Archiving and the Past

Last May, after gathering the rest of our belongings in Utah, I realized we possessed boxes of DVDs stored to the rim full of photos. Living in a compact space and thinking of our carbon footprint, an extra 1TB LaCie mobile external hard drive was purchased as noted at the end of last month’s post. July, was spent re-organizing and copying photos from a couple of portable external drives and many DVDs to an older 1TB and duplicating these files to a new 1TB. Duplication and backup in the digital world are important!

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Over 72 DVDs and CDs stored on 1TB. What to do with all these jewel cases and other leftover unused DVDs and CDs?

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Over 72 DVDs and CDs stored on 1TB. What to do with all these jewel cases and other leftover unused DVDs and CDs?

By the way, for any of you who still utilize DVDs or CDs to store files, photos, or music, I have 20 unused DVD-R (4.7 GB) and 6 CD-R (700 MB) available for only $10 + shipping. Also available are the DVD jewel cases shown above for 25¢ each plus shipping. If you are interested, please email me.

After a week of archiving personal photos and those taken for the production of artists’ books, memories rushed to mind bringing the past and my career path to the forefront.

While in college, a professor described the visual elements of my work as seen through the eyes of a photographer. At that time, the intricacies (settings, functions, buttons, menus, icons, and dials) of a SLR camera were cryptic to me. I didn't understand the comparison. Now that the foundation of my work starts with a DSLR camera in hand, I understand!

I have been fortunate for the friendship of many mentors along my career. They encouraged me to develop a strong work ethic, which is still used today when preparing ideas for an artists’ book. Back in the early 1980s, I taught drawing to students in the world of publication and layout — Graphic Arts — for a few years. When we moved to Toronto, an associate of my husband assisted in the development of certain softwares. He supplied me with Illustrator ‘88 and Adobe Photoshop .63 (before the introduction of layers).

© 1988 Louise Levergneux. During the late 80's, I was learning all about Illustrator and Photoshop, at the time my production was sculptural and involved plexiglass and coloured pencil drawings, collaged material, and kinetic parts. While archiving photos, I noticed an altered, pop-up artists’ book. This made me realize my future media of choice began long ago — interesting!

© 1988 Louise Levergneux. “Kissing in the Energies of Greece” or slide number G107, was inspired by my collection of pop-up books.

© 1988 Louise Levergneux. “Kissing in the Energies of Greece” or slide number G107, was inspired by my collection of pop-up books.

© 1988 Louise Levergneux. G107 was part of an exhibition titled “The Changer of the Changed” at the Kozak Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, in October 1988.

© 1988 Louise Levergneux. G107 was part of an exhibition titled “The Changer of the Changed” at the Kozak Gallery in Toronto, Ontario, in October 1988.

Adobe needed to explore the visual artist’s point of view without any knowledge of photography versus the application of a software product based on photography. From this understanding, the application improved to be what it is today — a fully fledged image editor. This opportunity introduced a particular freedom to my skills of photo manipulation and montage on the Mac for the last 30 years.

Learning different software programs helped with future contracts including page design and layouts for publications and the creation of posters. A print shop owner in Ottawa, Ontario, instructed me on the steps for prepping my files for printing. Subsequently, there were lots of self-learning and digging deep into Photoshop online.

For all those years, I didn’t realize, I was educating myself for the development and creation of my own artists’ books. It was interesting to view old photos I integrated in my books. These were good memories and I’m grateful that all these diverse activities brought me closer to my goal as an artist.

© 1996 Louise Levergneux. The large format of “Memories of My Memories” was developed as part of an installation at Gallery 101 in Ottawa, Ontario, in 1997. The size of the book was 59.69 X 77.47 Cm (23.5 X 30.5 inches).

© 1996 Louise Levergneux. “Memories of My Memories” was collected by The Library and Archives Canada, Gatineau, Québec, in 2007.

© 1996 Louise Levergneux. “Memories of My Memories” was collected by The Library and Archives Canada, Gatineau, Québec, in 2007.

© 1999 Louise Levergneux. In 1999, I participated in a mailing art project at Struts Gallery in Sackville, New Brunswick. Without knowing an accordion book format was chosen and bound to look like a package with brown paper and twine.

© 1999 Louise Levergneux. In 1999, I participated in a mailing art project at Struts Gallery in Sackville, New Brunswick. Without knowing an accordion book format was chosen and bound to look like a package with brown paper and twine.

