First Portland week, hooray

Flowers (the arrangements were so lovely and now I get to live with them), dogs, children. All ready for an opening!

One little corner of the main gallery space. I had panicked last night in bed, wondering if all the work should have been hung off of the wall like the one in the corner. And then I was woken up early (before 7am) by a yoga class next door.

The vinyl always makes it look official. Of course I forgot to take pictures of it once it was all stuck up there!

Delicious spread; my first that included kumquats! I was all over those pre- and post-opening.

This refrigerator setup works well for most residencies, though I may come home 10 pounds heavier than when I left for the book tour. NOT joking.

New vinyl for the windows, too! And Jenn did a great job with the chalkboard/white board for the sidewalk. I only have one more event, the workshop in a week, before checking them all off of the West Coast list! Hoping for some calmer sleep tonight after at least ten events in six cities in three weeks. I know that's light for a book tour, but it's heavy for this sleepy one!

Easy timing

I'm learning to go with the flow; the speed of things in Portland is completely opposite my natural speed and what I usually expect. But with all these gaps in time, I get to process the recent adventures here, shop for yummy food, and even go to yoga (yay!) in the morning. I had this idea that I would lose weight on book tour but it isn't happening because my hosts have all been amazingly generous and constantly feed me. I'm not complaining!

Tomorrow night, show opening!

Slow install, big gratitude

I still haven't quite gotten enough rest, and might not until May, but have been slowly putting the show together, with lots of help from the good people and friends of c3:initiative.

Tonight was Cloth & Goods, wonderful.

All that above is about how well I am able to articulate myself these days. Outrageously tired. My hosts, so warm and generous, including tonight: Melissa created such a beautiful space and community and provided the perfect treats to eat and drink, and like so many of those who have been supporting what I do, did it with open arms, open heart. If you are in Portland, visit and enjoy. If I had my wits about me, I would have taken pictures, but I see why I should have brought my proper camera on this trip (the cell phone camera, eh). I got to meet a couple of papermakers, a photographer, a ceramic artist, a textiles artist, a collage artist, a carpenter, a museum administrator, and the list goes on. OF COURSE we all salivated over the Rowland Ricketts runner. I hope for indigo dreams.

Quiet morning,

new friend! Hot tea, starting slowly.

The final West Coast city: Portland!

All hands on deck in Tacoma at APCC! This was a great classroom: lots of table space, lots of counter space, two sinks, and lots of windows. We covered a LOT in just a day an a half and the students were wonderful.

One of my youngest students, and one of the most diligent. She did a LOT of weaving. I was impressed with everyone, because they all finished their homework (cutting down and making 16 cords).

Patsy and the start of her basket. I had randomly chosen to wear green, but she did it consciously for the holiday.

We had tons of scraps left over from the Wing Luke event. Total abundance, if you know what you're doing (it's hanji! There are sooo many possibilities). After the workshop ended, I was able to visit quickly with Jessica and Chandler, which was all sorts of delightful even in my post-teaching stupor. I was amazed at how difficult it was for me to form sounds with my mouth and process everything. I'm glad they were still nice to me, even though I was blabbering.

I was sad to leave Patsy's cozy home and wondrous Korean mom/grandmom caretaking, but enjoyed the scenery on the train ride down to Portland. Shir Ly picked me up at the station, we dropped by Cloth & Goods to pick up extra books, and then headed to the wonder that is c3. This is one of the beautiful things that greeted me upon arrival.

I walked a bit to get something to eat and was sad to see this on the local bookstore windows. Though I was very happy with my food (and drink. I finally let myself indulge after many days of workworkwork).

Last night, I designed this new necklace. Patsy has the original; this is my copy. Very happy about having a new piece for the paper jewelry workshop next weekend!

The space is fantastic. I am so very delighted to be here and to start hanging my show. We rushed off to OCAC so I could set up and give my talk. It was another healthy crowd and I was glad to move a few more books and meet a student who had just given a presentation about me to a class, not realizing that I was coming to talk tonight. Tomorrow, I hope to sleep in. Or at least loll about in bed for a while before starting to work again.

Processing overabundance

These first five images are all taken by the wonderful and talented Brenda Paik Sunoo, a photographer and writer and artist and traveler and all-around good, thoughtful person. She and I connected through the internet's ethers via hanji. Surprise, surprise. She documented my workshop at Mills last week and I picked the ones that make me look the best. Surprise, surprise. Here is my beating demo with the wonderful dowels cut by the maintenance department.

Formation aid! It set up beautifully. So now I know it must be just me and Cleveland water that doesn't get along.

Adding formation aid to the vat. I love that transformation.

One of my excuses for getting the expensive beverage for lunch the day prior was to re-use the glass bottle to test beaten fibers.

It's hard to see the pinpricks of light in such strong sunlight, and then all I wanted to do was keep this piece of damp hanji around my neck to stay cool.

