Dear Everyone ~
Bookful of Art, the four-Saturday workshop Cat Bennett and I co-taught via Zoom, has just concluded. We admit to basking in our students’ accomplishments, and in the creative afterglow of teaching several dozen enthusiasts simultaneously.
The first week, I led the class in making an exposed case-binding book. It was a joy to teach, and to realize that I could indeed keep everyone on the same page. For the following three sessions, Cat led the class through exercises to fill their freshly made books with artwork: drawings, paintings, and collage. All of the books and pages shown in this post are the work of our students.
I have received such lovely emails about the workshop sessions, and students have graciously agreed to let me share their thoughts with everyone. I’ve excerpted their reflections into three general sections: materials, process, and camaraderie.
ABOUT THE MATERIALS:
Assembling the kits of materials took me several incredibly satisfying days, getting the papers & threads & ribbons in order and packaged beautifully. Lining them all up on my center table (as seen in my August 26 blog post) made my heart sing. And then I experienced the pure delight of seeing all the participants’ books in the first week come alive, so to speak. A gallery of Bookful books!
“ It was a plus to receive the materials prior to the workshop to make such beautiful books with your choices of St. Armand paper and ribbon—perfectly curated. ” — Peggy O. in Eden Prairie
“ And then there’s the visceral pleasure of working with the beautiful materials Bari assembled and my own too-often-neglected art supplies! ” — Barbara D. in Chicago
ABOUT THE PROCESS:
Cat and I both used overhead cameras, allowing students to clearly see what we were demonstrating, at a perfect angle. We also recorded the sessions, and have made these available to participants via YouTube.
“ Having a first-hand account and view of the book’s creation and seeing up close the demonstrations from Cat—being really short, I tend not to get a good shot at the demonstrations—and the recordings of the sessions have been awesome. I’ve really gotten a lot out of this. ” — Sue L. in Vancouver, Canada, who provided the stellar photo (at top) of her trio of books
“ Creativity falls into a category all its own, one of fun, happiness, freedom and acceptance . . . don’t you think? That’s why I love this class so much! It’s welcoming and encouraging, full of instruction, suggestions, and tips, while embracing the individuality that comes with hand-made journals and drawing and painting. You and Cat are the perfect pair :) ” — Melanie O. in Ormond Beach
“ Between the pandemic and the coming winter months, I am imagining this journaling practice as a light space for my heart, some place to find comfort, reflection and expression. The class has been all that I hoped and more…and the Zoom format has worked beautifully. I’m so glad I joined in! ” — Linda S. in Chicago
“ The use of the overhead camera by both Bari and Cat allowed an even closer look at binding and sketching than might have been possible in an in-person class. I missed one class and found that watching the YouTube later just wasn't quite the same as having the camaraderie of my Zoom classmates; I felt a little lonely that day! ” — Linda S. in San Francisco
ABOUT THE CAMARADERIE:
During the workshop sessions, students were able to ask their questions via the chat feature. Whilst I was teaching, Cat would relay the questions to me. This enabled me to repeat a step, or clarify the stitch in progress. When Cat was teaching, I relayed the questions to her. After each exercise, Cat invited anyone with a question to please “unmute themselves”, so that we could all hear and discuss. Cat welcomes dialogue and conversation and community. And everyone indeed felt connected.
“ A private Facebook group was also set up so we could share our work with each other, and it's been so rewarding and inspirational to see what others are doing. ” — Jen S. in Asheville
“ Bari and Cat created a beautiful virtual artistic community. The Zoom classroom was a soothing cocoon of creativity. ” — Barbara L. in Chicago
“ I loved having this connection to other artists —Bari, Cat, and classmates. Access to the energy of other people creating was a gift. ” — Barbara D. in Chicago
Cat and I have been individually and collectively energized by teaching Bookful of Art. We have already come up with a new multi-session workshop to co-teach in January!
Heartfully, Bari