© 1999 Louise Levergneux. The inside of “Wind and Water” a double sided accordion presenting a 360° view of our back and front garden in Rockland, Ontario.

© 1999 Louise Levergneux. The inside of “Wind and Water” a double sided accordion presenting a 360° view of our back and front garden in Rockland, Ontario.

© 1999 Louise Levergneux. Detail look at “Wind and Water”.

© 1999 Louise Levergneux. Detail look at “Wind and Water”.

So, here I am today after decades of working with Photoshop creating and distributing artists’ books that incorporates digital photography as a device that expresses my interest in the concepts of memory and identity.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. The 20th Anniversary of City Shields.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. The 20th Anniversary of City Shields.

The sales of my last two artists’ books “Surveillance” and "20th Anniversary of City Shields" would not have been possible without the numerous mentors, artists, and library contacts who supported my work along the way.

I’m honoured to announce that with the addition of the 20th Anniversary of City Shields the complete series is now part of two Canadian collections — The National Gallery of Canada Library in Ottawa, Ontario, and The Canadian Center for Architecture in Montréal, Québec.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Surveillance.

Two more copies of Surveillance have found a home at the Temple University Libraries collection in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Criss Library of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, Nebraska.

The last copy of 26NOV2006 has secured a home in the Miller Library of Colby College and with it the collection has added my artists’ book Conversation.

Now that archiving memories and reminiscing is done — on to another new project, this time about Google Street View — still feeling watched!

New Month, New Project

I feel my artists’ book Surveillance was a success. After selling four copies in two days, I wanted to complete the edition to allow other collections the opportunity to acquire Surveillance.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. The City Shields series was completed last December with a 20th Anniversary edition. Yet, during a hike, a manhole cover attractted my gaze!

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. The City Shields series was completed last December with a 20th Anniversary edition. Yet, during a hike, a manhole cover attractted my gaze!

It is not a straightforward task to complete an edition after a break unless you transcribed excellent notes. This time I was prepared, especially since the break was not excessively long and my key part of the creative process was all mapped out. Ready to go, I was gobsmacked at the fact the electronics could not be accomplished at this time. Inevitably something goes wrong!

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. All lot of work still needs to be done on Surveillance for its completion. But for now, all that is left on my work table are: bookcloth covered bars and 16 screws for securing the camera on the front cover.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. All lot of work still needs to be done on Surveillance for its completion. But for now, all that is left on my work table are: bookcloth covered bars and 16 screws for securing the camera on the front cover.

With the help of the BookListServ, I was able to approach someone to assist with the electronics — what a stroke of luck. After re-organizing the schedule for each stage of construction, I started cutting the boards for the cover — phase one done. Nope! I realized I didn’t have enough Canapetta bookcloth, had to make an order through Talas in NYC. I was able to bind the covers after a week — now phase one is really done! Phase two, the finished four covers have been sent to Sarah Pike of Free Fall Laser to be laser cut. Next, print, cut and fold the tunnel pages. Hoping to get this done this week.

In between these specific tasks, I’m engrossed with a new artists' book idea begun almost four years ago on a trip back home to Ottawa, Ontario, from Boise, Idaho. It has taken longer than usual to bring this project to some kind of beginning. The book was consistently at the forefront of my mind while other projects had to be completed. Life changed in many ways since those trips back home — life is different, we are presently living in Arizona in the midst of a pandemic unable to cross the border. I don’t see life the same way, and I still yearn for my muse — Topaz.

Notes for my next project with working title « Secrets ».

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Notes for my next project with working title « Secrets ».

Once I started looking at my notes and reflect on the book, the excitement began and the artist statement was written. For me this is the best way of getting to the heart of a project. My interest still lies with the issue and challenge of being surveilled. This is what I started writing:

Why so much surveillance in the world? Everyone’s life is being recorded. My most critical issue is being profiled through internet searches, phone calls, emails and text messaging. I’m not sure people are comprehending the extent of it. What do phones, computers and Google tracking mean for our privacy? My life is mine to experience — for my eyes only in order for me to generate diversity of thought. Privacy is having and enjoying control over personal information, not a concept of augmented reality...

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Thoughts on binding format for « Secrets »

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Thoughts on binding format for « Secrets »

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Some ideas are being implemented at least in my head and photos are being researched.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Some ideas are being implemented at least in my head and photos are being researched.

