Minneapolis, Minnesota

Five years ago on my way back home, I visited Minneapolis, Minnesota. At the time Jeff Rathermel was Executive Director of the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in Minneapolis. I took the time to drop by and view the exhibition Directed: The Intersection of Book, Film and Visual Narrative exhibition. I was pleased to participate with my artists’ book Decades Apart in this juried exhibition. Jeff was kind in showing me around the show and the MCBA.

© 2012 Louise Levergneux. Decades Apart

With no knowledge at the time that Kate Burke — a Minneapolis artist who has a recognized career in both public art and painting — was chosen to design manhole covers for the Nicollet Mall in the city.

The Nicollet Mall underwent a redesign by James Corner, designer of the High Line in NYC in 2017. The original manhole covers installed in 1992 were removed, cleaned and reinstalled. Nicollet Mall is comprised of 75 covers with eleven unique designs each cast seven times. The new concrete walkway has an etched leaf, branch and a basket weave design. This is the new home of the manhole covers.

To my surprise, while researching streets on Google Map for City Shields, an on-going project, I noticed a wonderful manhole cover. What dismay! I had overlooked the opportunity to photograph some of the most uniquely designed covers for my series. I was devastated! Researching till I discovered the name of the artist and communicated with Kate Burke and later featured her work on one of my blog posts. It’s been a year ago almost to the day. I visited Minneapolis at the end of September 2018 and walked Nicollet Mall to find most of the manhole covers designed by Kate. I was thrilled! I photographed in late afternoon while walking in the drizzle most of the 13 blocks of Nicollet Mall.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Haralson Apples, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. The Loon, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Northern Pike, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Lady Slippers, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Wild Rice, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Corn, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Oats, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Norway Pine, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. The Walleye, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. Wheat, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux. The Timber Wolf, manhole cover on Nicollet Mall, designed by Kate Burke.

©2018 Michael Sutton. Walking over the famous Walleye on the sidewalks of Nicollet Mall on September 27, 2018.

© 2018 Kate Burke. Norway PIne, manhole cover, when it was first installed, designed by Kate Burke.

© 2018 Kate Burke. Oats, manhole cover when it was first install, designed by Kate Burke.

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Have you seen a unique manhole cover lately? If so, where?

Another volume? Not sure, I have other projects I would like to accomplish, but one never knows.

Phoenix Book Placement

Last week was intense! My thoughts are to stop the madness and start creating, publishing and have fun with photos, I took way back when... Before the face the sand event!

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Coachella Valley, Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve, California

Snapping photos during physical therapy for my alphabet book gets me excited about working and thinking about the content and title. With a high strain sprain, I’m also taking time to enjoy and study my Sony camera with all its features. Content to learn something every day but it’s absorbing the info that is a process.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Heiden Orthopedics, Salt Lake City, Utah

On the administration side of the studio, while passing through Phoenix, I contacted the Rare Books and Manuscripts Department of the Arizona State University Library. The result of my conversations represents the placement of two artist's books in the Book Arts Collection. The collection contains books with unusual formats about fine printing, binding, and handmade papers, it also includes pop-up books.

With this acquisition, the complete edition of Entre deux and Guadalupe are sold out. Both artists’ books are in great company, I discovered deux and Guadalupe are sold out. Both artists’ books are in great company, I discovered deux and Guadalupe are sold out. Both artists’ books are in great company, I discovered deux and Guadalupe are sold out. Both artists’ books are in great company, I discovered deux and Guadalupe are sold out. Both artists’ books are in great company, I discovered deux and Guadalupe are sold out. Both artists’ books are in great company, I discovered After Image: Colour at play by Barbara Hodgson & Claudia Cohen is part of the collection and The Blame Game: Winning Excuses and Strategies on and off the Court by Carolyn Shattuck. 

Entre deux is an interactive documentary inviting the reader to take part in a simple meal with a couple whiles being privy to their conversation on the subject of love. deux is an interactive documentary inviting the reader to take part in a simple meal with a couple whiles being privy to their conversation on the subject of love. 

© 2013 Louise Levergneux, Entre deux

© 2013 Louise Levergneux, Entre deux

© 2013 Louise Levergneux, Entre deux

Guadalupe was created after exploring Santa Fe, New Mexico, I created a documentary on the Virgin Mary, an image that saturates the entire city in different formats, sizes, and styles.

© 2012 Louise Levergneux, Guadelupe

© 2012 Louise Levergneux, Guadelupe

© 2012 Louise Levergneux, Guadelupe

I have another three weeks in Salt Lake City and looking forward to positive answers to studio visits as hiking the wonderful Wasatch Mountains is out of the question.

