Meditative, explorative, playful ways of merging form and content lie at the heart of my handcrafted books. The bookmaking process allows me to meld so many things I enjoy—writing, paper textures, image-making techniques, and printing processes. With each new project, I experience the word book unfolding in unanticipated, magical ways.
I thrive on following an idea from hazy visions and broad sketches to book prototypes and the first finished form—”finished” in the sense of whatever feels vibrant in some hoped-for way. With every book, I seek to create an elegant simplicity by selecting beautiful materials, meticulously crafting each feature, and incorporating distinctive details. One-of-a-kind and small-edition (for me, 30 or fewer copies) artist’s books are my specialties.
Since this art form holds such rich possibilities for personal expression, I enjoy teaching others how to make a wide variety of book styles. Most recently, I offered a class on pamphlet-stitched variations at the Paul and Florence Thomas Memorial Art School, in beautiful Glendale Springs, NC. Our group had a delightful day full of bookmaking!
I’m open to ideas about and requests for other workshop opportunities, and I offer unique group-bookmaking experiences, called Shared Spaces Bookmaking, for people who would like to create a book together—even if they live far apart.
Various one-of-a-kind and editioned books are described elsewhere on this site: Artist’s Books and Books & Tales. You might also like to see the two photos of my artist’s book Primary Melody that appear in 500 Handmade Books: Inspiring Interpretations of a Timeless Form (Lark Books, 2008).
One of my books, Remnants Gathered, has been selected by juror Carol Sauvion for inclusion in an October 3–December 18, 2010, national juried exhibition at The Bascom, in Highlands, NC. Ms. Sauvion was the executive producer of the PBS Craft in America series, and she founded both Freehand Gallery and the nonprofit organization Craft in America. I’m honored by this opportunity!
Because poetry writing is another passion of mine, I weave poetry into many of the Books & Tales descriptions, in which I share the experiences that inspired particular books.
I offer two types of blank books—a small journal that incorporates a brief original poem, along with the blank pages for your writing, and a miniature book that can be tucked into a pocket or purse or worn as a necklace.
In October 2009, I had the great privilege of serving as the artist-in-residence for Mammoth Cave National Park, where I experienced many aspects of the world’s longest known cave system and its distinctive karst surroundings. My rich experiences there have already inspired one artist’s book project, for donation to the park. On the Mammoth Cave Wonders page, you can read about and see images of Cave Sing: Mammoth Cave National Park, 
an artist’s book I completed for the park’s December Cave Sing event, an annual celebration with 19th-century roots.
Also on the Mammoth Cave Wonders page, I describe a five-book set, A Cabinet of Mammoth Cave Wonders, I recently completed for the park. Complementing the book photographs are my reflections about the residency, the labyrinthine cave system, and the great Mammoth Cave National Park rangers and other staff (many thanks, everyone!).
A wealth of information about this park—a national and world treasure—appears on Mammoth Cave National Park’s website. Fortunately, my stay at the park coincided with the airing of Ken Burns’s beautiful series The National Parks: America’s Best Idea (which at least gave a nod to MCNP’s history); Kentucky Educational Television’s broadcast of the fascinating documentary Mammoth Cave: A Way to Wonder; and the release of Grand, Gloomy and Peculiar: Stephen Bishop at Mammoth Cave, Roger Brucker’s absorbing historical novel (which reflects the author’s experiences as a renowned cave explorer) about the 19th-century African American who, while enslaved, gained international fame as a Mammoth Cave guide and explorer. Also, just after I returned home, an interview with Ranger Jerry Bransford—the great-great-grandson of legendary guide and explorer Mat Bransford, also enslaved and a contemporary of Bishop—appeared in American Profile. All of these factors, combined with my park adventures, deepened my sense of having had an immersion experience that will inform my bookmaking for years to come!
Welcome to book arts journeys with me . . .
