"Hello, My name is Greg Hall from North Lima, Ohio.  And, I am interested in purchasing your work...!"

This very email sent my heart a thumping and I quickly emailed the Mr. Hall with the particulars that this particular work was available only through my dealer, etc., etc., etc.  As is my normal practice I explained the history of artist's books, etc., etc., etc.  THEN I GOOGLED his name and low and behold, up came about three sites with various emails that were being sent to artists scamming them in shipping work before a check was mailed, cleared, etc.  (Many etc.'s in this blog post!)  As I read through the various emails that were attempting to scam artists I became outraged that people are now trying to scam artists, the very group that can't afford to be scammed and more!  As an artist, one of my pet peeves is when I'm asked to donate a work for a charitable cause with no split of percentage, etc. and is a scheme that takes tremendous advantage of artists and their works.  We artists are a charitable group to begin with since many are not fortunate to eke out a living off their work and I feel that most artists will donate work to worthy causes.  And, here is yet another scheme to take advantage of artists.  Then the flip side of it set in, that this scammer actually wanted my work and was willing to scam me to get it!  Then I was flattered!  Laugh out loud! 

As artists, we now need to be on the lookout for such scams such as this.  Phishing and scamming are so prevalent on the internet, that whole websites are devoted to them.  It's good to google anyone interested in your work prior to shipment and wait for the check, paypal, certified bank check to clear the bank before releasing any work to an internet purchaser.  If the payment doesn't clear, no shipment.  If the purchaser is honest, they clearly understand the situation and are more than happy to wait!  I'm always upfront with an individual who wishes to buy work.  Honesty is always the best policy for me and most buyers are appreciative of this.  I also always tuck in something special such as an extra miniature book, card or token thank you.  I hope you read this, not as a sermon, but as a warning that there are people out there who are just as creative in various channels that are not always honest and legal...All the best!  Sorry Mr. Hall, but this artist won't be sending you any work!

As winter draws it's last breath across the East Coast, trees are starting to bud and the grass is starting to take on a verdant hue!  Everyone is starting to realize that Spring has arrived.  No more so than in Chelsea where this past weekend, galleries welcomed children into view "serious" art with a "Children in Chelsea" day that encouraged parents to bring the little ones along to experience some fun and colorful exhibits!  One of these delightful exhibits is a collage show at Pavel Zoubok Gallery on 26th Street.  The exhibit has two artists with different but very playful perspectives on collage.  Ivan Chermayeff has work resembling faces in his show entitled "About Faces".  Bringing together detritus from everyday life, his playful, exuberant collages and assemblages entice the eye to focus what he sees as a face!  The other show is about an artist whose collages hail from the 1940's and the show is called "Nobody: Collages from the 1940s".  Witold Gordon, was an accomplished artist who worked in commercial as well as fine art and had his graphic work published in many magazines and newspapers.  These collages are reminiscent of some of the collages of Joseph Cornell and Man Ray with very meticulous cutting of dandy outfits with no faces or appendages that are superimposed on photographs of landscapes and european capitals.  Both exhibits are playful and invite the viewer to fill in the blanks.  They are up until April 19th and are well worth the trip.  Catch Kiki Smith at Pace as well as some other great spring exhibits throughout Chelsea!  

With Easter and Mother's Day on the horizon, another great escape is perusing Vamp and Tramp's just released 50 Books Under $50. catalog.  It is available online or can be downloaded as a .pdf at their website  www.vampandtramp.com under the "Home" tab.  They also have a catalog devoted to March all about weather that also highlights some great books.  The 50 Books Under $50 catalog offers some great choices such as Paul Johnson's, Clifton Meador's and Bea Nettles (as well as mine...shameless self-promotion again)!  These little tomes are a great way to get Mom or that special lady in your life something unique and special.  It's also a fun way to expand your own collection of artists books without a great cash outlay.  If you wish to look further, there are other great choices for those book lovers in your life as well as recommendations for making books, repairing books and enjoying book exhibits.  So go ahead and take your IPad or Kindle outside for awhile to catch a spring breeze and really enjoy viewing some of Vamp and Tramp's great offerings.  They will ship anywhere, and accept all major credit cards as well as check and cash!  Can't beat that! 

