Seven Weeks or Forty-five Days

I have completed seven weeks of my #99DayProject, or 45 squares. I will show the squares in a moment, but first I am pleased to announce that my one-of-a-kind artist’s book The future isn’t what it used to be has been selected for the Unseen exhibition at form and concept gallery in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The show opens August 11, 2021. There will be an artist reception on the 13th.

You can read more about the book at the end of my post from June 6, 2021.

Here are this week’s squares.

I did a bit more work on the planisphere for next week’s post, including making up a copy of the one I am using as the basis for the design.

Come back next week for the printable file and the instructions!

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I took a few minutes earlier this week to do the Creative Types quiz from Adobe Create.

Turns out I am a Maker. Funny… I wrote the following sentences for my “About” page when I started the Byopia Press website and blog seven years ago:

I make things. I have made things since I was old enough to handle materials.

Most of the questions on the quiz are open to interpretation which could vary with mood, so I did it over again yesterday.

The descriptions for either category were a fairly good fit, but I wouldn’t make any life-changing plans based on this. I do, however, recommend taking the quiz to see the animations that illustrate each answer!

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In other book arts news:

DIGITAL COLLECTION: A Definite Claim to Beauty: the Kelmscott Press and the Aesthetics of the Book

William Morris was fascinated by English history from a young age, and while at Oxford, deepened his interest in Medieval history, art, and architecture. He disliked the industrially produced goods of his era, comparing their poor quality to traditionally made crafts. In 1871 he persuaded some friends to found a business with him to produce high-quality textiles, wallpaper, stained glass windows, and furniture; in 1875 he bought out his partners and renamed it Morris & Company. His preference for finely made crafts was a reflection not only of his aesthetics but also of his socialism; he felt that under capitalism, industrialization had replaced skilled crafts makers with people who were little more than cogs in a machine, poorly paid and easily replaceable.

An interest in book design and book making naturally followed his other interests. The Chiswick Press printed some of his books, their texts showing his interest in medieval romances and fantasy and their materials and quality of printing reflecting his desire to reproduce the high craft standards of an earlier age. He studied printing, surveyed available materials – even experimenting with making his own ink – and studying historical printing and type design. In 1891 he rented a cottage in Hammersmith to be the home of his new Kelmscott Press and in May of that year its first book, Morris’s fantasy novel The Story of the Glittering Plain, was released. It was the only title to be printed twice by the Kelmscott Press, the first edition being completed without waiting for the illustrations from artist Walter Crane.

In its seven years, the Kelmscott Press printed 53 books, including 23 written by Morris, consisting of poetry, commentaries on aesthetics, reprinted or retold medieval stories and texts, and original novels.

You can find the online exhibition here.

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This workshop by Stephanie Wolff looks like a lot of fun. You can find a detailed description and registration information on this web page.

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It would not have occurred to me to combine cuneiform writing and cookies, but the Getty Museum has done just that. This family-friendly project combines information about cuneiform lettering and a cookie recipe to satisfy both a hunger for knowledge and a craving for something sweet. You can find the full piece here.

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Next week’s post will feature a map of the sky, but this week my Instagram feed produced a different kind of map.

From @friendlesschurches:

Idris Mathias was a postman in Cardigan. His work took him along the Teifi River, and in 1945 he embarked on project that would take 17 years, drawing a 58-foot-long map of the area. His map includes sketches of birds, fishermen – and their names, local landmarks and place-names.

Drawn on to cartridge paper, result is joyous record of the landscape and people of the lower Teifi valley from – Newcastle Emlyn to Cardigan Bay. It even passes through Manordeifi, where Old St David’s church has been in our care since 2000.

I can get lost in in this – it’s so charming, cheerful and packed with information. I am so thankful that this wonderful map has been digitized for safekeeping by agreement between Idris and Beryl Mathias, the Welsh Place-Name Society, Ceredigion County Council, and the National Library of Wales.

You can explore the entire map – in high definition – on the National Library of Wales website.

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I checked a couple of the paper installations I left out for the bald-faced hornets. No sign of any activity. (I did not check the third because it is close to where we think a fox may be denned up with her kits, and I didn’t want to disturb them.)