The kick-off party for the Center's new series, The Book Arts Lounge, was a big hit. Artist collective Dexter Sinister worked with instructor Lauren Rowland to do large-format paper marbling for a film poster project. The results were incredible: brilliant colors, intricate and unexpected patterns, and huge! It was a challenge to string up enough clothes-lines to hang the paper as it drip-dried. The assembled crowd oohed and ahhed, and everyone tried a hand at marbling with enthusiastic results, taking home amazing papers reminiscent of lunar landscapes and undulating waves. Click here to check out some pictures from the event.

We're looking forward to next month's session, where we'll be testing our creative spontaneity, making small books with big content. The theme, in honor (or protest) of Valentine's Day, is Loving the Page and we plan to shower our small blank books with the attention they deserve. Dirty limericks, one-of-a-kind comic books, potato prints: these are some of the ideas we're kicking around in the book arts boiler room. We hope to see you there! Friday, February 13, 6-9pm, here at the Center for Book Arts.

- Corinna Zeltsman
Feel free to write me with ideas for future Lounge evenings: czeltsman [ at ] centerforbookarts [ dot ] org