The book as an artform offers the opportunity to take your painting or collage into the sculptural and narrative realms. You can create books that read in sequential pages, books that are “read” all at once, or books that reveal hidden secrets in their folds and pockets. Paint, collage, fold, draw, print, and stitch your stories into accessible but artful book sculptures. There will be no blank books in this workshop! Create the images and book structure together into a story/object/visual feast.

Please note: this is not a Visual Journal class. A journal of any type suggests that you add content on a daily (or irregular) basis–sketchbooks, for example, are journals. However, these visual books are objects of artistic expression in themselves.

SUPPLIES

*Jane will supply:
(Supply Fee $10 payable at the beginning of the first day of class, preferably taped to a bar of really good chocolate)

• Lightweight papers
• Translucent papers
• Extra waxed linen thread and embroidery floss + beeswax
• Collage papers to share

Please bring:

• Paper: 90 lb. smooth watercolor or printmaking paper or something similar; two large sheets, 22”x30”, or equivalent, will be enough
• Bone folder
• Acrylic Paints of your choice
• Brushes of your choice
• Palette of some kind
• Drawing materials: an assortment including pens, parkers, crayons, etc.
• Brayer
• Acrylic Matte Medium or soft gel
• PVA glue or regular white glue
• Collage papers: please include solid colors, patterns, and images. You may use discarded artwork (if on lightweight paper), images from magazines, hand-painted papers, and ephemera. Please bring a variety.
• Cardboard for covers
• Craft knife and cutting mat (or extra scrap of cardboard) – with extra blades!!
• Waxed linen thread or similar
• Sewing needles, with large enough eyes for the heavier thread
• Embroidery floss and a chunk of beeswax will do
• Any other threads you might want to incorporate
• Plastic or glass container for water
• Large roll of soft paper towels
• Optional: ribbons, scraps of fabric, small three-dimensional objects to incorporate

Jane Davies is a full-time painter. Beginning as a potter in the early nineties, Davies transitioned into freelance art, using painting and collage as her medium. Since 2010 she has been teaching abstract painting workshops in North America and online, as well as making art full time. She has written five instructional books, produced one instructional DVD, and offers many demonstration videos on social media. Learn more at janedaviesstudios.com.

Click on each title below to visit Jane’s blog and read more about “Unbinding the Visual Book.”

Folded Books
How to Fold the Flexagon
The Flexagon