Little Things with Great Love

During my stay in Desert Hot Springs, California, I met Cathy Greenblat, Writer, Sociologist, and Photographer, through my husband’s work and game-based learning.

Since 2001, Cathy has been working to change the imagery of aging, illness and dying by combining her background as a Professor of Sociology with her photography.

Cathy’s body of work began at a municipal old age home in Mexico after she left her tenured full professorship to focus on work combining photographs and text. 

© 2004 Cathy Greenblat, Mrs Morimoto Singing, Japan

I believe this to be the most effective vehicle to open people’s eyes, literally and figuratively, providing a better way to help them “face” issues that are generally avoided. Since then I have directed my energies to the creation of photographic projects that challenge stereotypical conceptions of the aged, the infirm, and those in the terminal stages of life.

© 2008 Cathy Greenblat, Benedicte Snoezelen, USA

I then documented a person-centered approach to Alzheimer’s care in the United States; those photographs and text appeared as a book in 2004, Alive with Alzheimer’s (University of Chicago Press). The German edition (Alzheimers und Lebensqualitat) was published in 2006 in conjunction with a three-year traveling exhibition in Germany. In recognition of that work, the University of Houston College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences awarded me the 2007 John P. McGovern Lectureship in Family, Health, and Human Values.

© 2008 Cathy Greenblat, "Can we use your ball?", India

Cathy has continued to photograph Alzheimer's care in the USA, in France, India, Japan, and the Dominican Republic. These photographs were presented in exhibits and are now offered in her book, Love, Loss and Laughter: Seeing Alzheimer's Differently (Globe Pequot, 2012).

© 2007 Cathy Greenblat, Rolland & his daughter at Kate's music group, USA

In both forms, they offer an additional challenge to stereotypes about Alzheimer’s disease. They show that while the losses created by degenerative brain disease are real, people with Alzheimer’s are not, as they are often depicted,  “empty shells”, completely lost. The photos show what quality healthcare looks like, and illustrate that such care allows people with Alzheimer’s disease to sustain connections to others and to their own past lives at a far higher level than is generally believed to be possible. The photographs reveal that they are capable of experiencing joy as well as sorrow, that loving care can yield loving responses and laughter.

© 2008 Cathy Greenblat, Jacqueline laughing, France

My other project, undertaken between 2005 and 2008 focuses on end of life care. Exhibits from that project have been titled Alive at the End of Life, or Little Things with Great Love. The latter title comes from a statement by Mother Theresa "We cannot do great things, only little things with great love." This project is meant to provide insight into the ways the experience of dying can be enriched, both emotionally and intellectually, for the person who is dying and for those attached to him or her. We cannot do “the one great thing”, eliminate death, but I hope to show the important little things that are being done with great love by those who are engaged in the reconceptualization and reconstruction of the dying process. 

© 2008 Cathy Greenblat, Judge Pratt and his friend John Wayne, USA

As I have spoken with people with dementia, with cancer, and with AIDS and with their family members, I have seen how little prepared most of us are in terms of knowing what to do when death approaches, even when it has been coming on for some time due to a chronic illness. It is rare for people to make advance visits to places where palliative and end of life care is offered. If they visit at all, it is when someone is in need of immediate help, and then they are often so emotionally burdened that they are unable to observe and judge the quality of the services offered. I believe that my projects can help convey new information and insight to viewers not (yet) under such stress.

© 2008 Cathy Greenblat, "It's a DOG!!!", USA

The photographs and accompanying text provide a symbolic journey through the dying process via the representation of everyday people whose lives and deaths have been eased by the best of programs. Because of the obstacles to overcome in viewing death, I believe that still photography is a better medium for this endeavor than is film; people need time to stop and reflect on the images, to deal with their emotions and thoughts at their own pace.  

Much still remains to be done to increase both public awareness of the issues and to provide healthcare professionals with knowledge and training in dementia care and end of life care. I believe that photography can be an important tool in creating a new vision of what can be, of how to meet the growing need for quality care.  

© 2008 Cathy Greeblat, Going home after the Memory Clinic session, France

Professor Greenblat has been selected to have her work archived at the Bienecke Library at Yale University. It will be accessible in the Women in Photography International Archive, Western Americana Collection, and Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library/Yale University.

Thank you Cathy for such wonderful and candid photos!

Happy Easter!

