Today I drove into Baltimore and went to the St. Charles building, an old row house type building owned by the University of Baltimore. It houses the Creative Writing department and was originally a brothel--back in the day. The ceilings are high, the window wells deep, and the stairs between floors steep and narrow. I love it. Luckily there's an elevator now.
I took part 1 of a 2 part book binding workshop. It was so much fun!!! I re-learned how to make several types of handmade books (Originally learned in the book arts class I took at Mills College.) The creative process--handling paper and scissors, starting with a form in mind but not an end result--was so energizing. I wrote a poem while I was cutting and folding. After the 4-hour class I went straight to an art shop for paper for the hardbound books we'll be making next week.
There's nothing like hand-made paper. It's gorgeous and relatively inexpensive. The textures can feel almost like fabric. And since my book arts prof took our class to a paper making company in Berkeley once, I have a great appreciation for the process of handmade paper. I took some pictures of what I bought today, but they don't do the paper justice. Next time you're in an art store, just ask to see the handmade paper if you don't already know how fantastic it is. I'll post pictures of my finished projects next week.
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