Sending two books to the Philadelphia Center for the Book exhibit

Stolen Shadows by Judith Hoffman is on its way to the Looking Out/Looking in exhibit at the Philadelphia Center for the Book.

I am delighted to say I just sent Stolen Shadows and In Which Our Main Character Has a Moment of Wonderment to the Looking Out/Looking In exhibit at the Philadelphia Center for the Book. I haven't accomplished much in the last few years so it's nice to be able to share something with other artists and people in general. There will be a Zoom artist's talk on November 3rd. You need to register at the PCB website to attend. The exhibit can be viewed in person at Swarthmore's McCabe Library October 23rd to December 5th. It can also be viewed online beginning October 22nd at the Looking Out/Looking In exhibition page. 

I'm in the PSBA member's exhibit!

A Child's Introduction to the Wonders of Space by Judith Hoffman. Artist book, coptic bound, 10 inches wide. 

I am so delighted to say I was juried into the Puget Sound Book Artists almost-annual members exhibit. Last year's exhibit was postponed because of Covid. I'm showing A Child's Introduction to the Wonders of Space, which I am particularly fond of. (the link is to a blog post - which includes enlargeable images.) I haven't entered many shows for the last 5 years or more, so this is a real treat for me. 

The books in the show are posted online here. There are links in the right hand column to the books. The show is at the Collins Library, University of Puget Sound, Tacoma, WA. It will be up through October 1, 2021. There is a closing event on that day, in person, at the Collin's Library.

There will be a Zoom Panel Discussion on September 23. Four artists will talk about their books. The discussion is free but registration is required.

I hope you are all well. Please get your shots, wear masks and be safe! There are good things in life, even with all this stress. Try to see them. For me it's the start of our rainy season. Friday night we had a lot of rain. I love this cool, wet weather. I'm sorry to see the garden fade, but fall is beautiful in Portland. It's perfect for walking and we live near a nice park so walking is perfect.

Consider This - Inktober Questions

Some things to think about now if you want to do Inktober:

If you are going to scan your drawings to post online, choose a sketchbook that will fit on your scanner. If you like to work across the two pages, make it small enough to fit. You probably don't want to have to use software to stitch together two images every day. Get your pens in a row before the end of the month. Make sure you have refills or an extra of your favorite pen.

(Image: Red Prismacolor pencil and ink pen. This image has nothing to do with Inktober, but I can't stand to post without one. I have been enjoying this two-handed drawing technique. It makes me loosen up, I am not in charge of either hand. The photo is from Sktchy - I forgot to make a note of the source.)

Do you want a separate sketch book for the month? Or maybe 30 5 x 7 pieces of paper you love to draw on? Don't make them too large - that may be intimidating.

Consider, will you use the prompts provided? Do you want to go out and draw in public, will you use imagery from the internet? Do you want to set a goal - i.e. improve hatching, learn to use a brush pen? Or do you want to stick with a theme? None of these things are necessary, but might be fun or educational.

Should you set a time limit for yourself? It's not too hard to get 15 or 20 minutes every day to do a quick sketch. Diving in and spending an hour each day for the first week might be too much and you may burn out too fast. Do you want to sketch every day or only on weekends, or only on weekdays? I know the idea is to sketch every day, but if that's not possible, don't let that keep you from doing what you can. Even doing some days will help you to get where you want to be.

At the end of the month make notes for yourself. What worked well? Was a goal of 20 minutes a day too much? Did you wish for another kind of pen? Or different paper?

Look, look, look

Installation detail of video created by curator for Look, Look, Look…A Playful Book, Center for Book Arts, 2018

I like the idea of having little kids test drive artist's books. From a Hyperallergic article Why Grownups Should Play with Artist's Books Designed for Kids about a show at the Center for Book Arts in New York: "By and large, these books do not tell elaborate stories; the vast majority don’t tell stories at all, at least not as a typical picture book would. Instead, many of these works focus on delight — through the surprise of shapes unfolding, revelations of shifting scale, new images found by rotating things around, new spectacles revealed as each page turns."

