Making Handmade Books: The Cover is Not the Book

Making Handmade Books: The Cover is Not the Book: At the College Book Art conference this year, Buzz Spector , book artist, theoretician, and educator and Brewster Kahle , computer engineer...

Tanka poem by Kayla

transgender dysphoria
--------------------------------

not recognizing

in the mirror

this face of a man

she tries to wipe away

his image


rubbing desperately

at the mirror's surface

she searches

for the image

of the beautiful woman inside.

mobile art by Kayla

please excuse the clutter, this mobile hangs in my studio\hobby room . The mobile is made from my collage sketches,bamboo and some string! The secret to designing a mobile sculpture is to start at the bottom and work your way to the top....michaela

here is another view

i really enjoy mobiles, they are always changing their composition......michaela

Fighter kite art

here is another kite that i designed and built recently, i was able to use acetone to remove color from its mylar sail to give a three panel effect....michaela

kite specs:

sail area 1.25 sq. ft.
sail loading 0.26 oz./ft.sq.
wingspan 20 inches
spine 18 inches (bamboo)
aspect ratio 1.1
wingtips @ 45% of spine length
bow .05 carbon fiber rod
bow length 23.6 inches (.05 carbon fiber rod)
bow ratio 0.848

Fighter kite by Kayla

just finished building a new fighter kite and wanted to show it to you

The sail is made from mylar, i used acetone to remove the red color resulting in a 2 panel look!

for those interested in the design specs

sail area - 1.22 sq.ft.
aspect ratio 1.22
bow .05 carbon fiber rod
bow length 23.8 inches
bow ratio 0.869
wingspan 20.75 inches
wingtips @ 50% spine length
spine length 17 inches ( bamboo spine )
sail loading 0.28 oz/sq ft

i look forward to its first flight or i should say our first dance!!......michaela

Nicholas Virgilio haiku

i have always been a fan of the late American haiku poet Nicholas Virgilio.
At a poetry reading i met his brother Tony, who talked with me about Nicks
early days writing haiku, i really enjoyed our conversation about Nick's life.
i would like to include a few of the poems we discussed.

the following haiku poems were written by Nicholas Virgilio:


lily

out of the water

out of itself



over spatterdocks

turning at corners of air

dragonfly



in the singles' bar

magnifying loneliness

her thick eye glasses



Viet nam monument

darkened by autumn rain

my dead brother's name



autumn twilight

the wreath on the door

lifts in the wind


i am very thankful and delighted to have talked with Tony Virgilio,

thank you Tony........michaela

haiku by Kayla

autumn

through fallen leaves

so much more sky



together

spinning in circles

butterflies



autumn

sunset in the fork

of the maple tree



autumn

seeing the trees

undress



full moon

shadows of the willow tree

spread across the yard



circling overhead

the crying sound

of a lonely hawk



always walking

never in a hurry

shield bug on the wall



dresser table

my mothers ring

now cold



mothers' grave

leaves fall gently

on the still earth



visiting mothers' grave

a flock of noisy starlings

fill a nearby tree



mothers'grave

i sweep away the leaves

covering her name



near mothers' grave

on top of a tomb stone

an unopened cup of coffee



below the giant oak

a young dogwood shows

her first blossoms



tulip poplar

towers high above the house

its baby just grass high



strange rainy season

seeing the deck boards

green with moss



my lost sister

the campfire out

ashes blow in the wind



garden roots

smelling the sweet scent

of sassafras



dead oak

a woodpecker taps out

a morning meal