
DIORAMA-O-RAMA
fundraising art auction benefiting Resolana
Saturday, May 23 | 4 p.m. until at least 7 p.m.
F. is for Frank Studio
1216 Manufacturing, Dallas, Texas 75207
$5 admission. Free for kiddos!

WHAT IS DIORAMA-O-RAMA?
It’s a collective art happening and fundraiser where everyone is invited and encouraged to make and donate a diorama to be auctioned. Event proceeds will benefit Resolana, a Dallas-area nonprofit that assists incarcerated women through psycho-educational and creative programs that provide the skills, tools, and inner resources for self-improvement. With this support, these women are able to more successfully transition to their new lives—a benefit to themselves, their families, and communities. All dioramas created by female prisoners of the Dallas County Jail in art workshops will be on display and given to several lucky folks attending the event!

WHAT IS A DIORAMA?
It’s a three-dimensional re-creation of a scene that displays multiple objects and portrays a specific theme or moment in time. Dioramas usually bring to mind small-scale formations—as seen in museums—but dioramas can be life-size, too. Any type of interesting container adds to the unique meaning behind a diorama. The possibilities for design are limited only by the imagination, as there are no restrictions or real rules at all.

PRIZE CATEGORIES
Ten trophies will be awarded in categories that could include, but are not limited to, most rad, low rent, fluorescent, kinetic, teepee, peaceful, anarchic, illuminated, unicorn-esque, and clever. Or, whatever. It’s irrelevant. It’s about having fun, creating good karma, and raising lots of money for Resolana.

EVENT DETAILS
- $5 admission fee. Free for kiddos.
- The first 50 attendees to pay the $5 admission will receive a cool Armhole.com tote screened with an illustration by Dallas artist Tania Kaufmann—and it’s loaded with goodies from neighborhood businesses.
- Open to the public. A homemade diorama contribution is not mandatory. All are encouraged to attend and bid on dioramas created by artists and non-artists alike.
- Auction winners must pay for and collect their diorama at the end of the auction. CASH OR CHECKS ONLY!!!
- Free beer while it lasts. Tacos and palletas will be for sale.
- Have your picture taken in our life-size diorama photobooth for $5.

Diorama Pre-Registration
If you’re making a diorama, pweeze do us a favor and let us know ahead of time! Email us at dioramadallas@gmail.com. Give us your name, email/website, and cell phone number.
Pre-registration ends Thursday, May 21.

Diorama Drop Off Details
Friday, May 22 | 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
F. is for Frank Studio
1216 Manufacturing, Dallas, Texas 75207
Please have your entry ready to display and complete with all necessary supplies (battery packs, extension cords, etc).

To arrange an alternate drop-off time, contact Shannah Frank at shannah[at]fisforfrank.com or 214.749.0709

Diorama-O-Rama Event
Saturday, May 23 | 4 p.m. until at least 7 p.m.
4 p.m. Silent auction begins
6:30 p.m. Silent auction ends
6 p.m. Live auction begins
7 p.m. Awards ceremony and dance party

LIVE AUCTION MCs
Rawlins Gilliland | Writer, KERA commentator
Jeff Whittington | KERA

SILENT AUCTION JUDGES
Catherine Cuellar | La Reunion TX
Zac Crain | D Magazine
Tracy Hayes | F!D Luxe
Anne Lawrence | CADD Art Lab
Chandra North | Kim Dawson
Tina Parker | Kitchen Dog Theater
Stuart Sikes | Elmwood Recording Studios
Barry Whistler | Barry Whistler Gallery
Cris Worley | PanAmerican Art Projects
Angus Wynne | Wynne Entertainment

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER
Allison V. Smith

DJs
David Page
George Baum
Jay-Clipp

POSTER ARTIST
Tania Kaufmann

And! Thanks to our pal Amanda Pounds for our cool new logo up top! xx

friends refound

i recently unearthed these pictures of me and my pal genevieve in spain. we worked over the summer in a castle outside of barcelona.  we spent our days flattening parchments, old paper documents and making boxes.

creating a finding aid...
a really long parchment...
a skippet...enclosed is a wax papal seal.

a new opening...

this is the repaired publishers binding. the spine was rebuilt and new spine linings allow the book to open properly. see the how the book opened before treatment here. see during treatment images here.

before treatment. the spine was almost completely detached...

after treatment. a new spine and more...

magenta mold...

this was a large batch of wheat starch paste made for a lining. we ended up not needing as much as we made and never got around to using the rest it. after a few weeks, we noticed this pretty mold growing on the paste...it kind of matched my tights...

gum prints

shadow print made with rose thorns and a photogram above. we are still playing around with paper, chemical ratios, and exposure times. this process is addictive. the gum arabic leaves a subtle glossy layer on the papers.

printed from glass plate negatives...water dripped near the sitter's head and washed away the emulsion.

ghosts...

me and baby jules...double exposure (taken with a toy plastic camera).

bonnie and clyde bike ride in west dallas...

this photograph was take by the very talented trey kazee during an oak cliff bike ride that traced the steps of bonnie and clyde...

book work

old glue on spine of book...

dissection of the book

methylcellulose used as a poultice to remove old adhesive from spine

removal of old adhesive

clean spine (the plastic below covered the poultice on the spine to retain moisture) 

reversibility layer of japanese tissue (uso mino)

a paper hollow tube will be adhered to the spine of the textblock and then the new spine will be attached...

