The Book of Harold

Put together the collection of stories begun many years ago -- spurred by the telling of a story from my friend Sandy, about her friend Harold. I enjoyed the story so much, that I started recording things I came across in life in written form....snippets from life. Years might go by with only one story added....probably a mix of fertility (of my mind) and the time I devote to it. Found pictures in my personal files that related to the stories somehow, and tethered them together in book format. I have another project developing in some part of me to relate aspects from life....though this time in fiber. As I say...we shall see.
(12/22 comment: gingerbread boy is nieces from ly..refer to 22 Dec 10 post decoration arrangement as she grows older)

In theory (of electronic communication), if you click on link below, you can get to the book. But, I kind of doubt it.


http://www.bookemon.com/book-profile/the-book-of-harold/68280

Book

Saw results of long term project -- self created book of the art of my father. I started this a couple years ago, taking photographs, writing and organizing on Shutterfly. Found the site cumbersome for words, and limiting in formats. Moved to a Google "blog," which I formated as pages of a book, front to back entry by entry. Blog format was much easier for me to maneuver and edit. Became relatively easy to move from blog back to book. Tried Bookemon, but went back to Shutterfly, as a lot of the book is pictures, and Shutterfly seems better for that, and the paper stock is heavier.

The above shows some spreads from the book...12" x 12", 100 pages in total.

Book Of Dad's Sculpture...some day

Started this project last year (or before). Took photographs of many of my Dad's artworks. Plan to compose a "rough-draft" book...an attempt to corral together a retrospective of some sort. Have written some background on Dad, but have yet to wrap it up. Also need to perfect my picture taking skills...how to see the bronze through black plexi-glass without the light reflecting off the black (flood it with lights or sunlight likely), etc, etc. Luckily, I can move most of the sculptures by myself...those sculpture moving muscles still working after all these years. Remember well being on the other end of sculpture my Dad wanted to move...I was likely just the hands that "steadied" rather than the hands that lifted, but, remember feeling the importance of the moment...like "pay attention, this thing is heavy." Child safety issues be darned (I write with a smile.)

Some of the sculptures need some touch up work...finishes to be buffed, scratches "erased," etc. Thinking I will likely just picture them as they are today, because waiting to fix them all to be "like new" will postpone the book effort even further. One nice "wonder" was....two of the pieces had lights in them ("invisible" light bulbs embedded in the piece to cast light out of apertures), one of them a standing garden lantern that had been on side garden patio of Mom's house for ages (20 years?), and the other a tall sculpture in her entry way. Guess what....both lights still worked. Those lightbulbs were last touched by my Dad no doubt, and he died in 1974. Poetic, n'est pas?

Book Making

Took some illustrations my sister did when she was about 15, and put them in hard cover book format. The sketch book had about 7 drawings per page, so, I was cropping, rotating, and paginating quite a bit in order to make some semblance of a story. "Mia and her Magi-nation" was title, presented to the real Mia for Christmas.









Also made a book of immediate family photographs, from my parents marriage through each of the four kids, and spouses (and offspring at the time). This was the trial run for the "Dad sculpture book" project, which will have many more photographs and text inserts.