Book Arts

Sorry I haven't shared any new photos (or really really old photos for that matter) lately.  I know I've been slacking but I promise that I haven't totally been doing nothing.  Instead of editing photos lately I've been spending a fair amount of time working on a couple of artists books I've been making.  Ever since I started working at my current job about 8 years ago and learned how to make books I've been doing just that, making books.  But only blank ones, what you'd commonly refer to as journals.  I've sold some in the past, but mostly I've just either made them and kept them or made them and given them as gifts (the main recipient being my best friend, Amanda, who actively journals on the regular!).  Anyway, I'd never really made a book with any substance or content...until last year.

It's not that I never wanted to make a book with content, or an "artists' book" as it's commonly called, it's just I never really had a single idea.  Until last year, when for our student appreciation day we made carousel books (which I had never made before) in the lab, and for the first time ever I had an idea.  And so I made my first artist book and I was so excited about it that I entered it into Bookworks XVI (my book is pictured at the very end of the post!), a local collaborative book arts exhibit that's put together by the Cincinnati Book Arts Society (aka CBAS, pronounced like the fish, sea bass) and the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Now, I had been trying to think up an idea for Bookworks for years, but nothing...until I made that first carousel book.  I really liked the structure and something about it just inspired me and before I knew it I had a handful of other ideas.  Which leads me to the pictures of the book below, my second ever artist book!  I worked on this book mainly over the holidays and just now finished up making a custom cloth-covered clamshell box for it, so I figured it was time to share it...

It's called "Cosmic Ocean".  It's another carousel book, but this time I used Arches 140lb watercolor paper and QoR watercolors! [Front cover]

[Side opening]

I used small, thin magnets to create clasps on either side of the book to keep it shut.

I also embedded magnets into the front and back cover boards so that the book would stay open for display.

Here's a gif/animation of the five pages, it starts with the Earth and ends with the red galaxy and the space ship.

This was a very fun book to work on and I felt I really pushed myself further on this second artist book.  It also, just the like the first, really inspired me and as I was working on it I started to come up with other ideas for other books!  I hope you enjoy it!  And if you're in the Cincinnati area, I do plan to submit it into the Bookworks XVII exhibit this year, which generally runs from June through August in the Main Branch of the Public Library, if you want to check it out in person.

Mansfield Reformatory: Part 2

Hi!  Remember me?  The person who's supposed to run this little blog thingamabob.  Where have I been?  No clue.  All I can say is I'm a slacker and I'm sorry!  But, a miracle has occurred...I somehow managed to finish editing my photos from the Ohio State Reformatory!  ["Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles!" - let's play name that musical...do you know it?]

Anyway, if you need a little refresher from August, here's part one of the Mansfield Reformatory, which if you'll recall focused mostly on the administration office/quarters of the old prison.  Part 2's photos are all from the areas where the inmates lived, worked, and spent their free time (you can tell this when you're in the reformatory because you pass through a doorway with a very large steel door).  The first part of the prison you encounter is the chapel...

 Ceiling of the chapel.

 A standard cell. 

Next up...the library:

  The library was definitely one of my favorite areas in the reformatory, though surprisingly not my absolute favorite!

 

 I think my favorite area was probably the gym.  I'm not sure why, but as soon as I walked into that room/area, I immediately liked it...definitely not the normal reaction I have towards gyms!

 And this is probably one of my favorite photos of the bunch...but, again, I'm not sure why. 

 The shower was super creepy!  Amanda basically walked in and then walked right back out.  I pushed myself to take a couple pictures and then I was out of there. 

So there you have it.  There were two more sections that I didn't take photos of...one because it was too dark and the other because we ran out of time.  Just another reason to go back, I guess.  Also, this isn't actually the last of the reformatory photos, I have a bunch of outtakes and "haunted" photos to share, so stay tuned!

Life Lately (in Instagram)

 Okay, so remember when I promised to have a real post for you (part 2 of the Mansfield Reformatory) by the end of August?  Yeah, well...it's September now and that didn't happen.  And I'm really not sure when it's going to, to be honest.  We've just been so busy lately, but in the best way possible!  So here's a "life lately" via Instagram to hold you over:

Antoine and I celebrated three months of being married at the end of August, which is just crazy!  Seriously, where has the summer gone? [pretty flowers from Trader Joe's]

 Summertime-Jessica is a total lush, in case you didn't know!  I made a batch of strawberry simple syrup so I obviously needed to whip up some tasty alcoholic beverages: left- strawberry mojito, right- strawberry margarita.