© 2015 Google Street View image. Google Maps is what started the idea for « Secrets »

© 2015 Google Street View image. Google Maps is what started the idea for « Secrets »

The grand plan of action at the moment begins with the word « Secrets ». With a working title, I’ve begun the planning of the content phase. The structure of the book is undecided, but FBI reports come to mind. Naturally, by the time the artists’ book is finished, the size of the page, the composition, the photos, and the structure/binding of the book may well have changed. My creative process is always evolving. More on this artists’ book in the next couple of months.

The working phase starts with exhilaration, ideas come and go, frustration sets in... Glue gets involved--more frustration! In the end the work gets done. The final product usually brings satisfaction and life goes on!

What starts your creative idea, an image, a text or your environment? If you would like to share ideas or start a discussion on your current project, please email me at louiselevergneux [at] gmail [dot] com. Have a great month!

Doing Business

I have discussed the subject of doing business a few times on my blog since 2016. In a changing world and reaching retirement age (I dare to talk about it!), revisiting the impact of producing artists’ books and continuing business during this period of my life seemed important. Warning! If you don’t like reading, this post is a long one, but its content might elevate your spirit.

With the unset of the pandemic, most of us were hibernating and deciding to head into our studios and focus on producing new work. For me, the lockdown allowed peaceful time to produce and enjoy my teeny weeny studio in our travel trailer while confined in Arizona at the end of March 2020. After a summer of 55 plus days in 46°C (115°F) and Covid’s long-term existence, we decided to purchase a modest home. This current phase assists my husband and I to be safe, execute our work, and not worry about baking in the sun!

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Tools of the trade.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Tools of the trade.

Covid presented many economic challenges for us all. Understanding the dilemma of maintaining a profitable business during these tumultuous times was insightful. I asked myself many questions — Why do I produce artists' books? — Is it the desire to express my thoughts, produce something of value, establish a business, or is it absolute joy? Can I manage the necessary materials? Am I destined to accumulate an inventory instead of a sellable product? How do I continue the promotion and distribution of artists' books? How will the libraries actively collect, while closed? Do I stop publishing? Is this a wake-up-call, flagging the end of a career? ...

I was surprised to receive an email through the BookListServ with the subject: Keeping Business Going by John Cutrone. I appreciated someone bringing this matter to the forefront. I responded directly to John’s query as we contemplated the subject together. We both waited for some feedback from other artists on sharing their dilemmas of doing business on the BookListServ. We were both fascinated with the lack of reaction.

In my email to John, I mentioned my struggle to send a prospectus to library contacts at this time. Ultimately, with an optimistic attitude I emailed contacts identifying the sensitivity in which I was sending my prospectus of recent artists’ books created in 2020-2021.

After a couple of days, John responded to my struggle through the BookListServ:

Thank you to Louise Levergneux for the artist-as-businessperson perspective; I appreciate that! I'm going to switch hats from Convivio Bookworks proprietor to Jaffe Center for Book Arts director and say that I don't think that book artists need feel guilty about sending out prospectuses and sales attempts during this pandemic time. For us at the Jaffe Center, we never get an acquisitions budget––we are part of a state university system that is constantly dealing with budget cuts handed down from the state legislature and one of the things to go, back in 2008 or so, was the annual acquisitions budget for Special Collections. Once gone, it never came back. And that's why we have an annual pie sale and other fundraisers.

Thanks to that pie sale and workshops and other perhaps unorthodox methods we've developed to raise money, I am able to buy books and prints from book artists (including many of you on this list), and I was able to do so even when things were looking bleak last spring and summer. I can't ever buy expensive pieces, but I can afford to purchase pieces that are up to a few hundred dollars, and I think supporting artists on a transactional basis like this makes an impact.

So how do you get attention from library collections without in-person events like CODEX these days? Direct mail to collections may not be the best way to go right now. Many, like the Jaffe, are not currently open, so a prospectus sent to a physical library address may go unanswered for weeks or even months. At the same time, emails are easily lost in the avalanche of emails received daily.

I think you have to be persistent if you want to sell your work to collections right now. Emails should be short and sweet, something that can be easily grasped in a few seconds. And while I don't have time to keep up with every contact I follow on Instagram and Facebook, I have made purchases for the Jaffe Collection through these means if something catches my eye there and the moment is right.

Again, I don't know if talking Book Arts as Business is helping anyone on this list (perhaps Louise Levergneux––again, thank you for your response, Louise) but I am hoping it provides some help to some.

Consequently, with no reaction to John’s messages, I wanted to grasp how my colleagues were continuing doing business. I decided to communicate directly with them and find out for myself.