This is from today, in Seattle, at the Wing Luke Museum (before the kids arrived for my workshop, when everything was nice and neat. I wish I had a snapshot from the end, when the entire place was turned upside down). I have been in Washington since Wednesday and it goes from sun to rain to sun to rain. I had a nice turnout for my UW lecture at the East Asia Library, before which I got a haircut with a stranger on impulse (usually I go to Korean hairdressers. This is my first non-Korean haircut since 2005 or so). My decision was based on seeing the above pictures of my bird's nest hair and my deep weariness, which made the idea of someone shampooing my hair + being allowed to close my eyes while sitting seem quite attractive. Patsy picked me up in Seattle and drove me to Federal Way, where we had the best Korean food I've had since Korea (aside from my mother's, of course). It was super fresh, beautiful, and well-seasoned. The chef picks things like dandelion greens from her own garden, and had just made another dish with herbs she had picked in the mountains a day or two before we ate them. After shoveling as much as I could into my mouth, we headed to her gorgeous home, where I treated myself to a bath and gratefully crawled into a soft, warm bed.

How awesome is this pin that Vivian, the community programs manager at Wing Luke, made for these events?? When she first offered me an apron, I felt I didn't need it. But once I saw the button, I put it on right away. I was so impressed by the place. It's not only beautiful and full of provoking and valuable exhibits, but the staff was amazing. Super friendly and super professional all at once. This is a rare combo. I felt like I was family and that I was being taken care of very well. I had just enough time to have a bit of tea and food before the families rushed in. I was worried about not having enough hanji, and the situation looked dire after the first 30 to 45 minutes, but then the initial rush of mom bloggers and kids coming from a prior event petered out and the rest of the time was much more manageable. As I imagined, everyone loved the joomchi activity. I loved seeing how quickly kids who walked in figured out that there were a few basic steps, which involved throwing around wads of wet paper and banging on it.

Between my Seattle days was my Tacoma day: a talk/reading for APCC and a workshop in the afternoon. My students are fascinating and exhibited one of the bigger age ranges than I usually get (I have a teenager! And she is really good with her hands). Today after the museum gig (and a visit to Daniel Smith in the morning), Patsy took me to Uwajimaya to shop, browse, and enjoy cream puffs. See if you can locate the washi in this picture. Then we went to the 90th birthday celebration of a beloved member of the Korean community in Washington. I met Korean American politicians (state senator, state representative)! I've never done that before. Meanwhile, I have not slept enough nor rested enough but really can't complain: if someone 35 years my senior can be at my side and drive me around and host me and take excellent care of me, then I can do my job and be grateful for it.

Oh, and! My poet friend Joe started his book tour for his new book, too. And, submit to be part of a new magazine! It's past time for bed, so I can finish up my workshop on Sunday and then enjoy the treat to follow.

California, check. Heading north!

Blessed in the morning by the turkey at Mills. I did mad amounts of prep for this workshop, so I was glad to see the resident turkey twice in three days.

I was very concerned that this was too sunny for students and I was right. We eventually moved the beating stations but left the papermaking stations in the sun. Though it exhausted the students, it was a good way to keep people moving and taking turns. I am grateful for the vitamin D, because I just flew today to Seattle, which is cloudy and rainy (which is also fine, and normal—I'm not complaining!).

Faith, grad student / TA / super fun artist who also knits paper, beats in the old-fashioned manner I presented as grandma style. We requested that maintenance cut three sets of dowels for us and they worked like a charm. I am a total convert. Light but effective, and you can adjust how heavy they are by where you grip them.

Brenda (a photojournalist who does lots of wonderful work in Korea and beyond, based in SoCal) took a break from photographing to beat fiber with these funny things that Lara found at the hardware store. What are they? I have no idea, but they work for cooking fiber as well as beating it.

Papermaking! Of course there were technical issues, because I had sent all my instructions via email and didn't personally supervise the construction of tools, but it all worked out fine in the end.

Drying paper on pellons. It's terribly convenient to have trees adjacent.

In the parking lot before my final dinner in Oakland, right on the lake, with the family of the family that was hosting me. All of my hosts thus far have been ultra wonderful and generous, opening doors of their homes and sharing the family fun and warmth. Gratitude all around.

Goodbye, Oakland. Fascinating that the airport exhibit called "paper work" included no papermakers or artists who make their own paper. But today, just an hour or two after landing in Seattle, I got to meet someone who is a true paper junkie. She doesn't make it but she understands it more intimately than maybe even some papermakers (it's a ridiculous claim but if you could see...you'd agree). Claudia is a binder extraordinaire, one of those people who does so much and knows so much and makes insanely wonderful work. What an inspiration! For more inspiration, I did an interview with Velma that is now live on Bookbinding Now! Listen and be soothed by Velma's voice and work and process and philosophy.

Tomorrow, March 14, I give a talk/demo at UW Seattle at 3:30pm at the East Asia Library (in Gowen Hall).

Friday, March 15, I'll be in Tacoma to do a reading and then start a workshop for the APCC.

Saturday, March 16, a 1 to 3pm Family Fun Day event involving joomchi at the Wing Luke Museum.

Sunday, March 17, back in Tacoma for the rest of the APCC workshop.

