Bookbinders frolic in the Forest (Grove)

No hard sell necessary for books to the bookish.

The biannual Focus on Book Arts, held late last month in Forest Grove, had something for everyone: creative works of literature, art, form and function, and classes teaching much the same. Here are a couple scenes from the artists' fair, where I sold a bunch of China Under the Covers—to my best and easiest audience—and got to hang out with other makers.

To maximize my time at the conference, I stayed nearby at the Grand Lodge, where they gave me the Bob Dylan room, like they just knew what a huge fan I am.

One vendor couple brought marvelous
marbled paper, cloth, and boxes.

Washi Arts' eye-popping inventory made it hard
to choose at the trade show.

Not to be left out of the learning, I took a class in repurposing old book covers in a coptic binding. I came home that night and made three more, including one that I had never finished from the last conference.

Parts of old books can be recycled into a handsome journal.

I stitched this one up after class, using covers from an old
journal that had shed them after years of heavy use.

A project from long ago finally receives the finishing touches.