clouds

mammatus clouds, yesterday, near my studio...

vegetable papers

this is an apple paper made by a student during our last workshop. our next workshop is paper marbling. please click here to see and learn more..

el paso

sky

streets

publishers' bindings

a friend brought this publishers' binding in for repair. i enjoy working on publishers' binding quite a bit. one of the reasons i like working on them is because i was trained by a very talented and excellent teacher, ethel hellman, while interning at widener library at harvard. this is the opening of the book. the cloth spine and boards are partially detached. we will use the "pattison technique", named after another excellent book conservator and binder named todd pattison. i had the pleasure of working with todd at nedcc, but unfortunately, did not have the opportunity to do much book treatment (just seveal pamphlets) while there because i was working in the paper lab.

this is one of the many lovely color plates...

wsp

this is a photograph of the process of straining wheat starch paste. i cooked a large batch of paste for a lining treatment. after the paste was cooked and strained, it was thinned down to a smooth milk-like consistency. 

tide lines...

before treatment

during treatment

chevrons, tracings, rubbings...

i like this chevron pattern...

worms...

took a composting class at the audubon center. these guys will be living under my sink.

eight pointed stars...

works in progress...

getting ready for our collage class...the squares of paper were part of an older project. they were cut from the pages of an old botanical book. i dyed the paper with acrylic and gouache then allowed them to dry on racks. the pages were then flattened in a nipping press. i cut the squares then had a beer.

ryan shaffer

i really like his artwork. currently showing at white walls gallery in san francisco.

fair park, yesterday...

fountain

palm

snuck into the midway

holly

plane

wood and metal

wood grain earrings that i made at the f. is for frank workshop...

small...

see examples from the miniature book workshop that we taught this past sunday...click here.

i love moo-moos...

i found this dress at my favorite thrift store and altered it. i wish i had taken a before shot of the dress. it was a big, super long, moo-moo with huge fluttery sleeves. i always find myself picking up house dresses at the thrift store because they are often made with fun bright fabrics. this dress is made of polyester, so i will not be wearing it in august in dallas. that is a photograph of my dad and a pile of hair stuff and make-up below...

miniature book workshop

go here to learn more about our next workshop...

metal workshop for valentine's day...

make an unforgettable valentines gift at the very cool f. is for frank studio!!!

it spread like wildflowers...

cynthia's lovely ranch and texas in january...

h, d, s, a, and me..

shades of brown...

water stains on the reverse of a portrait...

creases on a poster that was stored rolled...

damage from insect grazing...

the reverse of a backing board that was skinned when separated from another board...

patterns of loss...

insect damage can be very lovely. t and i have several conservation related art concepts. one idea involves folding sheets of paper and placing them into enclosures with different types of paper eating insects. after the insects have had a meal, the sheets will be unfolded and flattened to reveal patterns of loss. this 1856 world map displays severe insect damage. notice how the loss occurs where the map was once folded. the patterns resemble a rorschach inkblot test.

baby bean...

check out the baby bean blog, very sweet.

***********************************************

neat watering hole

part of last night was spent in an extremely smoky bar. the regulars were very nice  and we danced to country tunes. the wallpaper and decor in the ladies loo was lovely so i wanted to share.  i performed karaoke for the very first time with help from a pal...and i liked it, though i am not sure if others enjoyed it...yikes. i would say this is one of the very best bars in dallas...so i am not sharing the name or location.

walking...

through mud at cedar ridge preserve...
on a trail, beside a pond...
near a cinder block building with shadows of yucca plants...
along a side street in oak cliff...
below a reused sign...

tools...

  
i love these beautiful bone folders and awls. see these handmade tools and books created by shanna leino here.

the truth in a nutshell...

over the holiday, my father arranged a visit to the maryland medical examiner’s office. there, we found a display of 18 models of actual crime scenes created in the 1940s by frances glessner lee. she called these teaching tools the nutshell studies of unexplained death, after a well-known police saying: 'convict the guilty, clear the innocent, and find truth in a nutshell.' still used in forensic training today, the nutshell dioramas, on a scale of 1:12, display an astounding level of realism and precision: pencils write, window shades move, and every detail - a newspaper headline, a bloodstain on the rug, an outdated wall calendar, a cartridge casing - becomes a potential clue to the crime. the very morbid dioramas are kept in a dark room and stored behind plexi, so they were a bit difficult to photograph. the poor girl above was found drowned in a tub.

homeward bound...(hobo)

home = baltimore + dallas.
the top photograph was taken on a freezing day while walking with my mother. i cut the walk short because i could not handle the frigid cold...yuck.
...and above is a goose that was roasted on a spit over a fire pit at a holiday party in baltimore. the hosts made duck and a blackberry mousse as well. i have ton of images to sort through but first i need some ceviche...

light bleaching...

two conservators light bleaching in texas on december 12, 2008.

kilgarlin

take a look at this short film about my alma mater. the william and margaret kilgarlin center for preservation of the cultural record teaches students to preserve the record of human experience, creativity, and discovery. students in the information school learn to save rare documents from 16th century texts to modern home movies.

fourply designs

check out the lovely jewelry now available through fourply designs. beth, kevin, michelle and jake, have started up a line of handmade exotic wood accessories. every piece is individually crafted and made to order. they can even do custom work for you. they have other lines and pieces in development for next year, as well. keep it local!

sky near my studio...

exposition and ash...last night.