March: Sadie's Ruler

COLOR: single color

IMAGE: abstract

LAYOUT: in the form of a diagram, chart, or map

PAPER: minimal paper usage

STRUCTURE: single sheet binding 

TEXT: self generated

TECHNIQUE: use a technique that is unfamiliar to you

ADJECTIVE: sentimental or nostalgic

front cover...lines in inches and centimeters

   

   Sadie's Ruler is the title of the March book-of-the-month. It follows all of the Artist's Ideation Cards design criteria other than the single color specification. The book is a 1960's wooden ruler that belonged to my grandmother. The gridded inches and centimeters on the cover mimic the straight-laced and orderly woman that was my grandmother. One small red smudge signifies her core of determination... what some might call rebellion... that also characterized her life. The nostalgic story was written with an engraving tool on the backside of the ruler.

the story...

close up of the text.. 

This is the story...

   At 65 my grandmother took a job as a substitute school teacher. She only had a high school diploma, but she taught Algebra, History, even French (which she didn't speak a word) for 15 years. The rural high schoolers feared her nearby ruler, knowing she expected their best behavior.  But most of all they knew Mrs. Carver loved books and believed in their power to give a better,  fuller life. 
Sadie Trevalyn Wilkerson Carver, 1896-1978.

Sadie, 1963

   Like the epitaph on a tombstone, Sadie's Ruler is strikingly, terse...  The back side of a 12-inch ruler is a difficult place to relate even a small portion of someone's life... but when reading between the lines, the full measure of her is clear. She was an amazing woman.

*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
The Artist's Ideation Cards drawn for April, 2016 are as follows:

COLOR: primary
IMAGE: extracted from a single image
LAYOUT: random or unplanned
PAPER: single color
STRUCTURE: unbound (set of cards, series of prints, etc..)
TECHNIQUE: high-tech (letterpress, printmaking, etc..)
TEXT: stream of consciousness, free-write, or rant
ADJECTIVE: fragmented or mosaic

WILD CARD: any one card may be rejected

Andrea Z. sent in a photos of the books she made with the February and March criteria...

Andrea's Feb. book, cover of pastepaper and stamp

inside Andrea's Feb. book... french doors..

Andrea's March book: Double Happiness in Hong Kong.