Pinhole Photos and Cameras at Filoli

Above: Pinhole photo of Late Cretaceous, taken by Tyrannosaurus photoventris, my handmade pinhole camera that takes photos of the Late Cretaceous.

I have been invited to show my handmade pinhole cameras, Spirits Under Glass, and part of my old snapshot camera collection in the visitor center at Filoli, Woodside, California. At the same time I will have two photos in "Hidden Beauty," an exhibit of photographs, also in the visitor center. The show is up from June 25 to August 18, 2013. Hours are Tuesday - Saturdays, 10 am - 3:30 pm, Sundays 11 am - 3:30 pm.


Above: Zymo 127 pinhole camera, ©2011. Camera built to take photos in the Zymoglyphic Museum. About 12 inches high. Altoids tin, brass, found spring, wooden dowel, brass nuts, fabricated, 127 film format. Spirits Under Glass, artist's book that holds the photos from the Zymo 127 series. ©2012, 10.75 x 8.25 x 3.5 inches. Davey board, Arches cover, acrylics, brass with heat patinas, beveled glass, photos printed with archival inks, varnished.

There will be two "Meet the Artist" days July 20 and 21, (10 am to 3 pm Sat., 11 am to 3 pm Sun.) Some of the photographers in the show will be selling other prints, cards and books on the "Meet the Artist" days. (I will not) There is an admission charge, which also admits you to the grounds of Filoli: Adults $15, Seniors $12 (65 years and older), Students $5 (college students, please present current I.D.)

Here is the postcard - both images enlarge.

My favorite photography magazine

I recently received my copy of Diffusion Magazine - a photo of the Zymoglyphic Mermaid was included in the Group Showcase section, page 67. This is my favorite photo magazine - it's an annual and worth waiting for. This issue is packed with 94 pages of great photos. They include all kinds of alternative processes, also some "straight" photography and some digital mixed with other stuff - it's amazing what people are up to.

Raging Debate - not at all political

Above: Book Arts Jam 2011

Jim and I have a debate going on. He feels most people don't plan their weekends until the week before. I feel they put things on their calendars months in advance. So we can't agree on the best time to send out notices for events like the upcoming Book Arts Jam. In the tradition of most married couples everywhere, we both just do what we want to do. :-)

This year the Jam takes place in a new and improved location - the Lucie Stern Community Center, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto, CA. Here is a map to Lucie Stern. There will be artist's books of all kinds, ranging from beautiful handmade books, to the weirder end of the spectrum.


Above: pages 5 and 6 from "Wave"

Perhaps you would like to see and hold my "Wave" book, made from scraps of metal left over from other projects. See other views of Wave here.



Above: detail from the Zymoglyphic "Quiet Parlor of the Fishes"

The Zymoglyphic Museum will also be at the Jam, with a portable diorama and other strange artifacts of the Zymoglyphic culture.

We would be delighted if you could come by and say "hello."

Open Studios fun

A visitor this afternoon took a photo of me with Tyrannosaurus photo ventris to make her buddy jealous that he couldn't come to Open Studios. I'm sorry I didn't get her name.

Open Studio - First 3 Weekends in May

Above: poster for the gate to my studio.

Silicon Valley Open Studios is coming up fast. We will be open all three weekends, May 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19& 20, 11am to 5. It's a fun event, but fraught with stress for me. I always laugh at the idea that the hostess is supposed to make everything look effortless. Where do we get these ideas? I suspect they come from a time when middle class people could afford to hire "help." Or they wanted to give the impression that they didn't really do the hard work, even if they did. My assumed expectations can be an onerous thing. The entirely genial Zymoglyphic Museum will be open to the public on the same days. Together we bill ourselves as "Studio 19," which qualifies us as a group in the Open Studios catalog.

Above: parts for Spirits Under Glass

Here are my plans for the next 8 days: Friday and Saturday I will try to get some more work done on my current project, Spirits Under Glass, the book that holds the Zymo 127 photos. Sunday is World Wide Pinhole Photography Day, an event I cannot miss. Then I will spend the week getting ready for Open Studios. I have notes from previous years, and will use them to make a to-do list, in order of priority. It includes: clear off the big work table, set up the display, check the tags, make new tags if needed, clear off the shelves where I like to show some of my collections. This year I also need to hang another light, hang new prayer flags outside, and find my old jewelry work. I also want to make some more small books, like Bird Life. Oh, and I want to prepare a demo or two. The sign for the gate is already prepared, and I bought boards for a bigger display. Inevitably I am in the middle of a project that I will have to set aside. I try to make complete notes for finishing and store all the parts, tests, samples, sketches, in one box.

