Hello everyone,

For the full newsletter experience, would you read this email online to get the latest information by clicking on this link: archives and calendar. Time sensitive information may be added to the newsletter after it has been sent out. Feel free to let me know about broken links or links pointing to the wrong place. I hope that you can use this newsletter as a jumping off point for your own explorations and adventures in looking for workshops, teachers and organizations, processes, etc.

• I made a slight change to the calendar - all times in the description area and the time picker are now the same with AM and PM (instead of military time - not sure why I picked that when I setup the workshop calendar)
• Save the date for the next Bungu LA Stationery Fair on Oct 16 - 18, 2026 at The Westin LAX - 5400 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045
• Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder will be teaching an unusual book structure called the Magic Blow Book at the Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts from October 11 - 16, 2026 (is in the workshop calendar) - it is believed to date back to the 16th century where these blow books were used a manufactured prop for magic - check out the video showing it in action
• Shawn Sheehy's popup book, Beyond the Sixth Extinction is now available in a trade edition - the initial release was very limited and am very glad for this trade edition - that snapping turtle head is starkly exquisite
• Kit Davey not only teaches some very cool book structures but also has 17 free tutorials on her website - scroll down until you see her smiling face offering an informational video about bookmaking tools, papers, and ideas, plus a studio tour
• University of Stirling (Pathfoot Building FK9 4LA, Stirling, Scotland, UK) - Printmakers of Scotland annual Festival of Print - Aug 14 - 16, 2026
• Shepherd & Maudsleigh Studio has a gallery! & Gallery (formerly West Newton Gallery) is run by the local artist members of the aforementioned studio and is located at 1286 Washington St, West Newton, MA - more information and hours here
• Virginia Book Arts is a thriving community of letterpress printers, bookbinders, printmakers, and paper artists based in Charlottesville, Virginia - they preserve and teach the history and craft of the book with 2 Vandercook presses, along with other small presses, classes in everything from binding to textiles to printing, lino and letterpress, and much more - come visit them in their new location in the old C&O Train Station (600 E. Water St., Suite F, Charlottesville, VA 22902)
• Helen Hiebert will be offering a fun workshop called Loop & Bloom on Wednesday, Jul 1, 2026 at 12:00 PM Mountain Time time zone converter making playful, colorful woven paper sculptures - sign up for workshop and get supply list here
• The Guild of Book Workers is offering scholarships to attend the Standards of Excellence in Hand Bookbinding - application here - application process closes Jul 20, 2026 - please email questions to Todd Pattison at [email protected]
• I have no words to express my sadness at the passing of 2 luminous people who made an impact in the book arts world, Malpina Chan and Selene Fischer - my condolences to all their loved ones and friends - 4 pieces of Malpina's art will be at the Decades in the Making: 10 Years of SOLA Awardees exhibit at the Tacoma Art Museum starting Jul 18, 2026 and later that day there will be a celebration of Malpina's life from 5:00 - 9:00 PM at The Bindery located at 717 Commerce Street, Tacoma, WA 98402

Me ke aloha nui - Jade
Unfolding paper explorer, information conduit & facilitator, foodie, unorthodox traveler, astronomy enthusiast, somewhat grudgingly tech savvy
Mission: Connecting talented people with people exploring their talents
Motto: Always plan a trip around a workshop or vice versa
Book & Paper Arts Newsletter | Book & Paper Arts Calendar | Instagram | Email | Buy me a coffee

Sections below: Things To Do In The Area | Call for Artists/ Entries/ Proposals/ Submissions | Bits & Bobs About Paper/ Books/ Tips/ Trips | Musings and Meanderings | Workshop Calendar | Resource List | About the newletter & Housekeeping

BIMA's treasure trek for the month of June - if you've missed this year's (2026) save the month for 2027 - you could combine this with FOBA in 2028 :)

Santa Fe Studio Tours (various locations around Santa Fe, NM) - June 27 - 28, 2026

Bower Ashton Library, UWE Bristol City Campus (Kennel Lodge Road. Bristol BS3 2JT, UK - the library is on the 1st floor of B block) - Gen Harrison 100 Days Project Scotland: Fold | Found Concertinas - now until Jun 30, 2026

