The Journey Back Home

Wondered where I was, getting lonely? Traveling has it’s challenges and finding good connections to the internet isn’t easy. I enjoyed going across the country via the Trans-Canada Highway for the first time.

We left home in Boise, Idaho, on a sunny day, traversed mountains and valleys where the rain and cold started.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, driving in the northern parts of Idaho

When we traversed into Canada I felt my feet planted firmly home. 

This is our first experience RV’ing, and it has its own challenges. Gas, electricity, battery, hooked up or not... What to do when parking the first night...  What’s the last step before departing in the morning? We did not see the sun often on this trip. It’s been pouring rain almost every day. The countryside is amazing, and each province has its own beauty. 

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, travelling in our T@B Camper

The second morning we woke up to the views of the fog-filled mountains in British Columbia. It was cold and damp. I collected enough manhole covers throughout the province to create the first volume of BC. I would love to make a trip to Vancouver to place it on my map of City Shields.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, wonderful British Columbia

The week before my departure, I communicated with the City of Calgary to find the location of the “Chinook” designed manhole cover. Randy Niessen at the Public Art Program in Calgary gave me streets and intersections where I could find the manhole covers I was looking for. I visited the office of Ivan Ostapenko, an architect who is designing a new manhole cover for the City of Calgary. While walking the grounds of the Calgary Stampede, a security attendant gave me a golf cart ride to find the manhole cover I was so excited to find. He drove me around till we found the rodeo cowboy! What a day!

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, Calgary, manhole cover found on the grounds of the Calgary Stampede

In Saskatchewan we were plagued with mosquitoes! I visited Cathryn Miller’s studio. 

© 2016 Louise Levergneux in Cathryn's studio, love the equipment!

Cathryn is the only professional artists’ book maker in Saskatoon. Cathryn and her husband David were generous with their time and stories. This was a fantastic visit. We talked about artists’ books, our past, our work, and where we have lived. Cathryn gifted me her Thank Your Lucky Stars multiple which I have been admiring from afar.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, Cathryn has folder over 60,000 of these wonderful stars over the past 3 years. Her studio had three bins of these wonderful stars.

I always wondered why Cathryn had recipes as part of her blog posts. The reason is the biggest vegetable garden I have ever seen. They shared tomatoes, cucumbers, corn and the juiciest plums, yum! We dry camped on their 19 acres of land, it was the best night sleep of the whole trip. The last morning we drive through Saskatoon and found approximetly 28 manhole covers. One more volume to the series.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, Cathryn's vegetables and plums were delicious!

Manitoba produced flatness, more rain and lightning. The rain lifted enough for me to run out of the car street after street to photograph more manhole covers.

The Incessant Journey continues throughout Ontario! It’s humid! I had forgotten how humid Ontario gets in August when the rain starts. We don’t have monsoons but we have a wave of humidity. Topaz fluffed up like a fur ball.

Home and camera full of wonderful photos of new manhole covers. Now the work begins again. I will take a few weeks to visit with friends and family. My posts might be erratic but will communicate my journey.

Enjoy your week. What’s your story? Where do you come from? Where are you going? Who has helped you find something lately?

En Route

Life inspires art, life interrupts the flow of creativity! 

With a list of tasks getting longer, I wondered if I could finish my new volumes of City Shields before I left. I finally published three copies of my last 14 artists’ books of different US states.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

These copies will be part of my installation at MING Studios next March 2017.

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I’m leaving tomorrow on a 10 day journey back home. This excites me, I need to be reunited and reconnected to my roots. Living away from my home-home is difficult. Assimilated into the English language at a young age, I never thought being French was SO apparent. Here in the US, my cultural background seems more and more unmistakable.

I’m nervous to leave my home here in Idaho, since this séjour in Canada will stop production.

My husband, Michael, our little Sheltie, Topaz and I have traversed the US states to reach home in Gatineau, Québec for the last seven years. This year we are taking the Trans Canada Highway across to the Eastern part of the country. This will give me the opportunity to add Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and other cities in Ontario to my list of volumes for City Shields. I’m looking forward to these additions.