Above: filing the back for Spirits Under Glass.

I love seeing the mess in other artist's studios, so I don't clean up completely, or cover my storage with black sheets. Depending on how my time goes, you may see my metalworking area looking extremely messy.

The demos I have in mind are simple wire-edge binding and making pinholes (for pinhole cameras). If I forget to do the demo, *Please* remind me. I'm not always aware of the time. I'll probably take a poll on the day. I can always show you how to use a jeweler's saw if you ask. Or if you want to see a particular demo, email me at art at judithhoffman dot net and let me know. Demos are usually about 15 minutes.

There is an old-fashioned map here and a digital map on my Open Studios page. I hope you can come by.

Thinking Ahead

Above: visitors during our Open Studios 2011.

Studio 19 (myself and the Zymoglyphic Museum) will be open all three weekends during Open Studios this year. The dates are May 5 & 6, 12 & 13, 19 & 20, from 11 to 5.

When I mail my work to shows, I don't get to hear people's comments very often. Actually talking to someone in person about what they see when they look at my work is so valuable. Even "oh my!" or "I'd like to get inside your head" provides valuable "fuel" that can keep me going in those dark days when I feel discouraged. And "This one doesn't work for me" also makes me think about why? Did I overlook something? Could I have done better? Or maybe it's their preference for a certain technique or material?

I recently had some good feedback from Alicia Bailey, of Abecedarian gallery, on In My Dreams We Travel in Boats. In her blog she said it had "a solidity of weight quite at odds with its subject." This made me think, again, about materials, goals for my work, how to distance myself from the process and see the bigger picture. I don't necessarily have answers, but it's good to be reminded to constantly consider these things.

All this is just to say that my primary goal in doing Open Studios is not selling things - it's contact with people and seeing the work through other eyes that makes the time and effort feel worthwhile.

To read a similar idea about the benefits of showing your work - and being able to talk to people about it - check out Alyson Stanfield's article on why exhibiting your art is good for you. She says "exhibiting your art allows you to have a dialogue with people about the work. You can’t help but learn and grow from these experiences."

Pinhole Day is coming - do you have a camera?

This is one of my matchbox pinhole cameras. It takes 35mm film and is very easy to build and use. alspix has a great tutorial. Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day is April 29th this year. You still have plenty of time to prepare. There is lots of interesting info on Without Lenses, including a great video by Nancy Breslin about pinhole photography. The Populist, designed by Nick Dvoracek, is another pinhole camera that takes 35mm film. If you have access to a darkroom, you could make Stewart Woodruff's oatmeal box pinhole camera that takes light-sensitive photo paper. Here's another camera that takes light-sensitive photo paper, and probably took me 20 minutes to make. Here's a part of my pinhole camera collection. This photo is on Camera-wiki's homemade pinhole camera page. Here's my entry for last year's WPPD. Taken with Tyrannosaurus photo ventris.

The Zymoglyphic Mermaid, pinhole photo, taken with my handmade Zymo 127 pinhole camera, will be in the Statewide Photography Competition and Exhibition at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara, CA. The show is up from February 18 to April 22, 2012. The artist's reception is February 24, 7 to 9 pm. You can see more photos in this series here.

Book Arts Jam 2011

Above: At the Book Arts Jam, 2011. I didn't take a single photo at the Jam. Luckily Jim took this one, so I have proof I was there. It was a great day - fairly steady crowd all day. I got to talk to a few people a bit, but only saw a tiny portion of the Jam. That's Lila Wahrhaftig to my left. She had wonderful collages and funny artist's books. Jim was on the other side of me with the Zymglyphic Museum road show. Photo by Jim Stewart

The Jam was a lot of fun. I met a bunch of interesting people and talked to people I have seen at the Jam before (we have a lot of regulars). I didn't get away from the table to hear speakers or see most of the artist's work. I heard good reports about both. I was one of several people interviewed for La Voz, the De Anza college newspaper. That was fun. I have no memory of what I said, I hope it made sense. I believe the article will be published in another week.