The Bancroft Library Gallery, University of California (Berkeley, CA) - Shape of Thought: The Book as Art - now until Jun 30, 2026

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art (550 Winslow Way E., Bainbridge Island, WA 98110) - Handwork 2026: Aimee Lee: Summer Cloth, Paper, Stitches - Jul 3 – Sep 20, 2026 | Carletta Carrington Wilson: Object Lessons - Jul 3 – Sep 20, 2026 | Booking: Artists’ Books by Black Artists - Oct 2, 2026 – Jan 31, 2027

The Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts & Sciences (120 Long Beach Blvd, Long Beach, NJ 08008) - 2026 Works on Paper - now until Jul 5, 2026

Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking (Atlanta, GA) - Paper & Architecture - now until Jul 10, 2026 | The Craft of Paper: Contemporary Takes on Tradition - Aug 3, 2026 - Jan 15, 2027 | Shared Technologies: Paper & Textiles - Feb 1 - Jul 9, 2027

IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts (MoCNA) (108 Cathedral Place, Santa Fe, NM 87501) - Paper Trails: Unfolding Indigenous Narratives - now until Jul 12, 2026

WNY Book Arts (468 Washington Street, Buffalo, NY 14203) - Good Impressions – 18th Annual Book Arts Members’ Show - now until Jul 18, 2026

The 2026 Taos Paper Retreat with Helen Hiebert will be happening Jul 19 - 25, 2026 in Taos, NM and the theme will be Capture the Light (the retreat is full but you can join the waiting list)

Minnesota Street Project Foundation presents the 2026 San Francisco Art Book Fair -locations: 1201 Minnesota St. / 1275 Minnesota St. / 1150 25th St. - Jul 23 - 26, 2026

Galerie Handwerk (Max-Joseph-Straße 4, 80333 Munich) - Papier perFormt (Paper perForms) - now until Jul 25, 2026

San Francisco Center for the Book (375 Rhode Island Street,San Francisco, CA 94103) - Futurity Library: Disobedient Artists' Books in the Postbook Age - now until Jul 26, 2026

Maya Frodeman Gallery (Jackson Hole, WY) - In Praise of Shadows, a solo exhibition with artist Kyoko Ibe - now until Jul 26, 2026

Collins Memorial Library, University of Puget Sound (Tacoma, WA, USA) - Fifteen Puget Sound Book Artists celebrate 15 years of creative community with anniversary members’ exhibition - now until Jul 31, 2026 - then at Daniel J. Evans Library, The Evergreen State College (Olympia, WA) - Sep 28 - Dec 12, 2026

Center for Book Arts (28 West 27th St, 3rd Fl, New York, NY 10001) - Sarah Plimpton: Artists’ Books - now until Aug 1, 2026

University of Montana (32 Campus Dr., Missoula, MT 59812) - Montana Institute for Book Arts - inaugural summer book arts workshop series - Aug 3rd - 14, 2026 - join for their mailing list

University of Stirling (Pathfoot Building FK9 4LA, Stirling, Scotland, UK) - Printmakers of Scotland annual Festival of Print - Aug 14 - 16, 2026

Arvada Center (6901 Wadsworth Blvd, Arvada, CO 80003) - Tilting West - now until Aug 23, 2026

Gallery 900 (900 Dempster, Evanston, IL 60202) - RESIST: artistamps that foster political change - presented by Hive Center for the Book Arts in Evanston, Illinois - it is free and open to the public, with sheets of stamps available for purchase - Aug 28 - 30, 2026

MoN Takanawa: The Museum of Narratives (3 Chome-16-1 Mita, Minato City, Tokyo 108-0073, Japan) - World of Spiral including Jun Mitani exhibit - now until Sep 23, 2026

St. Thomas More Gallery, University of Saskatchewan (Saskatoon, Canada) - Off the Grid - now until Sep 25, 2026 - some pictures of the exhibit on Byopia Press blog

