It feels tremendous to be on the brink of creating an artists’ book. Hopefully, I will have time to start the design process before we embark on our next trek. My traveling studio leaves Salt Lake City to go Eastbound at the end of May.

For the present, I’m looking forward to stand or sit; and think, plan, and print. How will it feel to handle tools again? Especially the glue!!! I may choose a non-glue method of binding.

Through my research, I discovered many published alphabet/ABC artists’ books in different binding formats depending on the meaning behind the work. Some of the types of bindings used for abecedaries are the flip book, cards, tunnel book, accordion, codex, panorama concertina... to name a few.

Karen Hanmer has used different bindings for her alphabet books. In The Spectrum A to Z the letters of the alphabet are colored to run through the spectrum and back within a tunnel book format.

© 2003 Karen Hanmer, The Spectrum A to Z, pigment inkjet prints, 5 x 5 x 18", edition of 20

Another alphabet book inspired by the U.S. Patriot Act is in an accordion style binding. Patriot Alphabet incorporates words or phrases taken from the vocabulary of terrorism, homeland security, and the Iraq war.

© 2004 Karen Hanmer, Patriot Alphabet, pigment inkjet prints, open 5.75 x 66 x 3.5", closed 5.75 x 4.5x.5"

Karen’s last alphabet book A2Z is in a flip book style. I had a chance to view A2Z personally at the University of Utah’s library while living in South Jordan.

© 2013 Karen Hanmer, inkjet prints, double-fan adhesive binding, 2 x 4.75 x 2” — © 2013 Karen Hanmer, inkjet prints, double-fan adhesive binding, 2 x 4.75 x 2”

Another artist’s work that delighted my eyes was Shu-Ju Wang. Her theme is Belly Dancers in a pull-out accordion structure.

Alphabet for a Belly Dancer captures the essence of belly dance through wordplay and a rhythmic pattern that mimics the dance itself.

© 2003, Shu-Ju Wang, Alphabet for a Belly Dancer, wrap-around cover in Japanese Masa Unwaxed and French handmade paper finished with hand-dyed rayon ribbon, coins, and beads, the protective envelope is made with a shimmering cover stock. — © 2003, Shu-Ju Wang, Alphabet for a Belly Dancer, wrap-around cover in Japanese Masa Unwaxed and French handmade paper finished with hand-dyed rayon ribbon, coins, and beads, the protective envelope is made with a shimmering cover stock.

© 2003, Shu-Ju Wang, Alphabet for a Belly Dancer

In Shu-Ju’s unique nonlatin character set Da(3)Pai(2), we find a full deck of 54 cards trace the evolution of 52 Chinese characters from their original pictographs to their contemporary forms. The heart and diamond suits illustrate the evolution of 26 radicals, and the spade and club suits show these radicals used in complex, combinatorial characters. Based on the book Chinese Calligraphy by Edoardo Fassioli and Guo Yu Ri Bao Zi Dian, a Chinese dictionary.

© 2003 Shu-Ju Wang, Da(3)Pai(2), wrap-around cover, cards in Evergreen Cover Aspen and Astroparche Antique Gold

Many other artists have been inspired by the theme of consonances and vowels of our language and there’s too many to show in this post. Tune in next week for more fun abecedaries.

I must say I did miss one thing this Christmas, lights, lights and lights! Being new to Boise and trying to catch up on work we did not have our traditional Christmas Eve lights drive. For 30 years on Christmas Eve, we drive around and see what the different neighbourhoods offer and of course finish the evening (when in Ottawa, Canada) with the Parliament Building Christmas light display.

From early December to early January, Ottawa sparkles and shines with thousands of lights

As a Canadian, -40° Celsius is not the weather one goes fiddling around trying to coordinate threads of lights–my opinion! Kudos to the obsessed out there, so I could enjoy your light-work!

I found this video to satisfy my craving for lights this Christmas. The season is over, but you can always enjoy lights! So have a look.

At the end of December, nature surprised Boise with a glorious snow fall that covered the landscape and turned everything to crystals. I took this opportunity to take many photos. Here is one of my favourites:

© 2015 Louise Levergneux, winter in Avimor, Idaho

During the holiday season I always take the opportunity to get ahead with the administration part of running a studio. Oh! a little plug here–Outside the Studio is on sale till the end of January with a 15% discount on each book.

Outside of the Studio was started when I felt I was spending too much time in my studio. I needed to get my mind off book production routines, and play a little.

I decided to make a flip book a week for the next year, after researching artists who created flip books as part of their practice. I was confident that the strict time limit and rapid pace would free up my creativity.

I needed a theme to organize the series around, I soon identified a concept, the Four Classical Elements: Fire, Air, Earth and Water. The Fire element would be represented by light; Air, by wind; Earth by people, animals or insects; and Water, by it’s own differing states of liquid, vapor and solid. The Outside The Studio Series was launched!

The whole series of flip books can be seen at: http://www.louiselevergneux.com/#/out-of-the-studio/

Here is the flip book produced on week 48:

The whirlwind of the holidays has finally passed. Now I can continue with my new artists’ books and decorative boxes.

I started the year without my D-SLR, I had to leave it at the shop during the holidays. Hope it is surviving this surgery!!

My camera died as I was trying to photograph my new artists’ books and finish two “Call to Artists” applications. Great timing! Without a camera, it’s like going through withdrawals...

Below is a sample of my new decorative boxes, more photos will be on my website as soon as my camera is back in my hands.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, Decorative Box

I need to get back to work–withdrawals and all. I will share later.