I contacted the City of Calgary and received the list of areas where I will find wonderful manhole cover designs.

Any of you live or travelled though these provinces? Please let me know where the fabulous manhole covers are located. I will photograph from August 10th to August 19th. 

Cathryn Miller is searching for me in Saskatoon. If you find a “must have” manhole cover in your neighbourhood, please let me know.

Here is what I will miss of my home in Idaho:

• MING Studios

• my small comfy studio

• the freedom my equipment gives me

• creating books, and

• Michael, as he returns to Idaho the last week of August

What I have missed of back home in Québec:

• French family and friends

• French language

• French fries

• French desert...

You noticed from my ridiculous list my roots are on my mind!

Even our profanity is pure and made up of everyday Catholic terminology. My bro is really good at it, so was my father. Most people don’t believe my explanation of how the Québecois swear. They often use sacres in their sentences, it’s part of the content. Here is a link to an article explaining a funny part of my culture. Dan Nosowitz writes on Québec's swearing vocabulary being one of the most entertaining in the entire world in his article “The Delightful Perversity of Québec's Catholic Swears." The Canadian province has expletives like no other”.

You’ll love and be amused by this article. It might help understand us a little better or not!

A mailbox with Québec French that roughly translates to "No fucking admail". (Photo: Gates of Ale/CC BY-SA 3.0)

What is not to love about Québec? Les maudites taxes!! Hey, it’s home. I miss the colourful French Canadians. 

I’m on my way back.

'jamais deux sans trois'

I’ve been busy getting my family prepared for our annual trip across the country to my home town of Gatineau, Québec, Canada. We are leaving next week and for the first time in eight years, we will travel the Trans-Canada Highway from Alberta to Québec.

This is the snail way across the country. The slow driving gives me the opportunity to photograph manhole covers along my journey. With the intention of publishing an artists’ book of Canadian anecdotes, I will collect photographs that catch my eye along this 10-day trip.

In between preparations, I’m trying to finish phase seven and eight of City Shields by printing and cutting inserts, collating and packaging.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, front and back of inserts ready to cut

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, phase seven, cutting the inserts

©2016 Louise Levergneux, probably the last 10 pack of Iomega Zip disks jewel cases in the world!

If any of you know where I can purchase more of these Iomega Zip Disks Jewel Cases, please email me. They have been discontinued by the manufacturer.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, fresh off the press Vol US 26 : No 1 Dakota

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Last week, I posed the question “Has the manhole cover become a point of interest for other artists?”

I received a link to Raubdruckerin Printers’ website. They print t-shirts, hoodies, tote and gym bags inspired by banal urban street manhole covers. People who buy the garments and bags become themselves a part of their project. So, the project is a refinement of the everyday culture as well as a permanent consciousness-changing connection with our surroundings. 

The video below demonstrates Raubdruckerin using a manhole cover at the Centre Pompidou in Paris to print a t-shirt. 

Raubdruckerin continue their journey to Berlin. The t-shirt prints are taken directly from a manhole cover using water based ink without solvent, flexibilizer, PVC or heavy metals. 

What a fabulous idea! What I found even more interesting, believing in the French expression—'jamais deux sans trois' ("never twice without a third [time]"), is that I received not two but three emails with the same link. Three of my regular blog readers are thinking alike! Peggy Seeger and Cathryn Miller must hang out in the same places on the web. Betty Mallorca, a friend and painter based in Nampa, Idaho, seem to frequent the same circles as Peggy and Cathryn since she sent me the same link to this project.

How should I respond to this phenomenon? The never twice without a third is a sign, I’m sure! Do I contact this group based in Berlin? Do I start a dialogue of my project City Shields with Raubdruckerin? Do any of you know the group? 

Back to packing!