Here is what emerged from my query: in the past year, many artists remained hard at work, creating books or trying to redefine their careers to survive by focusing on professional development instead of marketing and promotion. Like me, some took time to investigate their own careers and rethink how best to distribute their work. Others contemplated their future by wanting to do less production work, and set aside more time for their own art or binding.

The current world situation had a huge effect on everyone, but I found most of them experienced a surprisingly reasonably good financial year in terms of sales, productivity, and online teaching. On the subject of promotion and distribution, a few confessed being terrible at it and use dealers to promote their artists’ books and were fortunate to be able to focus on the creative side. For some, it was time to organize their studio and find pleasure in writing.

Others had to establish life changing decisions such as Yamandu Ploskonka in Texas:

Overload causes burnout. In 2015, I had a business, successful Kickstarter, with many orders, even wholesale purchases. Becoming a papermaker in 2016 was healing, sinking wholeheartedly into pulp and creativity. But, 2020? Yes, I had a couple to five big fabulous projects. For me, that’s nothing, eight is about normal, yeah! But the emotional overload of day by day things seemed to get worse, even scarier. Stupid divisiveness all around, people acting nasty totally on purpose. Everything I did was slow-motion, if at all... It took me until this April to complete projects and finish reporting on cancelled ones because I just wasn’t able to cope, to focus, to admit failure. My response? Take a break, before I break... I sold my paper studio; key-in-hand, et « bon débarras »! Yes, I did cry. Not much, don’t worry. Then, stiff upper lip, new life. I’m keeping the wife and dog.

© 2021 Yamanda Ploskonka. Yama’s paper studio in Austin, Texas.

© 2021 Yamanda Ploskonka. Yama’s paper studio in Austin, Texas.

The lockdowns affected the research and writing of Robert Bolick, collector/writer of Books On Books. Robert was no longer able to go into the Oxford and London libraries’ and museums’ reading rooms to examine book art. Not being able to travel to exhibitions, he became a bit more adept at online research but found the process didn’t replace examining and handling works on site. At least delivery services allowed his collection to continue growing. Good luck in your endeavours Robert!

© 2021 Karen Hanmer. Karen’s online teaching set-up in her Glenview, Illinois studio.

© 2021 Karen Hanmer. Karen’s online teaching set-up in her Glenview, Illinois studio.

Karen Hanmer took a different approach to continue her strong art business with online options:

Like many of us, my studio practice is varied, including small editions of artists’ books, larger editions of inexpensive multiples, design binding, bookbinding instructional materials, workshops and private instruction on a wide variety of book arts topics, and maintaining numerous informal mentoring relationships. Last March, I could have told you what I’d be doing every week of the year, and was even doing some preliminary planning for 2021. A month later all these plans had evaporated.

I'd finished an editioned artists' book in the fall of 2019, and had just completed the first phase of promoting it: emails to current collectors. Normally in the fall I'd send fliers and a follow-up email to a larger group of librarians and practitioners. Since many of those individuals are working from home I made the decision to postpone that a year. I would have to draw income from a different aspect of my practice.

By April conservator friends were contacting me for instructional materials for professional development projects for themselves and their labmates during the stay-at-home. It became obvious that there was demand for resources to keep both professionals and hobbyists occupied under lockdown.

A venue where I was scheduled to teach in person in June 2020 asked if I would be willing to move the workshop online. It was something I had not done before, and neither had they, so we shared in the research and figured how to do it together. This gave me the confidence to plan a full schedule of online workshops that I'd host myself from my studio. I was fortunate to get started several months earlier than many book arts centers began offering online instruction. Since May I've hosted over 200 students from four continents and nine countries for workshops and private instruction.

I've revised and expanded many of my handouts to make them more usable without the workshop sessions, and posted them for sale in my online store. I was already offering some of my workshop demo books on Etsy, but I moved them over to the Square store so all my instructional materials would be grouped together. I have turned one of my workshops into a self-guided tutorial plus supply kit, and am considering developing additional offerings.

© 2019 Helen Hiebert. Helen teaching in her Red Cliff Studio in Colorado.

© 2019 Helen Hiebert. Helen teaching in her Red Cliff Studio in Colorado.

Helen Hiebert was able to continue her activities during the pandemic and maintain her business successfully through her actions and decision making:

I launched my first in person Master Class in October 2019. Four spots filled immediately, so I opened and filled a second session. My in person Red Cliff Paper Retreat was also well on its way to being full. All three events were scheduled for summer/fall 2020 and had to be cancelled when Covid-19 struck.