Paper on Skin (Tasmania, Australia) - gala finalists and information: Oct 2 - 4, 2026 | workshop series: Oct 5 - 8, 2026

Save the date for the next Bungu LA Stationery Fair on Oct 16 - 18, 2026 at The Westin LAX - 5400 W Century Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90045

The Kyoto Retreat offers international artists, curators, and writers an opportunity to spend TIME in Japan for research and exploration - if selected you will receive a roundtrip flight to Kansai International Airport (KIX) or Osaka International Airport (Itami Airport, ITM), have a private bedroom in a shared, private house for four weeks Nov 1 - 30, 2026 and receive a stipend of US$800 to supplement your meals and local transportation - application deadline is July 17, 2026

IDDIS Norwegian Printing Museum (Muségata 16, 4010 Stavanger, Norway) - Bibliofilia: An exhibition on Bookbinding - now until Dec 31, 2026 - the museum is also hosting a series of bookbinding and letterpress workshops and tours - updates here

University of Miami (Coral Gables, FL) - Miami’s international biennial artists’ book fair, Tropic Bound - Feb 4 - 7, 2027

Top

Websites for calls for entries for all mediums and online juried shows:

- Call for entries management and jury system entrythingy.com

- Find calls https://www.callforentry.org/

- Online juried shows

- Colossal (international platform for contemporary art and visual expression that explores a vast range of creative disciplines) opportunities

Note: On going calls below are listed by by due date then with on going calls in alphabetical order

Call for residency: Exploratorium San Francisco Artist-in-residence program - discovering and supporting new potential participants and creative partners to further connect artists interested in the sciences and working with collaborators - building the capacity of artists working in public engagement as part of their practice - deadline: June 29, 2026

Call for entries: Athenaeum Music & Arts Library (1008 Wall Street, La Jolla, CA 92037) - 34th Annual Juried Exhibition - how to enter - deadline: Jun 30, 2026

Call for submission: HIVE Center for Book Arts presents RESIST: artistamps that foster political change for exhibition - deadline extended: Jul 1, 2026 - on view at Gallery 900 (900 Dempster, Evanston, IL 60202) from Aug 28 - 30, 2026 - more information

Call for Teaching Artists: Kalamazoo Book Arts Center is calling for Fall 2026, and Winter/Spring 2027 workshop proposals - deadline for online or in-person Fall 2026 (mid-Sept to mid-December) proposals is midnight ET Jul 1, 2026 - proposals for the Winter/Spring (mid-January to May 31) semesters may also be reviewed - email questions to [email protected]

Open call for mail art: Coastal Arts Guild (Newport, OR) invites you to participate in a mail-art event on the theme of the United States' past, present, and future, Past, Present, Future - U.S. at 250 - in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence - participation is free and open to all - deadline for mail art: July 1, 2026 - entries will be exhibited over Independence Day Weekend, July 3 – July 5, 2026 (10 am – 6pm) at the Don and Ann Davis Park Gazebo in Newport, OR - more information

Call for scholarship: The Guild of Book Workers offers scholarships to attend the Standards of Excellence in Hand Bookbinding - application here - application process closes Jul 20, 2026 - please email questions to Todd Pattison at [email protected]

Call for entry: Between the Covers - New England Book Artists invites book artists to explore the art, craft, and imagination contained within the book form - deadline: Aug 28, 2026 - exhibition dates: Oct 7 - 31, 2026 at the Wedeman Gallery (Yamawaki Art & Cultural Center, 47 Myrtle Avenue, Newton, MA 02466)

Art in the Park residency OR Google “National parks artist in residence” - scroll down to the map of programs across the US map - each park has a different application, criteria, etc. explore the map and find a park that aligns with your goals for a residency - apply through that park’s unique site - artists of all mediums can apply…photographers, writers, composers and more - on going

Call for instructors: The Book Arts League (3063 Sterling Cir, Boulder, CO 80301) - The BAL is looking for any and all folks who are interested in teaching a book arts related workshop to please get in touch with them

Call for workshop proposals: Frederick Book Arts Center is settling into their new space and looking for teachers - if you have experience teaching bookbinding, letterpress, printmaking, photography or other skills related to book arts and are interested in working with us we are interested in hearing from you - please email: [email protected] - on going

