The Bridge PAI | terriloui

December 2, 2014

Bookboxes at the Gift Forest, ho!

I donned my craft snood and fashioned some gift items for sale at the Gift Forest, an annual pop-up holiday gift shop hosted by The Bridge gallery with 60+ Virginia artisans and vendor wares. Runs December 1st to 24th, weekdays 12-8PM and weekends 10AM-6PM (Christmas Eve opened 10AM-4PM), 209 Monticello Road in Charlottesville, by the Spudnuts.

I had made and tucked away (forgot and lost actually) two prototype bookboxes and decided to make more with my favorite source material, recycled Reader’s Digest Condensed Books. Uniform in height and depth, with faux leather spine, sturdy case binding and attractive graphic print covers, I have a collection of nearly 600 covers to choose from.

Reader’s Digest Condensed Book covers.

The bookboxes have sturdy, contrasting print sides and mini magnetic closures. Perfect for desktop display or to cache treasures deep in the bookcase. I raided my sewing basket for vintage buttons, ribbon scraps and leather tabs.

The six bookboxes and four bookbags pictured below are at the Gift Forest and available for purchase: $25 each bookbox and $45 each bookbag. Have a favorite book you want transformed into objet d’art or unique whatnot? I take commissions.

4 little bookbags: Seahorse, plum gold floral, brown plaid and blue quatrefoil.

I popped in opening night, the first of December to check it out. Strange day, nearly 70 degrees. Yet, it is that time and we will shop in sandals or boots. In my heart, I covet and would add 86% of what I saw there to my wish list. Like that neon sign across town saying, Get In Here: go to the Gift Forest, get in there. But save a few things for me, please.

Outside looking in.

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November 17, 2014

Bookbags, kimchi and CSAs. Say what?

We’ve had a CSA (community supported agriculture) vegetable share with Bellair Farm for three years and reupped for 2015. Can’t compliment Farmer Jaime, owner Cynnie and the crew enough. Besides the abundant fields and ability to choose what you take home in your weekly bag, there are pick your own fields with sunflowers or hot peppers, you can hang out and bring a picnic lunch on Saturdays, hike the walking trails, play with the bunnies and just be on the farm. Our challenge is in eating enough veggies! Always leftovers from each week’s share. At the season-end potluck supper in late October, they provided even more abundance… and with that additional bag, my fridge actually exploded.

Sifting through the vegetable carnage, I know that pickling and canning really should be something I do, but don’t. However, I enjoy fermenting. I made my first pseudo kimchi with gorgeous daikon radishes, carrots and everything but the kitchen sink. My husband commented on the stench, not knowing it was fermenting beautifully and soon to be plated with dinners ahead.

Our other CSA experience (community supported art) is with The Bridge in Charlottesville. In 2013, I was one of four artists invited to produce works for this inaugural offering. Here are images of some of the 50 bookbags I produced from all recycled materials. They’ve expanded the CSA program in 2014 with six local artists and shares are still available.

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March 21, 2013

Books are magical

CvilleArtBlog

Rose Guterbock & A.I.Miller are the artists behind CvilleArtBlog, a great new resource covering the artistic array of Charlottesville. I met them both at the opening reception for Ex Ex Libris and shortly after, they shared this review.

Long has captured the essence of Terry Pratchett’s L-Space Theory and uses it to remind us of the importance of books. By weaving a tapestry with their covers, she shows how they can warp space and time to remind us of who we are and what makes up our history.

The show hangs for another week. The Bridge is officially open Monday-Wednesday 12-6pm, Saturday 10am – 3pm, but is hosting events nearly every night this week, many as part of The VA Festival of the Book, 3-20 to 3-24, 2013. Tonight there’s storytelling with the Big Blue Door Jam and tomorrow a wild poetry slam and dance party at the Emily Dickinson Afterparty.

I will be hanging out gallery sitting this Saturday 3/23 from 10-3. Pop on by!

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March 8, 2013

Catching up with Cville Niche

Kind words from the fine folks at Cville Niche who highlight all things interesting, creative, musical and delicious in Charlottesville. I very much enjoyed this Q & A about books and the opportunity to crow about the upcoming VA Festival of the Book to boot.

They allowed me to wax about my scavenging, collecting and collaging; plug favorite book stores, books and authors, too.

Speaking of authors, I greatly admire them, the whole lot. But I have never written a book, yet flattered no less, when I came across this “edited” version of the flyer at the McIntire Recyling Book Bin.

What’s in a word… Author, Artist?! The text describes art from books but I didn’t have the heart to edit their edit.

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February 27, 2013

Hanging out

We hung the show late last night. The weather never cooperated, steady cold rain all day and night. None of us wanted to load and unload cars, but eventually we capitulated and met at 7:30pm to install the show at The Bridge.

This is a two person show and I share the walls with Joanna Mullen. She brought two of her Art Box framing crew friends along. Delightful ladies who had the wherewithall to fetch bagels from Bodo’s to help us keep our wits.

Opening reception is Friday 3/1 from 6 to 8pm, catching the early and late First Friday gallery crawlers, and is generally a great scene. Now for the sartorial concern, what am I going to wear?