I feel fortunate, because I’ve been teaching online since 2017. I pivoted quickly and set up a new 8-week online class for the summer. The timing was good, since my clientele were stuck at home and looking for things to do, and I already had an online following. I had a great turnout and was able to recoup a good part of that lost income. I also received Pandemic Unemployment Insurance. I was already planning on turning a printed calendar that features a how-to paper project each month called The Paper Year into a membership club, which I launched in January 2021. That went well and my annual Weave Through Winter (30 days of paper weaving) online class had a record number of students in Feb/Mar 2021.

Artist book sales have been slow. I have relied on dealers for the past few years and my last sale through a dealer was in March 2020. I have my own list of collectors and have sold to books myself when traveling. I sent an e-mail in the fall and made one sale of two higher priced books. I also started working with a new dealer recently and she just sold two higher priced books. I also reached out to one collector who had expressed interest in a particular book and she purchased it. And recently two new collectors have purchased books they saw on my website. Still, my artist book sales are about 25% of what they’ve been in the past.

I send a monthly newsletter, write a weekly blog, produce a monthly podcast featuring paper artists, and am active on Facebook and Instagram. I recently started something called The Paper Advisor, which is like a free mini-class, which is a lovely community and has resulted in newsletter subscribers.

© 2017 Sarah Connors. Andrew Huot teaching at the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Illinois.

© 2017 Sarah Connors. Andrew Huot teaching at the Campbell Center for Historic Preservation Studies in Illinois.

Andrew Huot kept his business afloat during the past year by concentrating on one part of his practice:

My book arts practice, and my living, is split amongst three interests. I make Artists’ Books and sell them to libraries and individuals, I own Big River Bindery, a conservation and bookbinding business, and I teach, both at the university level and in workshops. When everything closed down in March of last year, I was actually out of town teaching a workshop in Idaho. In the past year making and editioning artwork has fallen to the back, so that I could concentrate on keeping my business and family afloat. I closed the doors for three months, as I tried to complete projects already in the shop and to plan to keep things going. I shouldn’t have worried, as I kept getting calls from those stuck at home, finding old family treasures deciding that they needed repair. I opened the doors again in June and have had a steady stream of new projects coming in. One piece of work that stopped altogether was prop work for the local movie industry. Once the filming stopped, the need for custom books for the movies came to a halt. Just this last week the calls started coming back in. My 2020 classes at book arts centers were cancelled as most of the venues closed their doors. I decided to explore the opportunities from afar, and came together with some colleagues to form bookpaperthread.com, an online format for book and paper arts instruction, relying on recorded lessons and live meetings to allow students to work at their own schedule, while staying safe at home. The interest and registrations have been building over the last six months, and we hope to continue in the future. I hope as things settle down, and we’re able to travel more, my in-person teaching will come back, the conservation work will go back to a reasonable level, and I can get back to making artwork and visiting libraries to sell it.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Monique Lallier teaching me how to execute a Drumleaf binding at her studio in North Carolina.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Monique Lallier teaching me how to execute a Drumleaf binding at her studio in North Carolina.

The pandemic didn’t change Monique Lallier and Don Etherington’s schedule with a prosperous studio space at home:

We had commissions that kept coming, and we had more quiet time to work, being undisturbed by visitors. But we missed seeing friends and family as I was, and still not able to go to Montréal. I maintain a website, but most of my clients are collectors and they choose the binder in relation to the book that they want to be bound. Both of us are approaching the end of our careers, so we didn’t have the urgency to find new customers.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Thomas Parker Williams in his studio in Philadelphia.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Thomas Parker Williams in his studio in Philadelphia.

Thomas Parker Williams and Mary Agnes Williams who live in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia took the last year to create:

During 2020 we certainly missed seeing collectors and fellow book artists at the various book fairs where we usually show our work. We would have shown at three book fairs last year, but were able to do only the Manhattan Fine Press Book Fair in March, right before everything shut down. Because people were starting to be concerned, there were fewer potential customers at that fair, and we sold only one work. Shortly before that fair we had produced a brochure with descriptions and images of work currently available, and mailed it to librarians and previous collectors. We received some interest via email from this mailing. We are fortunate that our studio is in our house. We have used this time to make a major unique book with sixty-eight original drawings, as well as an editioned one, and are now working on a third. We have sold a few books through our dealers and we are hoping that the two fairs planned for the fall of 2021 will take place.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Sarah Pike at FreeFall Laser, discussing the details for my book Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Sarah Pike at FreeFall Laser, discussing the details for my book Surveillance.