Call for teachers: Hui No'eau Visual Arts Center, Maui, HI, is looking for Youth Teaching Artists - more information - to apply for this position, please send a resume and sample art projects to: Michaela McGuire, Youth Programs Coordinator, [email protected] - on going

Call for artist in residence: Joseph Rock Arboretum on Hawai'i Island - JRA Sculptural Project Honoring the Earth Through Indigenous Wisdom - deadline: on going - they offer a 3-week stay in the Kailua-Kona area on Hawai'i Island (artist will need to get a rental car (or use UBER), buy food, bring their supplies or buy locally, to construct their art and they can bring a friend or partner)

Call for Artists: The Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) Shop is seeking new artists interested in selling their work - on going

Call for teachers: Pacific Ocean Paperfolders monthly virtual meeting - on going - contact Joel Stern

Call for Workshop Teachers: PaperWorks 2025-2026 Season - half day, full day and multiple day classes, in person or via Zoom - download proposal form and send completed form to [email protected] - on going

Call for Submissions: Printed Matter, New York - Decolonisation, Resistance & Solidarity - is actively soliciting artists’ books, zines, and print ephemera that engage with ideas of decolonisation, resistance, and interconnected solidarity around the world - accepted submissions will be distributed online and in-store - this is an open, rolling call - there is no deadline for submissions - to view a selection of titles that speak to these themes and their submission guidelines

Call for workshop proposals: The Santa Fe Book Arts Group Program Committee extends an invitation to submit proposals for workshops in the coming months - more information - on going

Top

Note: If you want to inspect a link to see where it may take you, mouse over the link and in the lower left corner of your screen the status bar will show you where the hyperlink would take you. On smartphones or tablets long press on the link and a window will appear with that information.

Sarah Bodman - Book Arts Newsletter - Impact Press at the Centre for Print Research, UWE Bristol, UK - more book arts related events in the UK, EU, EEA and some USA - latest edition and back issues

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art’s (BIMA) - Artist's Books Unshelved: full play list here - latest videos: Behind the Fold | Works by Erika Rier & Pati Scobey and Pinpricked & Pulped Moths | Works by Eliana Pérez & Michelle A. M. Miller

I have, every now and then, included videos on how to make paper shadow boxes (but probably called them frames) but who cannot help but be delighted with Paula Krieg's blog on how to make these paper shadow boxes to hold her equally delightful projects

Bolton Central School students explore bookmaking with artist in residence Paula Krieg

Virginia Book Arts is a thriving community of letterpress printers, bookbinders, printmakers, and paper artists based in Charlottesville, Virginia - they preserve and teach the history and craft of the book with 2 Vandercook presses, along with other small presses, classes in everything from binding to textiles to printing, lino and letterpress, and much more - come visit their in our new location in the old C&O Train Station (600 E. Water St., Suite F, Charlottesville, VA 22902)

Did you know that Talas has a resource blog?

Edinburgh's mysterious book sculptures

Popup page with lots of room for pictures, images and texts - rather like the idea of using the mechanism as pages in a book

Origami artwork that combines geometry, texture, and tranquility while drawing inspiration from the serene shades and movement of water

I am bringing back this tutorial as it really is handy to have a scrap box for your workshops whether you attend in person or on Zoom - sometimes those little scraps may end up glued to your project | another box to fold but will take a little bit more time and very pretty with double sided paper | another version for a scrap or storage box | another container for little things that is maybe a little spill proof

And while you are at it fold yourself an origami fidget toy

Sarah Bodman (Centre for Print Research, UWE Bristol) - World Book Night Events - What we do in the Shadows

Double accordion gate fold card (in inches) - this one is in cm | instruction sheet with dimension in inches and materials | I used the middle area for a long accordion folded sentiment - pictures are in my Instagram and the account is private

There is more than 1 way to fold a fan

A news spot about the Morgan Papermaking Conservatory Fashion Walk (reminds me of Paper on Skin in Australia)

