A Book a Day? What's Up With That?


Hi, and welcome to this year-long project. So what's this all about and how did it happen, you might ask. In mid 2007, artist Noah Scalin decided to make a skull out of anything he could find, every day for a year. It stretched him in ways he never imagined, as an artist, a writer and a person. His experience turned into a blog that went viral, and then a book.

Others have picked up on the idea: 365 Hearts, 365 Masks, 365 Bears drawn on a cellphone, 365 paper napkin mustaches.
I wanted to play, too, and I chose books. I love books, I know a bit about making books (thanks to my talented book-maker sister, Marilyn Worrix), and they're broad enough in definition to give me a lot of creative leeway.

The whole point is not really the books. The idea is to stretch myself in many ways as an artist and a person, to set up a discipline, stick with it and see what that teaches me.

I hope you'll join with me and follow along on the journey chronicled here, and let me know what you think.

Friday, February 4, 2011

Day 11-Hairy Little Journal

I love to make these hairy little leather journals. I've done many of them--both because I like them and because... well, they sell, always an incentive.

This fat little journal is made with hair-on cowhide. The pages are hand-torn Arches Text Wove art paper. The book is stitched with waxed linen thread using the long stitch, which attaches the signatures directly through the leather of the spine. This kind of binding is great for a journal because the book opens flat, making it easy to write in.


The irregular raw edge of the leather skin was left intact for the front flap. It is closed with a piece of leather lace that wraps around a deer antler button. That keeps it securly closed and adds to the rustic look. The book measures approx. 4" x 5" and is 1" thick with 60 pages (120 counting both sides).

Since I'm in Tucson for the annual Gem/Mineral/Bead shows, this was a good book to make. I was able to bring everything with me in a small baggie--a piece of leather, pre-torn pages, x-acto knife, leather punch, needle and waxed linen thread. I bought the antler button and leather lace at the show today.

Perhaps tomorrow I'll do something quite different and more show related.


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