As artists, we often need the support of various services to complete our work. How did they adapt during these strange times? Sarah Pike from FreeFall Laser was able to stay positive and find new opportunities:

As an artist and owner of FreeFall Laser, a laser-cutting service for artists and bookbinders, this past year has found me bouncing back and forth between feeling like nothing has changed, and needing to be proactive about adapting to continual change. My day-to-day looks much the same as it did before the pandemic. I’m grateful to have chosen a business model that’s not reliant on local business. I’ve been able to keep going because I was already working remotely with many clients.

That said, one of my important revenue streams, Laser Cutting Boot Camp — an in-person laser cutting training — was in jeopardy due to the pandemic. It was painful to refund all that tuition when I had to cancel the in-person training. But I’ve adapted by creating an online version that actually has many benefits over the in-person model. Not only can people who can’t afford the time or travel costs participate in the online class; but the new online five-week course, versus the condensed in-person four-day course, gives people time to better absorb the information.

I’ve also had to adapt to not being able to connect with future clients through conferences and studio visits. This has led me to step up my email campaigns and stay consistent with my monthly newsletter. I’m seeing how my marketing efforts of the past few years are paying off.

Pandemic or no-pandemic, I’ve found that owning a creative business requires a combination of being proactive, adaptable, and having faith. My efforts don’t always reap immediate results or take the exact form I was expecting, but I’ve learned that opportunities arise when I’m willing to try new things and stay open to positive outcomes.

I reached out to Vicky Stewart in Alabama to see how Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers, LLC was fairing:

Like all businesses, we have been affected by the pandemic shutdown. Most of this was due to collection budgets being cut or put on hold because of costs related to COVID. We were fortunate because due to long-time relationships with collections we continued to get purchase orders. We do maintain a web site, and try to take advantage of social media such as tik-tok and Instagram. We began zoom meetings in the fall as an alternative to on-site visits. We continue to represent artists as best we can through these different media. No matter the method, the best way to sell work is to know your audience. We try to understand the collecting criteria of our customers and show the work that best fits that collection – whether in a zoom call, an on-site visit, or a furnished list.

As for me, appreciating the many obstacles that stood in the way of libraries collecting artists’ books, I sold six artists’ books, some at the beginning of 2020 before the pandemic and some at the end of the year. Last February, leaving guilt aside, I made the plunge and emailed a prospectus of my recent book « Surveillance » . To my surprise, two days after sending off the email, the first four copies of « Surveillance » found new homes. Thank you to the Miller Library of Colby College; the Baylor Book Arts Collection of Baylor University Libraries; the Bruce Peel Special Collections of the University of Alberta; and the Martha Blakeney Hodges Special Collections, Walter Clinton Jackson Library of The University of North Carolina at Greensboro for their support.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. The inside of my tunnel book Surveillance.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. The inside of my tunnel book Surveillance.

With all that said, people expressed an interest in the topic of keeping afloat with a business during the pandemic and were most appreciative of John’s exchange on sharing strategies. While the world may be upside-down at the moment, artists found a way to pursue their passion. Now, libraries are opening their doors; collectors are seeking artists to commission special bindings, and exhibition deadlines are on the rise. I guess, one might say we are back in business!

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Cactus in bloom in Apache Junction bringing a positive view on life.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Cactus in bloom in Apache Junction bringing a positive view on life.

Thanks for all the encouraging messages and pointing out that my career may be shifting toward a different emphasis instead of ending. There is hope!

Surveillance

I’m delighted to announce the release of my recent artists’ book that considers our privacy and freedom in a social and democratic world.

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Surveillance, a tunnel book, 7 x 5.25 x 1.5 inches (18 x 13 x 4cm).

© 2021 Louise Levergneux. Surveillance, a tunnel book, 7 x 5.25 x 1.5 inches (18 x 13 x 4cm).

« Surveillance » presents the direct result of a three-year collection of security warning sign photos. The key concept started in the summer of 2017 while traversing the US from Boise, Idaho, to Gatineau, Québec. I felt my every move being watched, while travelling across the country. I became more sensitive and aware of the level of surveillance forced upon me. It wasn't that the surveillance was personal, but universal, that presented a dilemma for me. However, it became apparent Google was tracking my digital journey as I researched online. I noticed advertisements from my latest searches as Google kept tabs with bread crumbs history and presented personalized promotional links on the screen. Who’s watching?