The joyful paper arts of Sally Brandl

BIMA's treasure trek for the month of June - if you miss this year'a (2026) save the month for 2027 - you could combine this with FOBA in 2028

Shawn Sheehy's popup book, Beyond the Sixth Extinction is now available in a trade edition - the initial release was very limited and am very glad for this - that snapping turtle head is starkly exquisite

Another texture project for a page with half circles | in another color | more half circle texture art | make a half ball with 3 - 4 circles each circle with a different color on each side | variation with squares - wonder how she glues those down

Kit Davey not only teaches some very cool book structures but also has 17 free tutorials on her website - scroll down until you see her smiling face offering an informational video about bookmaking tools, papers, and ideas, plus a studio tour

Another interactive page popup or card

At Paris Design week - for those of us that love Zhen Xian Bao (ZXB) - large scale installation made from many smaller flower top masus or boxes about 4" (10 cm) square - wow!

Popup card from Instagram and also on YouTube

A deconstructed square base pop-up | this shows how to glue a little better

Colors whose names I had not heard of except for veridian - even then I thought it was a character or spaceship from a graphic novel series

Borrow a human for an in-depth conversation from the Human Library - to locate a human library near you do a search on "Human Linrary locations in the [country or town name here]" - if you are close to Los Angeles click here

Gift wrapping a book without tape or glue

This video answered my question about how golden volcanic glass threads or Pele's hairs formed

If you are left-handed or know someone who is left-handed here is all the left handed stationery you will ever need

Make a moon phase calendar with thanks to Byopia Press, for the paper amuse bouche

Craft books recommended by artists teaching at Penland this summer - do you have any of these? What books would you recommend?

Visit your local library - you may find a seed library, Chihuly glass sculptures, beach toys, ukuleleles, laptops and cool reading rooms - some others to explore: https://www.rentcafe.com/blog/apartmentliving/most-unusual-libraries/ | https://uniquelibrary.com/nine-fantastic-and-unique-libraries-to-visit/ | https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g28926-Activities-c60-t21-California.html | I found this before I started my 100th anniversary Los Angeles Public Library adventure

Rich on Tech takes a look at Scamwise, a free website that analyzes texts, emails, and even physical mail to instantly tell you if it's a scam - and what to do next

French fold binding - is this the same as a flutter binding?

Came across a cartonnage maker on Instagram and saw that he had a YouTube channel - found this back to school pencil case - it is in Spanish however you can auto-translate it to whatever language you need

I don't think you need to be bored to try out some fun new things

Top

11 days after sending out the May newsletter, we headed out on a rather last minute request to house sit. When the request was made in mid-April I had to figure out whether I wanted to go to FOBA or go to the Big Island of Hawai'i (hence forth the Big Island). Big Island or FOBA? FOBA or Big Island? There was a lot of back & forth, forth & back and wringing of hands. A list of workshops I wanted to attend had already been made and was narrowing it down when the EMAIL showed up in my inbox. The decision was made after seeing the look on Bill's face when I told him about the house sitting request.

Our plane was an Airbus A330 and her name was Melemele which means yellow or golden probably in reference to the ilima flower and the care and time it took to make a lei with them - over 600 blooms for each lei and they wilt within 24 hours of being picked. Glad to say that the promise of care was kept on that flight . It was raining as we made our approach into Honolulu and in quick succession saw the USS Arizona Memorial and the USS Missouri, several grey Air Force C-17 Globemasters (impressively huge even from the air - Hickam Air Force Base is next to Honolulu airport) and was just delighted to see an All Nippon Airways A380 orange honu (turtle) plane named La. I had seen them in pictures but never in person. Here is a link to a picture of the 3 of them - their names are, from top to bottom, Lani, La and Kai. Then Bill & I looked at each other and remarked, "Remember when we saw that submarine coming in as we were taxiing for takeoff?"

We drove to Hilo in the continuing rain now causing me to use the windshield wipers at double speed. So basically I really could hardly see anything. We got stopped at the beginning of Saddle Road (the fastest way to go between the west and east side of the island as well as driving between Maunakea and Mauna Loa) for a DUI checkpoint - every car was stopped and questioned as there had been a fatal crash earlier that morning. They wanted to know where we were coming from and if we were headed home. Nice to be mistaken for a local but terribly saddened about what had happened earlier.

