During the 2026 FOBA Conference we will honor the late Patty Grass with an exhibit of her work. Patty planted the roots of the Pacific Northwest book arts community. For almost four decades, she taught, shared, and created access to tools, supplies, and community, including the inception of the Focus on Book Arts Conference. Patty passed away in July 2025, and her specialty shop, Green Heron Book Arts, closed in January 2026. An exhibit showcasing Patty’s work over the years will be on display in the same room as the Faculty/Staff Exhibit, and will be open to the public.
Her longtime friend and colleague, Fran McReynolds, wrote the article below shortly after Patty’s passing.
| Day | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Tuesday | June 23 | 1 pm – 8:30 pm |
| Wednesday | June 24 | 8 am – 8:30 pm |
| Thursday | June 25 | 8 am – 8:30 pm |
| Friday | June 26 | 8 am – 8:30 pm |
| Saturday | June 27 | 8 am – 8:30 pm |
Location
Richard Woodcock Education Center, Room 102
Remembering Patty Grass
We are deeply saddened by the death of Patricia (Patty) Grass, a passionate book artist, inspirational instructor, and one of the founders of Focus on Book Arts (FOBA).
Patty is perhaps best known as the owner of Green Heron Book Arts, her store in Forest Grove, Oregon, where she conducted ongoing classes for more than 22 years. Patty was instrumental in introducing hundreds of people to the idea of books as an art form through her many community workshops, pop-up art experiences, and formal classes. When she was asked why she chose “Green Heron” as the name of her store, she replied that the green heron had come back from the brink of extinction and she hoped that Green Heron Book Arts would help to ensure that bookbinding and book arts did not become extinct.
Patty also worked hard to bring book arts into people’s lives. She taught at Multnomah Art Center and worked with 4th grade students at Arbor School and Catlin Gabel School in Portland, printing and binding books of their poetry. Patty was an instructor at FOBA and for the Newport Paper and Book Arts Festival at the Newport (Oregon) Art Center. She created pop-up opportunities on the sidewalk in front of her shop in collaboration with other small businesses in Forest Grove, inviting passersby to make something special to take home with them. She produced book making kits with thoughtfully chosen materials and detailed instructions.
Patty helped organize the Focus conferences in 1993, 1995, and 1997 before taking on the Conference Chair position for the 1999 conference. She continued as Conference Chair through 2005, when she passed the torch to Laurie Weiss, and she continued to be involved—as Workshop Chair until the 2017 conference and active at FOBA through the 2024 conference. (For more on Patty’s involvement in FOBA, visit https://focusonbookarts.org/history/.)
Patty’s enthusiasm, insatiable curiosity, and love of learning led her to create a weekly book arts class with members who have been together for more than two decades. She added a second weekly class a little over 10 years ago. We met in her studio in the back part of Green Heron Book Arts, surrounded by her amazing works.
Patty’s ideas seemed endless and she delighted in coming up with each semester’s plan. Typically, she decided on a project topic and binding method that we would explore together and she provided written directions, background information, demonstrations on tool use, and hands-on experience. Sometimes projects were collaborative; for most projects, each of us created a unique example that fit into the model. Patty was adept at guiding us to solve technical or design challenges and encouraging unique approaches.
As a member of Patty’s Tuesday group, I will always carry the inspiration of Patty’s creativity and her ability to provide instruction that gently pushed each of us to create our best work. (My favorite quote from Patty: “In book arts, you can rise to your own level of compulsion.”)
When I wandered into Green Heron Book Arts in 2015 I had no idea of how my life would change as the result of that chance encounter. It sparked my involvement on the FOBA board. Because of Patty, I am now part of an amazing community of book artists in Oregon, Washington, and beyond. My skills have been stretched so that I have shelves full of my own artist’s books, many created with Patty’s vision and guidance. Along with many others involved in FOBA and in her classes, I am forever grateful that I got to know her and learn from her. We miss her more than we can say.