I did take my Spirits Under Glass book unfinished - it's the black book in the lower left corner of the photo. I got the pages painted, the photos mounted - it needs a cover and a colophon. Then I'll have to set up the photo equipment and take the official photos, post everything to my web site, flickr, this blog, etc. etc. This week we have guests, so all I've done is unpack.

Baba members have photos of the Jam posted in the flickr Book Arts Jam 2011 pool. The Jam got a mention in the blog Not for Fun Only.

Progress on Spirits Under Glass, the Jam is approaching

Above I'm working on the pages for Spirits Under Glass, the one-of=a-kind artist's book that will hold the photos from my Zymo 127 pinhole camera. This photo was taken last weekend, right now I'm cutting out the letters for the title in brass. Next I have to make a bezel for the glass that covers a photo that will go on the cover.

Before I forget, I want to tell you about the Jam. I will be at the Book Arts Jam on Saturday, October 15th. My table is on the left wall as you come in the main door. The Jam takes place at Foothill College, Los Altos Hills, 10 to 4. There is a $2 fee for parking - bring ones or quarters. Admission to the Jam is free. Over 50 book artists will show their work. In addition there will be an exhibit of books made by members of the Bay Area Book Artists, other exhibits, a slide show of member's work, a silent auction of book arts related items and artist's talks. I have attended most of the jams, and they never fail to delight me.

I am struggling to finish this book before the Jam. Otherwise I don't think I'll have any new work. I may bring it partially completed if I don't finish.

Open Studios Surprise

One of our guests this past weekend was René Roberts, seen above, wearing Now she is the moon.  René is a fellow artist and collector. She has two of my brooches, from a one person show I did at Art and Soul Gallery, in Mill Valley, in 1995. I was delighted to see her, and to see "my" brooch. We met during the opening of California Metals North, where we both had work. I don't know if this is still the case, but in the 90's it was unusual for jewelry galleries to tell you the name of collectors, so work often disappeared when it was sold. In theory the gallery could contact the collector later, to borrow work back for a show or photos. But some didn't seem to keep much paperwork, and of course galleries close over time, some much quicker than others. I don't know if any of this has changed, but it's wonderful to see a favorite piece, one that I thought I would never see again.


This incredible object is René's "Warming Trends" from the Metal Works North show. It is electroformed, a technique I admire, think of as mysterious, and know very little about. But searching on the web for René I found several discussion groups where she was mentioned as a master.


Another favorite image from this past weekend.  So many people like trying on the spectacles, I'm going to make a flickr gallery when I have time to go through all the photos.

Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day and Project Oyamel Fir

Above: my entry in the Me, Monarch/Oyamel Fir Project in honor of Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day, 2011.

Today is Worldwide Pinhole Photography Day. Because it is also Easter, photos taken between April 23 and May 1 will be accepted. You can upload photos to the WPPD site, or on flickr to the Worldwide Pinhole Day group. It's nice to be on the big pinhole day website, so many people all over the world participate. There are also galleries from years past. But it's a huge number of images, and they are hard to scan because there are no thumbnails. Edit: my mistake, there are thumbnails - click on "gallery" from the main page, then "exhibition April 24, 2011" then on the small "exhibition on the upper left. You see a page of thumbnails, clicking the back and forward arrows takes you to more thumbnails. It's great!


Above: photo by Arturas Meskauskas. View the invitation larger here.