This is why I can barely blog, but I keep trying (and haven't even switched my time zone to the west coast yet!).

Familiar faces of fiber

Back at Mills, but this time to teach papermaking: scrap wood to weigh kozo while soaking, cooked fiber and cooking liquor, vat. Class is tomorrow but today is all about prep.

The hot plate works! I'm always skeptical when I can't see fire, but we're on batch two. The curved wooden piece is great to stir with though we don't know what its original purpose was. My talk yesterday at the Mills library had a wonderful turnout, a lovely spread of goodies, and lots and lots of interesting and interested people asking lots of questions. I sold out of books, so I'll be traveling that much lighter when I fly to Seattle on Wednesday. Alisa Golden did a wonderful write-up of my lecture, complete with images of some of my props. This is what I love about the Bay Area book arts community—enthusiasm and generous support of each other.

Final chill

The days off go so quickly! Today was all San Francisco. Key drop off, brunch, dessert and tea, walking around for errands, sitting to watch fish.

Gorgeous day, both chilly and hot all at once. Good to see an old friend, and to take a slow but fun morning with my lovely hosts.

Ice cream makes it all sweeter. Big two-family dinner and now, packing for tomorrow: Oakland. I speak at Mills College, their library, at 2pm on Sunday. Turning my watch forward now!

Ocean as magnet

Yesterday was overcast and a bit rainy but I had to see the water (besides, the reward is too delicious and so close).

Today was much sunnier, but also much windier. But I am a bit more opened up after a yoga class yesterday with Naomi. I sat there trying to remember when I was last in a yoga class and I fear it may have been the last time I was in California, two years ago (almost exactly)!

You can't see any of it here but everything is sparkling because the wind is blowing sand constantly. I was happy to be on sand after walking over three miles on concrete to run errands (shipping art for a show in Hungary, the bank, watching the neighborhood shift, remembering when I lived here briefly, almost 15 years ago).

Not mine, but glad someone went barefoot. I'm working hard at relaxing, which probably means I'm failing. But I am definitely enjoying the sliver of time off before I get back to work this weekend.

At the water's edge

Note to self: it helps when I can install artwork for people instead of giving them all sorts of instructions from a distance, thinking that it will make sense to anyone but me. I was very happy to have been able to hang this (so subtle; it has changed a LOT in the almost 4 years since it was born) to everyone's satisfaction, safely!

My last morning in Davis looked sunny, though the forecast was rain. I left my umbrella behind while strolling and got caught in the rain. So I ran down to hang out with huge, active ducks by the water because of the tree canopy. When it came down harder, I stood directly under a trunklike branch to stay dry. This little one kept me company.

I snapped this before making a payment for some hanji that is enroute to Seattle for my event at the Wing Luke Museum, though it may also be put into play for my talk/demo at UW Seattle. My talks at both Davis and Berkeley were wonderful: generous, diverse crowds with lots of enthusiasm. The traveling exhibit goes over well, though it's packed in with my clothes for a month, gifts for hosts, and supplies for workshops, so it's tricky to be discreet in my entrances and exits as I pack and unpack hanji and underwear simultaneously.

I wasn't able to walk a lot of the arboretum in Davis but this was a root sample. I have scheduled my first two weeks on the road so that I am only in one place for up to three nights. It's easy to feel rootless but my friends have been such kind and generous hosts that I'm okay, and love the quiet time I get in their homes that feel to me like refuge. Mostly, I am so grateful that every single day of my tour (at least for the California leg) involves daily hugs. Now, a walk to the Pacific!

Landed

In California! Tomorrow, Tuesday (March 5): I'll be speaking at UC Davis in Everson 157 at 4pm. Lots of hanji, art, objects, photos, videos. I am being taken care of very well by a good friend and Tam even came to visit from Reno! She came bearing wondrous gifts and also practical things that I had forgotten in NY and we ate cupcakes and walked around and lots of catching up. I have not slept enough and remember why travel is exhausting but wonderful. I saw palm trees today. Have to remind myself: in Cali, not east, and not where these good folks last night were going at gate B6 of O'Hare.

Buttery

Today is my last full day before I fly to California to start my west coast book tour. Yesterday I had my final fling with NYC, which included schlepping books to AsiaStore (yay! A NYC retail location for my books!), being a nice citizen by telling someone in front of me that his backpack was zipped open, promptly getting on the wrong subway, somehow making it to lunch on time but slashing my finger at the entrance, accidentally taking a huge hunk of butter thinking it was cheese and then eating ALL OF IT in hopes that by eating the evidence, no one would notice that I had made that mistake, hanging out with a dear friend, having dinner with family, and then trying to sleep with the knowledge that the equivalent of my yearly butter intake was in my system all at once.

Let's hope I make it onto the plane without further mishap.

One final note, more serious: I was very sad to hear that the mother of two of my dear friends and colleagues in Cleveland passed away last weekend. She was the benefactor who made the Morgan's hanji studio possible and I am sorry that I was never able to meet her in person. Thank you and rest in peace!