Easter, the celebration of the resurrection. For me, this spring equinox is the season in which we witness new beginnings. The first light is a reminder that we are still alive and ready to breath-in new challenges and happenings. As artists what will become of our imaginations? What will emerge from our skills?

I rarely wake-up early enough to see daybreak. When we lived in South Jordan, Utah, I once chauffeured my husband to the airport, a rare occasion I caught sight of a glorious pink and blue sky before 6 am. The experience brought to fruition two artists’ book one entitled Ouest/West the other 6:45 both in a flip book format.

© 2011 Louise Levergneux, Ouest/West

© 2011 Louise Levergneux, Ouest/West

© 2012 Louise Levergneux, 6:45

Art is presumably the sole reason I get up early. In Texas, a public art piece stimulated me to photograph its lit cylinders as the sun barely risen, kissed the horizon.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, sunrise in Marfa, Texas

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, sunrise in Marfa, Texas

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, sunrise in Marfa, Texas

In Arizona, it’s the intensity of the sun first thing in the morning that inspired me to photograph these photos. I also had a second reason, a request from a fellow reader for photographs of sunrises after my March 4th blog post on sunsets.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, sunrise in Gila Bend, Arizona

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, sunrise in Gila Bend, Arizona

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, sunrise in Gila Bend, Arizona

Happy Easter to all you artists, studios, and presses.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, San Marcos Date Farm, Desert Hot Springs, California

Numerous Hats

I’ve been wearing my arts management hat this week. An assistant to deal with the field that concerns business operations around my art world would be nice. Even on the road, one has to facilitate the day-to-day operations of one’s own organization — the finances, the sales, the invoices, the inventory, the databases, the acquisition of materials, the marketing...

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Heads 2014 by Jun Kaneko at the Desert Botanical Gardens in Phoenix, Arizona

I deal with administration and create policies. But, who fulfills the mission? Most artists work on their own since finances do not allow us to hire staff. We need to understand all business units of a working organization. I've often felt I should fire one of my hats and hire another, better equipped to do the job. But reality presents itself at every turn, and I must deal with the whole shebang!

The teamwork, the creative leadership, and the dynamic process of reflection all lie on my shoulders. Oh! What fun when Income Tax returns are due in 21 days. 

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, a bird making its nest in a Saguaro, San Xavier Mission, Tucson, Arizona

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, a rabbit looking on in Congress, Arizona

I prefer to produce than execute administrivia, I’m adept at it, but that is not my labor of love in life. 

At the moment, I am constrained by the living space and suffering from a sprained ankle. These create disquietness, and I can only dream of hiking and photographing cacti in the Sonoran Desert or standing at a workstation swearing at glue that is running amuck. But for the next week, Income Tax and database reorganization are my future.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, a Geico resting at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site, Gila Bend, Arizona

In the meantime, the early mornings are where I dream of new artists’ books. I would welcome the opportunity to visit another studio — I’m in Phoenix, where are you?

What strategies do you pursue to maintain your creative process through the many hats you must wear in a day?

How do you implement these strategies?

What gets your mojo motived?

Documentation

It’s been two weeks since my last post. My friend, Flavie Beaudet, visited us in Arizona and her companionship took precedence over everything else. We enjoyed six days of sun and warmth in Sedona and Gila Bend—what a treat! As artists, art is never far from the conversation, and documenting what we witness is strong.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, cactus at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site, Gila Bend

I brought my studio outside once again as I absorbed my surroundings with an unconventional eye. As a lover of landscapes, I could finally share with a friend from back home what I perceived in this astonishing—stupéfiant environment.

Textures and colours of Arizona suited Flavie’s fierce sense of design. In the past, Moroccan patterns have influenced her creations.

© 2017 Flavie Beaudet, first layer for a tabletop design

© 2017 Flavie Beaudet, the second layer for a tabletop design

© 2017 Flavie Beaudet, several layers later, the finished tabletop

© 2017 Flavie Beaudet, another Moroccan inspired tabletop

We soon watched out for each other's obsessions. This past week, I was fixated on the sky with its fabulous clouds. More on that later.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Phoenix sky

Flavie photographed motifs nature gifted within cacti, trees, desert plants, shadows, hay...

There were rocks to photograph...

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, rocks at Gila Bend KOA Camping site

... then there were rocks.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Painted Rock Petroglyph Site, Gila Bend

Since my camera was always in hand, I recorded Flavie documenting patterns. I’m looking forward to seeing what will become of this photographic archive of Arizona.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, on the way to document the desert

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Flavie documenting at the Painted Rock Petroglyph Site, Gila Bend

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Flavie stealing a shot of the Solana Generating Station near Gila Bend

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Flavie photographing hay on Citrus Valley Rd near Gila Bend

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, Flavie photographing and enjoying an architect's work at Taliesin West, Phoenix

We all document our thoughts and ideas in different ways, what is your process? I would love to hear.