With winter bearing down upon us, many schools close and mom and/or dad are left with a full day looming ahead with the kids screaming and bouncing off the walls!  What to do, what to do?  Here is a fun bookmaking project that is simple and will keep the kids occupied for a few hours!  And, then of course, perhaps the parents will want to do this as well as they are fun and addicting to create!   Here is the the one-sheet book!  This little process is fun and easy to create by simply folding and cutting! This little delight uses a standard 8 ½” x 11” sheet of paper but can adapt to any size paper.  It can be colored, collaged, added to with text and photocopied to create your very own edition!  This is great for the kids to make with photos of themselves and text and copy and give to grandparents for Valentine’s Day or other great holiday! Enjoy!  Just click on the link and start making these little one-page books!  http://www.shininghours.com/creating/one_sheet_8_pages!.htm

Some people are just hard to shop for and I have a few!  For these friends I end up waiting until the last minute, scratching my head and asking what to get them this year.  Sometimes I'm really lucky and something strikes me as a perfect gift.  But, if you have a few of these friends or family members and they love books, try an artist's book as a lovely gift that is special and unique!  Vamp and Tramp Booksellers has a whole range of wonderful artists books online that can be viewed, purchased and shipped to that hard-to-shop-for individual.  Ranging in a variety of prices, many artists' books can be found in the $50. and under range by perusing their online catalogs that are created around a theme.  Their annual $50. and Under catalog which is online and archived is a wonderful place to start.  Also, they have artists' books for $25. that reflect the holiday mood of stars and heavens such as (shameless self-promotion, here!) "Star Book 1" and "Star Book 2" by JUSTARIP Press!  (http://www.vampandtramp.com/newarrivals.html )  This little tome is a delightful little artists' book that folds flat and then opens to surprise and delight into a star-shaped book with vintage celestial maps and a small poem by Emily Dickinson.  It comes with a gold organza bag and you can use it to hang on a tree, give with a bottle of wine, or just in a nice card for that special someone who enjoys stars, origami, books, and Emily Dickinson.  Whatever the interests, Vamp and Tramp Booksellers provides a wide array of choices of artists books and once you start looking, you will be able to complete your holiday shopping list for those hard-to-buy-for friends.  You might even treat yourself to a few holiday goodies and they are calorie-

It is that time of the year that I have fun looking at different items as special gifts for those creative friends in my life and hopefully, spurring some creativity in some of my logically-minded friends. This year as part of the National Collage Society’s Annual Members’ Show and an award winner (shameless self-promotion here) I am ordering their catalog showcasing the talent and diversity of this great exhibit!  It makes a nice gift that is a book and a special publication highlighting the members’ talent and supporting the NCS.  To view the online exhibit, go to www.nationalcollage.com.  Some other great gifts that I’ve ordered for some friends is by another great collage artist, Randal Plowman.  His 2014 calendars are fabulous and works of art.  The calendars are limited editions of his most popular collages and are produced in editions of 75.  One calendar has 12 images of his bird collages and the other calendar is a lovely assortment of 12 of his miscellaneous collages.  All images can be framed so the receiver can frame his/her choices for themselves and give the others as gifts!  It’s upcycling and definitely is the gift that keeps on giving and gifting!  Another great book for those creative types that work in mixed-media, is Randal Plowman’s new book--The Collage Workbook: How to Get Started and Stay
  Inspired.  This workbook provides the kick to get your creativity started in the New Year or any other time that one needs a little creative nudge.  His calendars and book are available at his website at www.acollageaday.com.  Enjoy the holiday season, and don’t stress as images of these gifts can be downloaded, printed out, cut out and given to the recipient via a holiday card with the message that they soon will be arriving in the mail!  My type of holiday…no muss and no fuss!

Often I peruse artist book sites for ideas and inspiration and none is more exciting to view than the website of Vamp and Tramp Booksellers.  I check daily  to see the “New Arrivals”and often I will go further by clicking on artist/press links to view work.  It’s always fun!  Their online catalogs offer a different theme every month and this month’s is “Last Copy” which is a selection of artists books that have one remaining!  (One of mine is offered, so buy it quick! Shameless self-promotion)  One of my favorite online catalogs done annually is “$50 and Under” which offers artist books for $50. and under!  It makes for great gifts or just a nice little gift to yourself!  All of their catalogs are available online and are archived. Another great treat on their website is their “Home” page that allows you to view past events with a slide show, that Bill and Vicky have attended.  Also, they list their future events and visits which makes for a wonderful day out if you are near where they will be presenting or showing!  Another page offers a great array of books about the book arts and don’t forget “Broadsides”.  This page offers up a delightful page of printed posters and sheets by presses from around the world.  So, all in all, if you are standing in line at the bank, at the dry cleaners or somewhere else where you may need some visual enticement or a mental break, check out www.vampandtramp.com for some eye-opening delights.  They always delight this writer with their ongoing selection and rotation of great work by great book artists!  So get online and start having fun!