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo.

Generally, my book ideas come after being blitzed by a subject matter or a visual stimulus. I surprise myself by photographing a similar subject over and over again, till the collection of photos provide the incentive to research in depth what captured my attention.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo taken in San Antonio, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Original warning sign photo taken in San Antonio, Texas.

Next, various scenarios are played by writing or reviewing photos. I operate with the five principal questions of strategy, which helps to clarify the idea. Habitually these questions are resolved through my thought processes in the early hours of the morning. Once the idea has permeated through, I gather all my photos into Photoshop and the fun begins. This is my tool to design. The software provides to me the freedom to experiment and photography as a medium inspires me.

Next comes the planning of content, size of the page, composition, colours, the materials, structure and binding of the book... It takes a while to digest all these components and start publishing. For me, the structure is what takes the longest to decide and implement.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Figuring out the binding and electronics in Natalie Freed’s studio in Austin, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Figuring out the binding and electronics in Natalie Freed’s studio in Austin, Texas.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. A copy of the front cover for the tunnel book, laser cut by Sarah Pike from Free Fall Laser in Adams, Massachusetts.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. A copy of the front cover for the tunnel book, laser cut by Sarah Pike from Free Fall Laser in Adams, Massachusetts.

« Surveillance » was one of the most complicated projects I created. I needed the help of other artists who were knowledgeable in their fields for the book to come together. While visiting Olivia Primanis at The Harry Ransom Center in 2018, the idea of adding electronics to the book came to mind. Olivia suggested Natalie Freed as a contact, who was giving a workshop at the Austin Book Arts Center at the time. Working with Natalie remained a delightful experience, and our meetings brought many possibilities to the forefront and solidified the type of binding. Another conversation during a studio visit with Thomas Parker Williams in Philadelphia, provided me the opportunity to communicate with Sarah Pike from Free Fall Laser in North Adams, Massachusetts. I could not fathom the idea of cutting the windows of the cover page and holes necessary to attach the camera and wires on the book board. Oh, I tried! But this job was better executed by a laser cutter.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The pages of the tunnel book printed and ready to assemble.

© 2020 Louise Levergneux. The pages of the tunnel book printed and ready to assemble.

Once the components and structure were in place, I concentrated on the five pages of the tunnel book. The fun continued in the world of Photoshop. Printing double sided layouts remain a lengthy process. Registration needs to be checked at least twice before printing the actual image. The printer settings, printer profiles, and the colour handling should be correctly chosen for the type paper used; printers are relatively complex, and they don’t always cooperate. When my Epson works smoothly, the images that roll out are beautiful with crisp and bright colours. I enjoy printing with an Epson Stylus Photo R3000; what you see is what you get — meaning — my images print exactly as they are perceived on the computer screen.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Cutting to size the book board for the binding of Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Cutting to size the book board for the binding of Surveillance.

The least fun of my projects is using glue! It's is all over the place. I’m lucky a book is completed without any glue on the cloth! Once the binding, the switch, the colophon, the cover image, the structure were all in place, the end was near. The pleasure of seeing all the components come together is fantastic. Now, I can invite the viewer into a world where personal freedom is infringed by the bombardment of warning signs. Once inside, the viewer’s privacy is usurped once more by a photo captured without permission.

When an artists’ book comes to completion in an effective way, the feeling of accomplishment is tremendous. I can say, done, and it feels great!

Since the project is complete my focus is now on promoting and distributing « Surveillance ». I hope you can take pleasure in the finished product. Enjoy!

As always, thanks for your interest by reading my blog posts.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Inside view.

Ottawa, Ontario

My up-coming publication Surveillance underwent many design sessions before its creation. The theme being on surveillance, I wanted to produce an artists’ book that would involve the reader in an alternative way. 

First, the thought process of finding the correct binding to properly present my artists’ book. After an active year of collecting images that would bring home the fundamental idea behind the project, I was ready for its conception. I chose, collated, sized and ultimately transferred the images into a layout in Photoshop. This step is always painstaking, since the choices are endless but results matter to bring to fruition the imagined piece. Once the book has been thought out, the essential work of deciding on size of the book, its presentation, the layout, placement... Then the printing phase follows. 

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Printed pages for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Printed pages for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Folding the accordion pages of Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Folding the accordion pages of Surveillance.