We spent the next 4 days wandering around the Hilo area: having a lovely breakfast in a restaurant that only had 3 tables and everyone knew who Uncle Paul (the owner and cook) was and him remembering everybody (even thinking we looked vaguely familiar even though we were last there more than 20 years ago); trying a new fancy shave (yes, no "d") ice place (tasty but terribly overpriced); walking around the Hilo farmers market with what can only be described as an indescribable bounty of fruit and vegetables; walking the length of Kamehameha Avenue and finding out that one of the lovely people we had met who helped run her son-in-law's store that sold koa wood products had passed earlier this year - will miss you Elvie aka Aunty Honey Girl; indulging in a chocolate tasting experience and trying about 14 different kinds of chocolates, taking notes of what I tasted and rating what I liked (no star, 1/2 star and one star), buying too many bars of chocolate that I rated the highest and losing those notes because I left them in the back pocket of my shorts and they got washed - sigh; going by my favorite tea plantation and being lucky enough to get my hands on the most amazing black tea and enjoyed the sounds of the Hanawi stream by the farmstand and the orchids they had grown on the trunks of the palm and coconut trees by the stream.

After our stay in Hilo was up we drove from the east side of the island down south to Volcano National Park (VNP) before continuing on to our lodgings in Na'alehu, one of the southern most town in the US. We made our usual stop in the park to make our offering of gin to Madame Pele. We have been doing this since 2014 on our wedding day where we honored both our mothers and Tutu Pele (did not get married here that was on another volcano). The weather was behaving unusually - it was raining and windy instead of the usual hot, dry and windy. That is usually the case when you drive away from the Kilauea and Halema'uma'u craters and the Nahuku lava tube as you go from about 4,000 feet (1,333 m) to sea level. It did help to cool things down and made the Pu'uloa Petroglyph hike much more bearable as it was all over black lava rock. Usually you would get the heat beating down on you from the sun and radiating up from the lava rock. There were rock cairns along the side of the trail to show you the way if the trail became less distinct. At the end of the trail there was a boardwalk surrounding a field of petroglyphs - an astounding number of them. Despite visiting the park many times this was our first time to this particular field. For some reason our adventures to petroglyph fields tended to be on the northwest side of the island. Anthropologists still have no idea what they were trying to record or convey. I did read that the Hawaiians used to put their baby's umbilical cords in a hole (puka) and then cover it with a rock to ensure a long life for the baby. Seem like a practical way to maintain the birth count, an informal census, perhaps? I did see a lot of pukas (holes) and it made me pensive to think about all the parents wishing for their children's survival on these harsh and arid lands. Still poignant after over 500 years. We were accompanied by the wind blowing through stunted and sparse showy crotalaria bushes growing the the side of the trail whose yellow sweet-pea-like flowers had seeded and produced black elongated pods that rattled in the wind. Each pod produced a different note but, alas, it was more a disorganized cacophony than a symphony. Still it was an added accompaniment to the wind that was constantly blowing. The drive from the top of the volcano to sea level and back had us going over numerous cracks in the road caused by earthquake damage causing small moments of disquiet.

