The transferred image becomes the background for the scenes I create on my journal covers . The work I ’ m making now once again traces back to my youth . When I was young , I received a set of Colorforms ( the vinyl re-stickable creative toy ) in the form of an architectural blueprint . I ’ d spend hours configuring spaces with walls , doors , windows , furniture , and shrubbery . I loved rearranging my own bedroom and , when allowed , the living room . I considered going into architecture , interior design , or real estate . Nowadays I get way too excited about viewing houses for sale . There ’ s an inside joke behind that .
I am equally drawn to the outdoors and the indoors , and find myself designing landscapes and interior spaces on my journal covers . Most of the imagery in my current work is aiming to convey a sense of place , of peace and quiet , and of sanctuary . I ’ m pretty quiet in real life and have a strong need for order and organization . Those qualities show through in my compositions . I ’ m very deliberate in my image making ; it ’ s an odd combination of precision and frenzy . I will construct and contemplate , arrange and rearrange , until finally pieces fall into place and I ’ m overwhelmed with a visceral response .
There ’ s a push and pull between the creative chaos of composing an image and the calm meditation of binding the book . I become quiet inside , centered , refreshed , as I go through the moving meditation of hand-tearing pages and sewing book after book . This balance of right brain and left brain is dynamic yet soothing . The bookbinding process is essential to my sanity (!) and creative well being .
I sew all of my encaustic journals with Coptic binding , which is well suited for writing and drawing as the pages open flat . It has a lovely chain along the spine that I often embellish with a Weave , Greek Stitch , or End Bands . For my Butterfly Books , I designed a special Butterfly Stitch . I use thin wood panels for the covers ( typically Encausticbord ) and the books are sturdy enough to be displayed vertically on a shelf as a threedimensional diptych . The back covers are as visually important as the front covers . The Butterfly Books show the wingspan when open , and the Blue Ridge Books have a panoramic landscape .