ARTIST’S REPORT:  Pat Chupa, book artist (P. Chupa WordArts)

Preparing for an annual book arts show is always a mixture of excitement, stress, and gratifiying pleasure. If  one is trying to do the artistic work around the edges of a full-time ‘regular job’ – it becomes disproportionately fraught with the challenge of producing enough work that will be good enough to choose from – and also available for the time it must be displayed. Last year, I had pieces that I had done in earlier years, that were suitable and included in the First Annual Puget Sound Book Artists’ Exhibit. This year, I was a bit more anxious, as most of the pieces I created this year were larger commissioned pieces, that were shipped off to their owners, and therefore not available for the show.

Fortunately, I created two pieces between October and April that were to the standard I expect for consideration in a juried show. As the time grows closer for getting pieces ready for submission, one must also ensure that the application is written – including a specific description and an artist’s statement for each piece, and professionally photographed to a specific standard for inclusion in the exhibition’s catalog. This year I had to do a day’s work at the library, then whiz up to the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma for an evening meeting where photographs would be taken of the pieces for the show, then catch a red-eye flight out of Seattle to New York for a week in the Big Apple! Upon my return, the photos had to be cropped and resized to the required specifications, and then the application submitted to PSBA for consideration by the curators. Pictures of my work are viewable on my web-page, linked below.

There is quite a lot of planning, coordination and hard work to mounting an exhibition – by the artists as well as the curators. PSBA has a gracious resource in UPS’ Collins Memorial Library and its Library Director Jane Carlin – who is a passionate supporter of book arts, and is building a wonderful collection for the library. The exhibition is beautifully presented, and you will find an amazing display of work that is well worth the jaunt up to Tacoma. The library is beautiful, and the campus and the building very easily accessible, both for parking and for handicapped access. A lovely afternoon outing!

The exhibition opens Thursday, June 7, 2012, at 4:30 pm, at the Collins Memorial Library on the campus of the University of Puget Sound. It will continue through July 31, 2012. Ther will also be a discussion with the artists on the evening of Wednesday, June 20, which is open to the public. Here are links you may wish to follow for more information: