THE VIEW FROM HERE
Summer Ramblings
Summer on the northern California coast is not the summer I grew up with, nor what most of us think of as summer. Our summer sun is often hidden here, grayed out by coastal overcast and occasional fog. When the sun comes out, it is glorious and mild, making it very difficult to stay indoors and work. The back and forth can lead to a profound seasonal confusion.
Of course, as a boy of the San Joaquin, to me summers are supposed to be hot and dry, sometimes searingly so. East coast summer humidity was unknown, and summer rain almost impossible to imagine. The long summer days of course also conjure up nostalgic memories of 3 months off from school and sense a sense of freedom little known in any other part of life.
However, this coast light is often magical, even if its not what my gut expects of summer. The cloud banks streaming over the mountains are poetry in motion on a scale that can take my breath away.
It's interesting that my kids think of this soft light as summer. And I can see its beauty, but I still yearn for more sun.
Exquisite Earth Portfolio
We're almost done with the manufacture of the Exquisite Earth Portfolios we announced last December. The September Newsletter will feature a longer article about the process and considerations going into making a portfolio.
In the meantime, it seemed worthwhile to talk a little bit about the process...
When we curated and hung the show of new work last November, I was thinking about a sub-group of the work that could work as a portfolio. So even though I hadn't fully selected the prints, a number of portfolios were sold, forcing the issue to the forefront. As the months passed, I narrowed the selection and started making the prints.
We also needed to initiate the manufacture of the clamshell portfolio cases. It turns out that the cost of such custom boxes have gone up considerably since my last round of production and it took me a number of months to find a producer of quality at a reasonable price.
The next steps were to pick a fabric and finalize the design on the foil stamping of the case. On the fabric, I wanted something in earthtones, but a weave that could survive some handling without great sensitivity to dirt and scuffing.
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left: the first printed boards and prints. above: comparing the new portfolio print to the exhibition print |
On the printing and matt boards, I wanted to take this effort further than I ever had before, with custom imprints on the board and prints for the portfolio labels and identification information.
The story will deepen with the first of the finished portfolios which should be ready this month. We'll explore the whole process next month.
Slide Show. Exquisite Earth Portfolio Selections
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