PSBA Member SPOTLIGHT

Q: Can you talk about your path as an artist?

Well, I knew I was an artist once I could pick up a crayon. My mom was really happy because she’s an artist too. She invented drawing games for me; she’d draw a squiggle and say, “What does that look like?” And I’d say, “A worm,” and she replied, “Well, make it into a worm.” She trusted that I saw what I needed to see to do that. That was a really good lesson. 

I grew up in Seattle. And I excelled in school with art—anything that had to do with drawing—from geometrics and math to maps and social studies. I’m not a big reader; I don’t retain information that way. But if you give me a project where I can use my hands, I can learn quickly. By the time I was in high school, I identified as an artist. I spent all my extra time in the art studio. I didn’t go to art school; I’m self-taught. 

Art has always been there for me. With any traumas I faced, art healed me. It’s my happy place, and it’s something that’s mine, something I believe in. I didn’t start showing my work until I was in my 30s or 40s. My husband and I moved to the Olympia area in 1991. There was a restaurant downtown called “Plenty.” Someone asked if I wanted to show my paintings for Arts Walk. I had really good luck; I sold three or four paintings. After that, I thought, “Maybe I could keep doing this,” and I started doing art shows, studio tours, and exhibits at a friend’s gallery.

Q: How did you meet book arts?

I was an artisan at the Olympias’ Farmers’ Market for 12 years. While I was there, I met Jo Jenner, a local collage artist who also did book arts. It was brand new to me. I had never heard of it. She broke open that crack for me, and I could see what was in there. I knew this was for me. From then on, I dedicated the next twenty-plus years of my life to inventing book structures, learning all the different bindings, and learning how to put a box together.

Also, I sorta became part of Elspeth Pope’s group of artists interested in letterpress and books. I was a volunteer at Evergreen State College’s Rare Book Collection when Elspeth was in charge of how to take care of the books. That was really educational; I got to see and hold all of those rare books.

Q: Do you remember your first book?

I took a class from Dolph Smith, and he taught me this binding, which, to this day, is my favorite binding. It’s a long stitch over tapes. It’s a beautiful structure which lays flat, and he taught us how to hide the end of the tape; it’s very strong, and you can twist it. You can do it with multiple tapes to make it any size you want. This is the first proper structure I learned.

Right after the class, I got this idea. What if I make a book and it slides into a box, and that box is part of a bigger book that slides into a box?

Q:  Who inspired and influenced your early work? And later work?

Dolph Smith for sure. Dan Essig—he made my favorite piece so far. He made a barracuda-like fish, carved out of wood; it had a satin black-brown finish. Then he placed all these little books he had made in an Ethiopian-style binding and put them on chains. He hung them from this big fish who was dragging the books behind him. Dan and Dolph both make interactive pieces, and that certainly influenced me. 

I’ve been taking classes from Kathy Gore-Fuss (whose studio is across the garden path). We’re working on collage and notan, a Japanese art form.

Q: How did you find other artists who shared your new interest in book arts?

Pat Chupa and I would get together and make things or put projects together. I also work with Bonnie Julien before I teach a structure. She helps me to figure out how long a class will take, and we work out any problems beforehand. But, normally, I don’t have a buddy I do book arts with. I work alone. When Jane Carlin sent out the notice, seeing who was interested in book arts, that turned out to be a gift. I loved being able to connect with other people doing this kind of work.

I was one of the founding members of PSBA. You know, Jane Carlin is just a saint. She’s so supportive. She’s not an artist herself, but she loves artists. Her presence was just what we needed. We needed a big place where we could all meet. It was pre-pandemic, so we were able to meet in person. That was how I began working with other book artists.

Now that PSBA is so well established, I would love to see the organization have a permanent place where they could teach, have meetings, and host ongoing exhibits, etc. That’s the only piece that might be missing.  Everything else is moving along with great success. 100% grade on outreach and programs!

Q: We have to talk about Tansu Gothic. What do you do after something like that?

Tansu Gothic (below) is a red castle complete with tall spires, working drawers and doors, over 300 pieces of hardware, and a miniature surprise hidden inside, telling the tale of a fire in Japan in 1657. Like all of her work, it is made with her own hand-painted, printed, and dyed papers.