The Tiny Book Show

This week I was preoccupied with cutting and collating manhole covers.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

My garbage bin is overflowing with paper. Sheet after sheet filled with negative space. It piles up by the hour.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, one of my favorite covers today

Did you ever foresee an action in advance? While carrying many die-cut manhole covers from a drawer of my printer cabinet to my work table, I dropped the whole stack. I have five steps to go from my printer table to the other side of my half measure studio!! It took hours and hours to collate the manholes to fit each volume. My eyes crossed a few times while trying to recover the sequnces of the manhole covers; but now, the manhole covers are collated by each volume. My next phase in publishing City Shields is to print 28 double sided inserts.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, manhole covers on the work table ready to collate, AGAIN!

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, manhole covers finally collated

In 2012 when I was creating my flip book project Outside the studio, I dropped sheets of unnumbered pages of my first flip book. It never dawned on me to number the pages, it appeared simple enough to collate. Each page (frame) of a flip book portrays a fraction of a second. This means each image is very, very, very similar! This mistake taught me to number my pages. With City Shields there’s no way to number the covers. I have two sheets of templates to print for each volume. The second template has a variety of covers. I prefer not to waste paper, it’s too expensive! The lesson here is not to drop the sheets, butterfingers!!

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I took a break from these wonderful die-cut photographs that brought me back to my travels. So, I drove to Nampa and visited The Tiny Book Show hosted by the Nampa Public Library. 

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, Amy Tingle at the Nampa Public Library getting ready for the workshop

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, The Tiny Book Show, awesome!

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, I enjoyed reading this wonderful blue book "Cooper" by Harold Wilson

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, This is a Goldendoodle story!

Amy Tingle and Maya Stein are a mobile creativity company based in northern New Jersey. They travel in a vintage caravan, named MAUDE (Mobile Art Unit Designed for Everyone). The caravan allows them to deliver unique experiences and inspire communities everywhere. 

© 2016 Louise Levergneux, MAUDE

Amy Nack, a local printmaker who goes under the imprint Wingtip Press was on hand to help with the tiny book-making workshop. Everyone is invited to The Tiny Book Show. Amy and Maya stop at select locations around the country to display tiny books made by artists and writers from around the world. Check out their next venue here.

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Back at my studio, I cut binders boards for different projects. The days are going by fast and my summer time back home in Canada is approaching.

For entertainment, I watch Garip Ay create Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry night and Self-portrait with ink marbling animation. Enjoy!

Manhoru

Back to work, I realise my studio is a mess. I’m in full production of City Shields.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

My curiosity grows with the pile of manhole covers. Has the manhole cover become a point of interest for other artists? I continue my search on the internet after communicating with Lucinda Ziesing featured on my blog post dated June 26th. Artists and graphic designers all over the world have noticed and are inspired by these works of urban design on our city streets.

My latest find is a wonderful fluoro colour publication entitled Overlooked, the 45th publication produced by design studio Pentagram in the UK. This colourful book celebrates the “gatekeepers” to the subterranean world beneath London’s streets.

© 2016 Pentagram Paper

After many hours of searching, I discover Remo Camerota, a dedicated manhole cover photographer. Camerota’s new book, Drainspotting, is dedicated to the his fans or the ‘manhoru’ maniacs. Manhoru is the Japanese word for ‘manhole’. A trip to Japan is worthwhile just to photograph the brightly painted manhoru covers.

Remo Camerota, Cherry Blossoms by Tokyo Five

Going down the rabbit hole, I come across Russell Muits, a graphic designer who embarked on a coast-to-coast odyssey. Muits travelled from Camden, New Jersey, to Seattle, Washington, and back. Russell searched out unusual manhole covers and, through hands-on application of ink and canvas, transformed the covers into prints. We share the same goal of finding every interesting manhole cover across the US. Of course my goal is to add the cities of the Canadian provinces.

Aaron Windhorst, Philadelphia Daily News/TNS

How can I finance City Shields and the travel to attain my goal? Any ideas?

