Tuesday, October 1, 2024

Week 4 book, and beginning to think of new ones

Even tho the exhibition is going to be on show for another week, I decided to stick with my original plan to have 4 weeks of postcards and stitch them into a book at the end of each week. So this week, all four books will be on show at the exhibition.

Last week's question was "To make a home in a new place I would..." and I quite liked the open-ended nature of it. I felt it left it wide open for folk to write pretty much all sorts.

There are fewer people around in the Highlands now that Autumn has well and truly been ushered in; many tourists have gone; and the season is edging closer to close, so I was pretty happy to still get 20 postcards completed.

I love how they look displayed together on the herring barrel.


And as is often my want, once things are done or established, my mind turns to new options, new ideas, new things to say, new things to try and express...

One book has been filling my night time awakeness with questions re resolution. How could I? Would it work to...? Can I make this make sense? And finally I have managed to get my hands into the making and testing of an idea.

In doing so, one book became three. It seemed like it made more sense to try to say these things in these ways. One of my night time solutions proved to be impossible for the showing I was thinking of - you just couldn't 'read' the book satisfactorily. 

The front one here was a partial solution, but I knew it was clumsy and not finely resolved. I was sad and about to turn my mind to something completely different when I sat and had a cuppa with B and we chatted about what I was trying to achieve.


And as we spoke I said, I think it could work if it was supported and the legs sort of sat down... so I found a 'plinth' of sorts and tried to see what it might look like.


Quite liking that look, it then made sense that another one of the books could also work to be lifted up a touch.


And the playing around gave me heart to try again. I think here are probably several more prototypes
to go through as I test how to fold the works in and the make covers that work, but I have hope again!

During the week I was gifted these beautiful dried poppy heads by a young friend as we walked along near the Village Hall. The sun was out for long enough to reflect some lovely shadows.

3 comments:

  1. I love that part of the process, the thinking it up, trying it out and then figuring it out... not always ending up with what I thought I wanted though sometimes coming out with something even better.
    The four books together make for a beautiful addition to your show, I can imagine how gratifying it must be to have such good participation and now seeing them all together is quite something.

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    1. Thanks Jillayne. I sometimes love this part of the process, especially if things work out; less so when I prove to myself that I can't do what I hoped; but there is always a sense of achievement in a way that at least I know! Something may yet come of this. And the four books really are beautiful together and I am thrilled at how much people have thought about home and then taken the time to write things down... very gratifying as you say. Go well.

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  2. that plinth was a good idea ! Looks so much better now ! A

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I appreciate your thoughts and comments; thanks for taking the time.