Feeling boxed in by the lack of sun and being in two different places at once. The distance between home and home seem further apart.

Searching the internet for inspiration, for a get-up and go, I stopped by Randi Parkhurst’s website. Randi is an artist of fine paper and book artist.

Paper—a simple medium, ubiquitous, mundane—we hardly notice it… but in the hands of Randi one embarks on an odyssey of discovery.

Explore Randi's studio in the Pacific Northwest and observe her at work. Listen as Randi describes her process, her inspiration, and her exceptional body of work at https://vimeo.com/128898915

View the artistry, the mystery, and the whimsy in Randi's meticulous, sculptural creation entitled PATIENCE: the Inception of Artist Books. Follow as some twenty self-contained handmade books, each smaller than the one before, open and reveal this exquisite piece.

Watch as Randi Parkhurst, a fine paper and book artist from the Pacific Northwest, slowly unveils and demonstrates her meticulous 2007 creation, PATIENCE: the Inception of Artist Books. Some describe Patience as the equivalent of a Russian Matryoshka doll. Watch as some twenty self-contained handmade books, each inconceivably smaller than the one before, open and reveal the exquisite piece. Film produced by Glowing Heads of Olympia Washington. Original music provided by Laura Inserra. For more information about Randi's work visit her website www.parkhurstpaperarts.com/

Tansu Gothic, another wonderful piece took three months to draw the idea, one month to make a full-scale model, and eight months to build the final piece. Tansu Gothic features six boxes with pyramid lids and spires, eleven drawers, two compartments with piano-hinge doors. Inside these spaces are books about tansu cabinetry, a tiny abacus, stories and other tansu artifacts.

Tansu Gothic is a compelling work that challenges the notions and boundaries of book arts. From the first encounter, a sense of mystery is conveyed by the almost fortress-like architecture that is its exterior. A dizzying array of drawers, doors and hidden compartments only hint at what is within. The rich tone and textures of hand-painted papers and intricate handmade structures invite the viewer to explore the contents of this intriguing piece. It took eight months for Randi Parkhurst to birth this complex creation: everything is handcrafted. Inspired by the Japanese cabinetry, Tansu, and its history, the structure has over 300 hardware pieces handcrafted of paper. Two accordion books, one featuring drawings of Japanese cabinetry tools, the other details of Tansu structural elements, two intricately hand bound books which tell the tragic story of the Meireki fire of 1657, using stunning cut paper images to convey their tale, a unique 3-panel folding map of Edo (ancient Tokyo), a tiny abacus made of paper and beads, three pairs of peddler’s boxes with their bamboo carriers, intricate folding paper globes, myriad drawers, piano hinged doors, secret compartments accessible by removable spires…these are some of the astonishing elements within. The almost obsessive detail in the two miniature Tansu structures hidden inside one-another like Russian dolls, complete with functional drawers and doors of almost microscopic size, reveal an attention to detail beyond what seems humanly possible. This unique work of art reveals an intimate connection between content and structure, inspiration and magic. Randi Parkhurst's website is www.parkhurstpaperarts.com The music is from Xalat Bu Rafét by Reshà - Uruguayan Leonardo Trincabelli (percussion and hang), Argentinians Maria Di Pace (hang and harp) and Ivo Saint (violin), used with kind permission of David Bianchi, music producer at Barcelona’s excellent Whatabout Music. www.whatabout-music.com

Let the rain form rainbows, journey to your studio, play with materials at hand and enjoy the week.