Dilemmas!

Surprise! Surprise! My new refurbished refurbished Epson R3000 arrived early. Astonished, I was able to unpack the printer, set it up, and print. Oh my God! Epson is finally getting it together—hopefully they have. This R3000 is working well at the moment. Touch wood! It has only been a few hours! 

I printed my manhole covers sheet after sheet. The printer is not noisy and spits out printed sheets with no blotches of ink! I’m back in business!

I haven’t given up printing my own artists’ books; but still thinking of a printing service in the future, will see what this refurbished printer brings.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

I printed 30 sheets of manhole covers in one day with no problem. Alléluia!! 

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

I leave the printed sheets twenty four hours to settle and dry before phase six of the project. This step entails die-cutting the printed manhole covers and collating them.

Throughout my project, and time passing, I’ve had to go with the flow on how to cut, print and present City Shields.

For the first time in sixteen years I’m running short of my packaging of choice for City Shields. My dilemma is finding Iomega Disk Jewel Cases. They are no longer manufactured. If you know of a place I can buy jewel cases for Zip disks, please let me know.  

I had ordered thousands of Iomega jewel cases back in 2000 when they were popular for the original seven volumes of City Shields. The first volumes included a volume of Scotland; three volumes of Ottawa, one volume of Toronto, Ontario; and three volumes of Hull, Québec. Doculink International printed the original volumes and were die-cut by Capitol Box in Ottawa, Ontario.

In 2006, with new camera and new printer, I printed the volumes of the series myself with an Epson 2200. Capitol Box created a cutting jig to cut one manhole cover at a time. Unable to create the correct assembly to use the jig, it caused the paper to tear every time. I bought a Fiskars Circle Cutter from Michaels Arts and Crafts Store. This tool is super easy to use, it only cost $19.99 and works well. The clear plastic base makes alignment easy with no guessing games. Where do you find your tools?

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

This year, I needed to replace a discontinued Aspen paper for the insert. I chose an Inkpress Plus paper. I can still order the Generations G-Chrome Lustre paper to print the manhole covers. How do you cope with discontinued favorite papers? Do you enjoy trying lots of papers? Maybe you print on different paper for your projects and the brand doesn’t matter.

My goal was to collect manhole covers from each Canadian province and the 50 states in the US. Changes and finances are making it impossible to achieve! My project is at its end!

Printing and Hiking

Spit and spitting more ink! I tried to ignore the problem since the ink was only touching the sides of the sheets I was printing. How many more sheets can I print? Five to be exact.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

The next print had gobs of ink right in the middle of a manhole cover image. This problem is not going away! Printing is always stressful.

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

My Epson R3000 is a refurbished printer replacing the first R3000 that died over a year ago. I rubbed my worry stones together, gathered my nerves and called Epson AGAIN! 

My printer situation is an ink cartridge gone bad or a print head problem, I was told. 350 dollars of my hard earned bucks is needed to revive this printer. “No way will I spend another cent on this one!” was my answer to Epson. Miracles of miracles, Epson felt my pain and will replace my refurbished R3000 with another refurbished R3000. If it lasts a year, great! Optimistic I will stay. Hopeful the printer won’t fall on its head in shipping? I might go with a print service in the future to publish my artists’ books. The thought of getting another Epson lemon, aye! &@!$#!!

Do you resort to a printing service or do you want control over your prints? My preference is being in charge of my own prints. No need to go back and forth to review prints. You can choose your paper of choice and not depend on the current inventory. No need to email inadvertently forgotten fonts. You can stay in the comfort of your studio and print to your heart’s content. Are the frustrations of the newer printers worth that comfort? What are your thoughts?

My production has stopped, waiting for said printer. I’m thinking of using my Epson Stylus Pro 2200 while I wait. 