© 2018 Louise Levergneux, un bis pour toi

Come Celebrate With Me!

I'm celebrating my first 100 posts today! That’s important!

I chose a few sunset photos I took throughout the last eight months of my journey to revel in this event.

In the southwest the sky’s performance at dusk never disappoints. The sun dips below the horizon and paints the sky with bold hues of vermilion, tangerine, daffodil yellow, and coral pink. The sun’s rays glow on the clouds and intensifies the colours to create a stunning—stupéfiant—spectacle.

Your continued reading reinforces my writing 100 more posts in the future. The comments received assist me to recognize that my labor of love contributes to the understanding of artists’ books. In a field where one works in solitude, my blog opens many doors which makes it possible for me to meet artists and their work.

Thank you for making this a successful endeavour !  — Je tiens à vous remercier pour le succès de cet effort !

Join me next time for my post 101. I’m interested in featuring your work, please email me at : louiselevergneux(at)gmail(dot)com and tell me what you have been up to in your studio.

California Palm Trees

Where to go when Texas gets cold? California!

We settled in and reconnoitered the place as we drove around the desert. Traveling in the Thousand Palms Canyon of the Coachella Valley, we found the most delightful haven—the Thousand Palms Oasis.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Thousand Palms Oasis

Everything is silent in the oasis and you can immerse yourself in the beauty and solitude of the magnificent palm trees. 

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Thousand Palms Oasis

Stepping into this sanctuary, I was startled by the unexpected lushness of the palms. I absorbed the feathery fronds and admired the stately trunks soaring 60 feet high.

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Thousand Palms Oasis

Like all palms, the Washingtonia filifera, isn’t actually a tree at all, but is related to grasses and bamboos. Rather than sprouting growth rings, a palm is basically a column that sucks water from the roots to its sprouting crown via a series of drinking-strawlike tubes. The palm trees of this oasis feed on water from the San Andreas Fault line. 

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Thousand Palms Oasis, the skirt of dried leaves hanging down the trunk of the native California fan palm is more than a fashion statement; it’s a home to animals who help the palm propagate

To experience the magnificence of the Preserve, one can trek a two-mile round trip that takes you through a palm oasis, across the fault zone, through a desert wash to the McCallum Oasis, one of the largest groves of desert fan palms in California. 

We were enjoying the trek, our boots filling up with desert sand. I stepped on a tiny rock twisted my ankle and my face hit the ground. Argh!

Remember the two-mile round trip, we still had the one mile back to the parking. Yeow! 

© 2017 Louise Levergneux, Thousand Palms Oasis, all these photos were shot before the fatal kiss the dirt act

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Charles Hobson created a marvelous limited edition artists’ book entitled Trees and it includes a poem by W. S. Merwin. Merwin’s poem is soft and contemplative and conveys a sense of quiet awe as he looked into trees from a mysterious time and place.

© 2010 Charles Hobson, Trees, an edition of thirty copies

When the book is opened, one can read the poem by standing up the first pages and using it to prop each page against it as the pages are turned.

The small tree in the opening at the front of the book is used to suggest the beginning of a recollection of trees in some distant, remembered time, following one of the threads of the poem.

When "accordion’d-out" the book offers a succession of palm trees that can be positioned on different sides of the standing pages, giving a front and back view of the same image. A large architectural model palm tree sits in the window cut in the last panel which is backed by a transparent image of the night sky.

© 2010 Charles Hobson, Trees, 16 pages, 4-1/4 x 12 x 2 inches

The monotypes of palm trees are reproduced as high-resolution digital prints on transparency film. The monotypes lay over the words of the poem, which have been set letterpress to follow the shape of the palm tree trunks – the words of the poem climbing the trees.

© 2010 Charles Hobson, Trees

When one shines the flashlight on the tree and through the opening at the back of the book, the light projects mysterious shadows of trees against the luminous night sky.

The book can be oriented in several ways, much as the poem offers subtly varied interpretations. Setting it on its side presents the type reading from left to right (rather than up and down), but results in the trees having fallen.

© 2010 Charles Hobson, Trees

A stop action animation about the making of Trees with Charles Hobson and Alice Shaw.

You never know what will inspire you and where you will find amazing, superlative ideas.

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