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.
Showing posts with label peace quotes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label peace quotes. Show all posts

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Book 265-267 - Presidential Wisdom Series-Part 2 - Single Page Fold Books

Here are three more small single-sheet fold books in my Presidential Wisdom series I first posted about yesterday. This probably makes the series complete, although I may add one or two more if I come across more perfect presidential quotes.

Again, each book is folded from a single sheet of cream 8 1/2" x 11" card stock using the snake fold. This accordion fold gives each book 12 pages for text, photos and/or end papers. For the covers, I used textured card stock and made a wrapper with the title.

The three presidents and their quotations are:

Every man is equally entitled to protection by law; but when the laws undertake to add...artificial distinctions, to grant titles, gratuities, and exclusive privileges, to make the rich richer and the potent more powerful, the humble members of society--the farmers, mechanics, and laborers--who have neither the time nor the means of securing like favors to themselves, have a right to complain of the injustice of their government. ~President Andrew Jackson, 1832.


I again recommend a law prohibiting all corporations from contributing to the campaign expenses of any party.... Let individuals contribute as they desire; but let us prohibit in effective fashion all corporations from making contributions for any political purpose, directly or indirectly. -~President Theodore Roosevelt, Republican, 1906


It was natural and perhaps human that the privileged princes of these new economic dynasties, thirsting for power, reached out for control over government itself. They created a new despotism and wrapped it in the robes of legal sanction. In its service new mercenaries sought to regiment the people, their labor, and their property. And as a result the average man once more confronts the problem that faced the Minute Man.~ President Franklin D. Roosevelt

I've not included new photos here since these three little books look just like the other ones in the series.



Monday, July 18, 2011

Book 172 - "Imagine" . . . A Stab-Bound Book for Peace

I do like today's book. It's something I've been wanting to do for awhile. This is actually a prototype to work out the details since I plan to do this book as an edition. I'm not sure how many I will do in the edition-- maybe 25.

This is a stab-bound book with board covers in decorative paper. The pages are traditional Japanese style. That is, each page is double, folded in half with the fold at the fore edge. I used very thin translucent paper, like tracing paper, and I will probably change this for the edition. I like the look, but the paper is just too fragile. Also, the ink does not dry well on this kind of paper and it smudges horribly. I had to print about 75 pages to get the 50 clean ones I used.

Each page has a quotation about peace--and the stupidity of war--something I feel pretty strongly about. Of the 50 quotes used, here are a few of the best:

I dream of giving birth to a child who will ask, "Mother, what was war?" ~ Eve Merriam
The time not to become a father is eighteen years before a war. ~E.B. White
War does not determine who is right--only who is left. ~ Bertrand Russell
I hate it when they say, "He gave his life for his country." They don't die for the honor and glory of their country. We kill them. ~ Rear Admiral Gene R. LaRocque 
Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity. ~George Carlin

I look forward to making more copies of this, with some improvements.

P.S. Sorry I did not manage a book yesterday. I'll make it up, probably tomorrow. No, I'm not quitting!