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To quiet the mind, we hiked the foothills. Time has circled back in Avimor, it’s grasshopper season. Hundreds of Differential Grasshoppers jump in and out of the tall grass on both sides of the narrow Baun’s Eye Trail. It was amazing to see how high they jumped. Topaz annoyed by the sight focused on the thin path. 

Taking a photo or video of a grasshopper with 999... other Attention Deficit Disorder grasshoppers is difficult. I took this picture of one who had the nerves to stop and stare at us. Then it jumped in my face! What a surprise!

© 2016 Louise Levergneux

At the summit we paused for the view, then watching the sunset we made our descent carrying Topaz who could no longer stand the grasshoppers.

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During a conversation on my project City Shields, an associate suggested biking as a way to cover a lot of ground for photographing the covers. Handles, peddles, brakes, camera and dog I don’t know! Flyboard seems like a lot of fun, same problem though and I can’t carry my pooch. And again, few manhole covers on water.

I might as well stick to walking the streets or driving around town. Next weekend if you see me on the streets of Boise with camera in hand and my head down, I'm taking photographs of manhole covers, please say hello.

What do your city's manhole covers look like?

Printing Session

I received my ink, I replaced the old cartridges and I’m ready to print again. 

Printing is a long process, there’s lots of waiting. Wait, add a new sheet, check the print settings, send the print job and wait... 

This stretch gives me time to reminisce on trips and places I’ve visited to create the volumes of City Shields. Many memories float in my mind of scenes experienced throughout the Incessant Journey.

© 2010 Louise Levergneux, crossing the Utah, Nevada border on Friday, May 13

© 2011 Louise Levergneux, walking on West San Francisco Street in Santa-Fe in the early morning

© 2013 Louise Levergneux, searching for manhole covers on Woolman Street in Butte, Montana

Sheet after sheet, printing is going well. With patience, I sit and search the Internet to view kinetic sculptures. I stop on a sculpture by Varol Topaç’s which amuses me.

I enjoy viewing kinetic sculptures on YouTube, it keeps me calm. I also find it a good time to keep current on the discipline. If I pursue other activities while printing many sheets…yes, multitasking!... I lose track of where I am, confusion sets in, the printer stops and I don’t realise it. These videos help me to stay focused and I can concentrate on the next print. A little icon jumps back and forth on the right side of the screen when the printer is not functioning properly. You’ve seen it! It’s not always good news!

The latest fascinating installation at Changi Airport, Singapore, was conceived by Art+Com, a German design firm. This kinetic sculpture led by Jussi Angesleva, a German-based Finnish artist, helps me to unwind while I wait. Does it works for you?

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As we travel the world, we are often fascinated and often find a new muse to work within our imagination. As we discover new cities, we are mindful to what differs from back home. Many photographers and artists stumble on the manhole cover as a new interest.

Artist Lucinda Ziesing found a magnificent cast iron manhole cover inscribed with Telefonica Espana lying on a Barcelona sidewalk. Lucinda, awed by its presence and industrial design, is drawn to record its surface. 

Since her trip to Barcelona in 2006, Lucinda has made rubbings wherever she travels. As artists we both have these portals to the underground in common, “It’s a way to connect to places”, she says.

 I begin by making a rubbing of a utilitarian surface on a sheet of mylar with a litho crayon. Then in my studio, I add oil paint, sand, and repaint until the work is done. I noticed mandalas and labyrinth designs in the utility covers in Italy, which evolved into paintings and catch the stillness in the streets.

Lucinda’s Public Works were exhibited at 10 High Street Gallery in Camden, Maine. These paintings tell a story of portholes right under our feet.

© 2016 Lucinda Ziesing, Lucinda, unknowingly the collage of a New Orleans water meter rubbing and a rubbing from the floor in Pompeii painting have a curious connection. The date of the Vesuvius and Katrina natural disasters is August 24th. No accidents, Right?

© 2016 Lucinda Ziesing

© 2016 Lucinda Ziesing

© 2016 Lucinda Ziesing

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Shit, my printer is spitting black ink, got to go!!@!?