I was surprised and delighted to see a tuxedo cat on the back lawn of our AirBnB in Na'alehu on the 2nd day of our stay. The lanai overlooked some green space where the birds in the area liked to forage, ideal hunting grounds for Tuxedo Cat (not sure of their gender but was glad to see they were fixed as I could see that the tip of their left ear was docked). We looked at each sizing each other up. I was no match for them as I am sure they knew as I was just there to eat my breakfast. I was also too far away for a slow blink to say, hello or you can trust me. It came back again in the evening before dinner to share a loaf moment with me as I slowly sipped iced water so as not to scare them off with clinking ice before they slinked off to hunt in the undergrowth. Not sure if they even considered this to be part of its hunting grounds as it appeared to be an evening gathering spot for at least 5 dozen mourning doves (also known as tekukors in Malaysia, like the calls they make), saffron & house finches and cardinals. Getting up from the outside sofa on the lanai (balcony) sent them away into a flurry of flight. I was never successful in getting up without scaring them off but they would very quickly return to continue foraging. I was curious as to what they could possibly be eating when I looked up and saw the bird feeder on the level above us. Who wouldn't take advantage of the constant source of dropped food from above. We continued looking for good coffee places, found a farm to table open air restaurant that only had 5 tables and the owner ran the whole thing (farmers and chief cook & bottle washer), indulged in Bill's favorite and southern most hot dog place (this is the only place we will have hot dogs), finding old favorites and trying new ones at the farmers market, locating one of the largest and densest monkeypod trees I had ever seen at a beach park we had not visited before and, of course, attempting to locate more rainbow eucalyptus trees (same copse but further up the road).

Note to self: never select a Nissan Versa from Hertz. We had had issues with that make of car in November 2025 as well. This time the transmission was making strange noises more akin to the plane ailerons extending when landing and producing a really terrifying sound when we backed into a parking spot that was slightly uphill. Asked the lady at the counter for a better selection and she recommended getting a Kia but would have to wait about 10 minutes. Translation: in Hawaiian time would be more like 30. We were in no rush but it was hot on the west of the island and shade was at a premium. We got a gray Kia - newly vacuumed and washed and felt much safer in the new car. I also realized that it was a much quieter car. My ears were very relieved.

After our stay at the southern part of the island was up we drove up from Na'alehu to Hilo using the freeway on the east side of the island stopping by to get lunch which we enjoyed in a parking lot overlooking the ocean and a lovely park. Bill mentioned we hadn't been to the popsicle place that also sold ice (dispensed through the mouth of an ice dragon!) and so had a refreshingly chilly dessert. We finally arrived at our house sitting gig, unpacked and took our host out to dinner to one of our favorite restaurants within walking distance. That is definitely one of the things I love about house sitting where we do - lots of things within walking distance - food, coffee, post office, performance center, favorite bakery on the island, farmers markets, etc.

However as I unpacked the bathroom items I realized I had left behind, again!, the same three items that I had left behind when we went from Singapore to Malaysia back in March. My brain was going, "Arghhh! Not again!" but my fingers were already texting the AirBnB host. They did find them them and would leave the items in a Ziploc bag by the front door for pickup the next day. Phew! So we started the next day with a leisurely walk to my favorite coffee place to have my favorite cappuccino and breakfast, attempting to remember the names of the people behind the counter and admiring the flowers that a local resident placed on every table because he wanted to. We took off after making sure that we had plenty of water and the emergency travel pack for the car (power bank, charging cables & adapters, mobile hotspot, portable clip-on fan, sunscreen, sanitizing wipes and a teeny, tiny pair of scissors).

20 minutes into the drive I got notification that the eruption, episode 49, had started! We still had a 2 hour drive south to Na'alehu to retrieve my forgotten items and then another hour east to get to the entrance of Volcano National Park. We could see the eruption from the freeway as we got closer to the park. When I looked back at the pictures I took from the freeway there were volcanic vortexes or vornados next to the fountaining lava! The park rangers just waved everyone through without taking any payment and the crawl from the entrance to the Steaming Bluffs started to inch its way forward. What was usually a 5-minute drive took about 30 minutes. Maybe I was imagining it but I thought I could smell the eruption - a slightly flinty scent mixed in with sulphur but not the rotten egg scent you would associate with hydrogen sulfide - never smelled an eruption before. Madame Pele must have been looking out for us as we managed to find one of 2 last parking spots on the side of the road at the Bluffs. I knew the eruption would be obstructed at the 2 overlooks further in. We had been there 5 days earlier and I scoping out the best place to watch the eruption - the closest and safest. I didn't know what to expect once I saw the fountaining lava. Everyone there seemed quieter than usual or speaking in hushed tones and I got goose bumps as soon as I laid eyes on that magnificent, unreal sight. Liquid rock was coming out of the earth! At 2,100°F (1,500°C)! Granted it was about 2 miles away but it was still other worldly. I took the bare minimum of pictures and put away my phone just to marvel and take it all in. I was in awe and not afraid at all. The wind was blowing away from us so no chance of getting pelted with tephra. I was standing next to and chatting with a geologist and his family from Tucson who had planned their trip for this possibility - these are my kind of peeps. I gingerly picked up a palm sized piece of pumice that had glimpses of an obsidian (glass) black interior and it felt prickly against the balls of my fingers and was as light as air - no weight to it at all. Since only the north vent was fountaining up to 700 feet (212m) the roar of the eruption was muted and I had to strain to hear the eruption. Unlike the last time we were on the island in November 2025 and witnessed episode 36 from the side of the freeway and very clearly heard the eruption from more than 4 miles away as both the north and south vents were fountaining at over 1,000 feet (303m). That jet engine roar was unmistakable back then and I was glad to have been 4 miles away.

