The wonderful world of paper will be explored during the month of October as the Watauga County Arts Council and the Jones House Community Center host two new exhibits featuring books, handmade paper and original prints.
Appalachian State University’s Department of Art will present student works from printmaking classes in the Mazie Jones Gallery. The Open Door Gallery will feature handmade books and paper products created by Sharon Sharp.
"Books as physical objects have always entranced me," said Sharp. "When I read, I’m intrigued by the way text is wedded to the page and to the overall book form. When I write, my journals offer a defined space of boundless explorations. When I edit others’ writings, the books-in-progress become maps of collaborative thought that follow courses set by the authors."
From 1984 to 2004, Sharp edited nonfiction books for a variety of publishing houses and taught editing classes and workshops. In 2002 she took Steve Millers course on book arts at the Penland School of Crafts. "I learned how to do letterpress printing and various relief printing techniques, using a Vandercook press," said Sharp. "After that experience, I appreciated the history of books an printing as never before."
In 2003 Sharp completed Penland’s eight-week books and paper concentration course taught by Julie Leonard, a book artist and instructor at the Iowa Center for the Book, and Ann Marie Kennedy, a paper maker and paper artist. After that, Sharp attended the Paper and Book Intensive, an annual national workshop.
"Although I make blank journals, I’m most interested in how text relates to the form and materials for a book," said Sharp. "I enjoy exploring single letters, printed text, and handwritten text as unique visual entities linked to painting, relief printing, collage and other techniques."
Sharp stated that her method of creating books changes each time she begins a new project. "My process varies from project to project. In some cases, a particular writing idea will float around for weeks before I get a sense of what book structure could best make that idea come alive. In others, I begin by envisioning images and toying with those for a while, only to find them triggering a flow of writing.
ASU’s Art Department, considered one of the most advanced in the Southeast, has consistently produced some of the most innovative printmakers in the country. Under the tutelage of Scott Ludwig, the student-artists at Appalachian are learning traditional printmaking techniques while utilizing some of the newer innovations in graphic arts such as computer software such as Photoshop.
The new exhibited work in the Mazie Jones Gallery illustrates the wide range of techniques possible from traditional methods such as wood, linoleum, and copper plates while at the same time embracing contemporary processes that employ digital, photo-based and non-toxic methods.
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