In honor of WPPD the Goa Center for Alternative Photography invites you to Me, Monarch (Project Oyamel Fir)
98 artists, 24 countries
Exhibition of Self portraits taken through a Pinhole camera
Worldwide pinhole Photography Day
24th April 2011, 6.30PM
At Goa Center for Alternative Photography (Goa-CAP),
C/o Prashant Falari, House No. E2 / 268, Dongorpur (Royal Village),
Near St. Alex Church, Calangute, Goa, India,

The exhibit is also at
Ravi Photo Gallery
6-3-902/7/1/C, Dream Gate, Second Floor, Somajiguda
Hyderabad, India
April 24 to May 4, 2011. Hours: Mon - Fri 10:30 to 9:00pm
Sat and Sun 10:30 to 10:00pm

On the UNITED NATIONS INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF FOREST 2011, Project Oyamel fir is dedicated to Oyamel Fir trees which are the winter shelter for several hundred million Monarch Butterflies migrating from north and south. Relentless logging has compromised the forest canopy that once protected monarchs. A growing human population around these butterfly havens and increased demand for wood gravely threaten the survival of the over-wintering butterflies, as well as the forest environment in general.

Project Oyamel Fir is not a contest; it is an experimental initiative where pinhole Photographers, enthusiasts from all over the world are invited to send one self-portrait taken with a pinhole camera to create a large dreamy, and beautiful body of work to be exhibited as **Me, Monarch**

Open Studio Saturday and Sunday May 7 & 8, 14 & 15

I hear the voice of my mom in my head, saying "It's time to clean up your mess, young lady." There is a big event coming! On Saturday and Sunday, May 7 & 8 and 14 & 15, Studio 19 (myself and the Zymoglyphic Museum) will be participating in Silicon Valley Open Studios. We will be open from 11 to 5. At 1pm each day I will demo "Primitive Wire Edge Binding." A large selection of my artist's books, pinhole cameras and pinhole photos will be on display.

For more information click here.



You can also check out an assortment of my vintage snapshot film cameras, mostly inexpensive cameras from the 30's, 40's and 50's. Behind the beautiful Sabre 620 above is a Traveler 120 and an Ansco Shur Shot.

We Travel in Boats to Denver

I just mailed my book, In my Dreams We travel in Boats to Abecedarian Gallery for the Artist's Book Cornucopia II show.



Alicia Bailey, book artist and owner of Abecedarian, says "Juried this year by Brea Black, Special Collections Librarian at the Topeka & Shawnee County Public Library in Topeka, Kansas, Artists Book Cornucopia II includes work that is traditional, non-traditional, unusual, familiar, dynamic, and challenging, representing the diversity in the field of book arts in 2011."

In her juror’s statement Ms. Black states

"Each (selected) work represents a unique vision and provides a unique experience. The interaction between the book, the artist, and the viewer is what makes these pieces so special. Some of these bookworks address nature, the environment, body image, personal identity, family dynamics, and even one’s place in the wider world. Other works invite us to explore myth, math, and science, using unexpected materials and structures to engage us.
In viewing these bookworks together as an exhibition, I hope the gallery patron will react much as I did. I was inspired by the creativity, originality, and diversity of these 47 pieces. From what I have seen here, the future of the book arts is extremely bright."

The show will be up April 15 to June 4. There will be an opening reception on Friday, April 15th. Check the gallery website for more information. There is also an exhibition blog.

Click these links to see large views of the front and back of the postcard.

Jam Debriefing

The Book Arts Jam was wonderful, as usual. I came home tired but very inspired to make books. Several conversations I had made me think I need to re-commit to making time for some kind of art almost every day.



For the people who came to my talk on pinhole cameras and artist's books at the Jam, here are links to two different direct positive papers: Harman and Efke. Note: I haven't used either one, but other people on the internet seem to like them. Check out this flickr search to see samples. I highly recommend Freestyle (the Efke link) for photo supplies. They are helpful on the phone, and fast to ship.

Photos by Jim Stewart.

Photo Book Works

Oneiro was accepted into the Photo Book Works show at Abecedarian Gallery, 910 Santa Fe, #101, Denver, Colorado. The show goes from October 1 to the 30th, 2010. The reception is October 2, 5 to 8 pm. From the press release: Photo Book Works is an international exhibition of artists’ books incorporating photography as a primary element. Photo Book Works was juried by Mia Semingson whose exhibition 39+ is on view in the main gallery. For this exhibition, Semingson selected the work of 31 artists from the United States, Great Britian, Switzerland and Australia.

There is a catalog, both in pdf and print format.