A double sided printing job is never easy, registration is a whole other world, as you know. One has to remember that paper sizes are never perfect. I have typically found that 8.5” means 8 3/8”. This naturally means that all images and text on the verso need to be moved to the right at least 1/8” or more depending on your printer. It takes a while, but once the images and text are ideally placed on the verso, the work is done! But don’t forget to check your registration marks for every sheet or page to be printed so not to waste ink and paper. 

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Cutting boards for the binding of Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Cutting boards for the binding of Surveillance.

Once more, my creative thinking wants new experiences and working with a new binding. After deliberation my choice was the tunnel book binding. But, how will it work with the content and the electronics. How to bind with electronics? ...

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Figuring out the binding cut-outs to fit the electronics.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Figuring out the binding cut-outs to fit the electronics.

When in Austin, last Fall, I met with Natalie Freed and presented my idea and needs for Surveillance. Natalie was excited and open to all the requisites for the book, keeping in mind the possibilities and limitations of the materials involved. This was a great experience and Natalie was fantastic and knowledgable.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Natalie Freed’s sample of the possibilities of electronics in artists’ books.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Natalie Freed’s sample of the possibilities of electronics in artists’ books.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Solving other dilemmas to fit size of the fake security camera as part of the binding.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Solving other dilemmas to fit size of the fake security camera as part of the binding.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Natalie Freed working on the electronics.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Natalie Freed working on the electronics.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Natalie Freed’s finished work for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Natalie Freed’s finished work for Surveillance.


Natalie Freed works at the intersection of education, hands-on making and technology. Natalie was incredibly excited about coming up with ways to teach challenging STEM concepts through expressive crafts, especially textiles and the book arts. Natalie graduated with an M.S. from the MIT Media Lab in 2012, received her B.S. and M.S. in Computer Science with a concentration in Arts, Media and Engineering from Arizona State University, in 2009/2010. Freed moved to San Francisco in 2012 for a fellowship in the New Media Studio at the San Francisco Exploratorium. Then joined Lick-Wilmerding High School’s Technical Arts program, where she started the new Computing track and taught computer science and digital fabrication.

At this pivotal point after months of travel and other activities between our meetings, Natalie and I dovetailed our separate deliverables and the book is ready to be assembled. Oh! Wait, it’s a tunnel book binding and I require seeing through the cover to the inside pages!

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Mock-up of cover cutting for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Mock-up of cover cutting for Surveillance.

By pushing the boundaries of my work and creating a tunnel book, I had to meticulously cut all the little windows in the cover page. Another process that would take an eternity. Unable to carefully cut to my OCD standards, I researched for a creative company or artist that could precisely cut the front page, which was my next step, since smaller laser cutters would tear into the fibrous paper. 

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Third mock-up of the cover and inside pages for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Third mock-up of the cover and inside pages for Surveillance.

I fortunately found Sarah Pike from FreeFall Laser, who works remotely with clients across the country on custom laser-cutting projects. Her approach combines artistic experimentation with technological experience to conceive exceptional work and always looks forward to becoming a part of the creative team. Collaborating with Sarah was another outstanding experience. Sarah uses a state-of-the-art CO2 laser cutter to precision cut and engrave wood, paper, acrylic, fabric, and much more, up to 1/4 inch thick, to convey one's unique vision into a reality. Sarah, used custom settings that optimized my selected substrate and helped develop the finished look for Surveillance.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Sarah Pike’s laser cutting result after trial run.

© 2019 Louise Levergneux. Sarah Pike’s laser cutting result after trial run.

After 2 weeks, the job was done, and it’s waiting for pickup. Traveling in Canada at the moment and shipping the pages back to me in Ottawa, Ontario, would be astronomical in cost. Therefore, a visit to Berkshires in Massachusetts in the Fall is in the works.

FreeFall Laser was born when Sarah Pike left the safety and security of a successful academic career and jumped off the proverbial cliff to start her own business. Sarah is a practicing artist with years of experience in bridging technology and the artistry of the hand.

I’m looking forward to finishing the first copy of Surveillance in its entirety and presenting it to Library Collections.

If you have projects you are having difficulties encompassing electronics and/or precision cutting situations, I suggest working with both Natalie Freed and Sarah Pike. For me it was a genuine pleasure!

© 2019 Dale Rogers. The hatching of small Hummingbirds in my friend Dale’s backyard, Avimor, Idaho.