So we ended up driving around the entire island that day having started out with the intention of merely retrieving left behind items and ended up watching a volcanic eruption and then doing our grocery shopping for the week - only on the Big Island! We also managed to drive past all 5 volcanoes (1 extinct, 1 dormant and 3 active) that day. That one day we put almost 225 miles (360 km) on the rental car with almost 5 hours of driving. We were yawning through dinner and was glad to be off to bed as we had to drop off our host at the airport very, very, very early the next morning and return the rental car. Not sure if it was due to the eruption but the sunrise seemed extra ominous and colorful as I was waiting for Bill and our host to show up at the airport terminal after I returned the car. And so began our house sitting gig on the Big Island.

We have been looking after the cats (1 inside cat, 1 cat that only comes inside for meals, 1 cat that hangs around the back of the house plus 3 other neighbor cats that like to join us for meals), being their butlers, juggling their schedules and being an available lap or a hand to hold, some light plant watering, attending farmers markets and marveling, again, at the abundance of fruits, flowers and vegetables, trying new restaurants and headed back to old favorites, catching up with old friends and making new ones, catching a sunset or 2, having an adventure or 2, folding a mandala or 4, finishing up the newsletter - you know - same old, same old. This current house sitting gig feels a little bit more chilled, maybe knowing that it may possibly be the last one as our host may not be traveling any more. I am grateful it lasted as long as it did and we will continue to visit the Big Island no matter what. Maybe we might even move here one day and may need our very own house sitters. Any volunteers?

See you in July!

Top

(maintained in my Dropbox account - close popup to view document). Documents are saved in Word format (.docx). If you do not have Microsoft Word you can use Microsoft 365 to save a copy

• Organizations where I gather my workshop information
• Teaching opportunities (needs to be updated)
• On-demand workshops with pre-recorded videos and/or kits
• Favorite paper places (I am not affiliated, associated, authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with any of the companies listed. I merely enjoy their products and fantasize about what I might buy)
• Central place for artist residencies - all mediums
• MFA programs in the US (updated annually around early December) - due dates, points of contacts, programs offered and admission requirements
  
  Top

• Link to the calendar
• Best viewed on a large monitor (there is lots of information) and is searchable
• There is no difference between the colors you see, just a way to visually separate workshops but the more subdued colors are online workshops
• The calendar is updated as I come across information but you have 24x7 access to it
• If you add any calendar entry to your own personal calendar be sure to update the time to your local time zone - time zone converter
• For more information view this video
• Questions? Suggestions? Email me at [email protected]

Top

If you have read this far, thank you for your interest. This newsletter is a labor of love that I compile when time and bandwidth allows for reviewing, researching and curating information from hundreds of emails and entirely too many internet rabbit holes. I try to shoot for publishing the newsletter between the 22nd and 27th of each month, sometimes earlier, sometime later, sometimes not at all (but I do let you know ahead of time if this is the case).

I do not use your information for purposes outside of sharing this newsletter, workshop calendar and special announcements relating to workshops. I will not share your email address or any other personal information you have shared with me, with anyone. To subscribe, unsubscribe or view this newsletter online use the link below.

Subscribe to the Book & Paper Arts Newsletter | Top