 I had been craving a cobb salad so Antoine and I got all the fixings, including some Amish eggs and tasty Ashland-raised bacon.  It totally hit the spot!

 On the weekends Antoine almost always makes a delicious breakfast for us...but I decided to sneakily make him breakfast on Labor day!  I used this recipe; it was really tasty, but next time I would scramble the eggs firs before putting them in the nests.  

 So many pretty skies lately, these are just two that I happened to capture.

 Work has been pretty busy lately!  Recently I photographed a bunch of items from the Winkler Center that will be going to New York for exhibit.  All the pieces are from the Albert B. Sabin archives and are pretty cool.  The photo to the right is a box of Polio slides; Sabin developed the oral polio vaccine in the 1950s.

 On Friday Antoine and I left work early to drive up to Columbus for a Black Keys concert.  For our pre-concert dinner we got some tasty hot dogs at Dirty Frank's Hot Dog Palace.  It was my first time there and it was so good!  I got a bacon-wrapped "Classy Lady" (cheese sauce and crushed potato chips) and Antoine got the "Slappy Pappy's Super Sloppy" (bacon, coney sauce, cheddar, sour cream, topped with french fries).  We also shared a side of fried leeks, which were awesome!  It was all so good and so cheap (and they have a lot of vegetarian and vegan options!).  If you find yourself in Columbus I would seriously recommend you check it out!  After Dirty Frank's we still had time to kill so we headed over to Grandview so I could pick up some coffee and we could get some ice cream at Jeni's.  Always so good!

Antoine's brother (my new brother-in-law) got us Black Keys tickets for our wedding present.  Awesome gift, right?!  We had a great time, I particularly liked the leader singer from Cage the Elephant's dancing.  It was hilarious and mesmerizing!

The whole auditorium lit up by cell phone light before the encore. Craziness! 

We're going camping with my sister, brother-in-law, bestest friend, and her boyfriend in two weeks so I got this basic but large pour over (since Antoine doesn't drink coffee so we didn't have anything to make coffee with for camping, except a small French press).  Also, delicious coffee from Stauf's, one of my favorite Ohio roasters!

The prince on his pillows and some of Antoine's clothes.

This weekend and last Antoine and I did a fair amount of antiquing and walked away with some goodies I'm very excited about!  [this photo is from one of my favorite booths at Heart of Ohio Antique Center]  

That's all for now.  I'm going to try my hardest to get my photos edited sometime soon (i.e. this week or next).  I haven't really taken any photos since Mansfield, but I know I'll take a ton when we go camping!

T-shirt Love

T-shirts are like my uniform, I wear them most every day, in one form or another.  I've never been comfortable in fancy clothes, they make me feel uncomfortable and out of place most of the time.  To me, there's nothing better than a t-shirt and a pair of jeans...except for maybe my pajamas (but, to be clear, I am a firm believer that you shouldn't wear your pajamas out into the real world. Not even when you're in college!).  Lucky for me, I work in a non-service portion of the library so the dress code is very casual!  Have I mentioned lately how much I love my job?!  I do!  Anyway, t-shirts have always been my thing.  Here's a little selection of t-shirts that I've been salivating over lately...

 Lazy Club T-shirt from Stay Home Club.  (This is so Antoine and me!)

 Ohio Home T-shirt fromThe Home. T

 Glow in the Dark Bermuda Triangle Tee from Maiden Voyage Clothing

 Nooch the Destroyer T-shirt from Choonimals

 Fahrenheit 451 Tee from Out of Print

Glow in the Dark Cryptozoology T-shirt from Maiden Voyage Clothing.  I couldn't resist including a second Maiden Voyage Clothing t-shirt because they make some killer stuff.  Seriously, check them out!  I'm also in love with these two shirts: here and here

What's your stance on t-shirts?  Too casual? Or amazingly awesome?  Are you super jealous that I can wear pretty much whatever I want to work?!  You should be!

Also, the updating of our guest bedroom is in full-swing so stay tuned for a major update(s) hopefully sometime in the near future!! Here was a post on my original ideas and inspiration for the space, though some of it has fallen to the wayside...but more on that later.  Happy almost Friday everyone!