As the summer winds down, and school begins, I always like to check my local bookstores and book websites to see what new releases will be hitting the stores for the pre-holiday season!  (Yes, Christmas is officially less than 6 months away!).  Some new releases that look great are "500 Handmade Books, Vol. 2", edited by Julie Chen and published by Lark Books.  This one has one of works included so I do have to shamelessly promote it.  But even so, the preview of included views from the amazon.com website are truly wonderful.  Julie Chen, renowned book artist and educator, has some of the most intricate and wonderful books from her press.  "Ode to a Staircase" is one of my favorites.  She is repped by Vamp and Tramp at www.vampandtramp.com and you may want to check out her offerings via their website.  So, it's with great joy, that one of my works was selected for this wonderful book that follows on the heels of its predecessor, "500 Handmade Books, Vol. 1".  Not released until September, this book would be a wonderful gift for some book lover or yourself!  Another wonderful book released recently is "Book Play" by Margaret Couch Cogswell.  Her delightful whimsical book art sculptures are a delight to behold.  Her book is playful, well thought out with well-written instructions and simple to follow.  But, the work that she provides as projects are inspiration onto themselves.  One can peruse this book and really realize how wonderful and magical artist's books can be!  She will be teaching at the Asheville Bookworks with her workshop teaching one of these marvelous whimsies.  Check it out at www.ashevillebookworks.org!  Another wonderful book to check out is "Book Art" by Clare Youngs.  This book provides many hours of projects based on recycling old books into pop-up books, altered books and upcycled projects.  The instructions are simple and easy to follow with great illustrations of finished projects and samples of other work by other artists.  These three books will soon be added to my library and I will be sitting down with a good cup of coffee in hand to enjoy and dream of the many hours of creativity they will provide.  They are all available from your local bookstore or at www.amazon.com! 

An exciting book arts exhibit opened Thursday at the Center for Book Arts in New York City!  It's an exciting exhibit as it demonstrates the power of art to inform and educate the public to an act that has created such a wonderful outpouring of support and generosity in the book arts community. 

Al-Mutanabbi Street Starts Here assembles artists' responses to the tragic loss of a cultural and intellectual hub in Baghdad that occurred in March 5, 2007, by a car-bomb explosion.   Thirty people were killed and more than 100 people injured, and it was the historic cultural, intellectual and literary hub of Baghdad with bookstores, cafes and tobacco shops.  The call to book artists was to reflect on the targeted attack on the street of the booksellers as well as the ultimate futility of those who try to erase thought.  This important and timely exhibition will be held in five New York City cultural venues from July 10 to September 21, 2013.

The Center for Book Arts will be presenting the exhibition, in collaboration with Alwan for the Arts, Columbia University Libraries, International Print Center New York, and Poets House. This major traveling exhibition, which will feature approximately 250 artists' books and 50 broadside (prints) by artists from around the world, was co-organized by Beau Beausoleil, Founder of the Al-Mutanabbi Street Coalition, and Sarah Bodman, Senior Research Fellow at the Center for Fine Print Research in Bristol, UK. A comprehensive catalogue
accompanies the exhibition.

While checking out this wonderful exhibit, check out their class offerings for the summer and take a break from the heat.  Always fun and educational things to do and see at the Center for Book Arts!  Check out their offerings at www.centerforbookarts.org!

For all lovers of books and book art, some great news for all of us book lovers on the East Coast!  Maddy Rosenberg, founder and director of Central Booking which opened in the DUMBO area of Brooklyn has found new digs!  And, they are in the Lower Eastside here in New York City!  They aren't that far from Dieu Donne Paper either so you can catch a great exhibit on paper and the book arts in the same area!  Her new space will be at 21 Ludlow Street, not that far from Canal Street and Broome Street!  There is also the Lower Eastside Printshop nearby, the DIA Center on West Broadway with Walter DeMaria's "Broken Kilometer" on exhibit as well as the June Kelley Gallery and O.K. Harris Gallery.  There are great boutiques and galleries to check out throughout the area.  This writer is very excited and can't wait until Central Booking has its official opening.  Here is the email announcement about Central Booking from Maddy Rosenberg!

"Thank you for your patience during these many months of waiting for CENTRAL BOOKING to re-open in its own space again. But the wait was worth it, we are moving into our lovely 2700 square foot new home in the Lower Eastside at 19-21 Ludlow Street very soon!

Since it is so late in the season, we will delay opening festivities until September, along with the premiere of Gallery II (Art & Science) with the exhibition "Un/Natural Occurrences." Details will follow. But do come visit us when we re-open with the work of the more than 160 artists represented by CENTRAL BOOKING who work with the book.

Please stay tuned for actual opening information! We just wanted all of you to share in our good news."

For more information about Central Booking "like" them on Facebook and check out the website for up-to-date news and sign-up for their email! 

Also nearby is Mindy Bellof's great studio and press called Intima Press.  Located nearby at Union Square, Mindy provides some wonderful workshops on artists books, letterpress, and more!  Her space is intimate and cozy and provides some alternative workshops in the book arts that may entice you.  Check out her schedule and activities at www.intimapress.com.

The Lower Eastside Printshop also offers workshops and classes.  Check out their schedule at www.printshop.org.  They also offer some fun classes and residency programs in letterpress and the book arts. 

Enjoy the lovely weather, and start taking some classes and congratulations to Central Booking!  We can't wait!