Susan Lowdermilk—Evening Grosbeak

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement North America has lost almost three billion birds since 1970. “Decline of the North American Avifauna,” published in Science, 2019, was the first-ever widespread avian population assessment. My…

Continue Reading

Susan Lowdermilk—American Kestrel

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement North America has lost almost three billion birds since 1970. “Decline of the North American Avifauna,” published in Science, 2019, was the first-ever widespread avian population assessment. My…

Continue Reading

Robin Feinman—Line Drawing

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This is a collaboration between me and my mother, who wrote the short poems. Each poem is four lines, accompanied by an abstract line drawing meant to convey…

Continue Reading

Anne Sobbota—Whisper Ribbon

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I love to experiment with different methods of forming and displaying fused glass. Because the glass is fired, finding ways to include paper and the element of communication…

Continue Reading

Roberta Lavadour—Spirit Guide

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This work grew out of thinking a lot about appropriation, and how materials, techniques, and imagery hold cultural weight. I’m fascinated by the New Age to white supremacy…

Continue Reading

Roberta Lavadour—Love, Punky

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement My earliest memory is of walking to church on a maple-leaf stained-sidewalk in Bremen, Indiana, my Aunt Marie berating my Uncle Dewey for the black grease still embedded…

Continue Reading

Cat Monroy—1996

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I thought I was pretty special, creating a book out of paper bags! I remember loving the sound of the paper and the texture of it. I wanted…

Continue Reading

Cat Monroy—2006

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This book was created in 2006, 10 years after my first book (1996, the paper bag lunch book). It was made during a time when I was moving…

Continue Reading

Castle Danz—A Voyage to Arcturus

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Recently Ingram announced they were discontinuing distribution of mass market paperback books (MMPBs). Many large publishers responded to the lack of distribution by discontinuing production of the format.…

Continue Reading

Kris Stewart—Northwest Haiku

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This project is very close to my heart. It’s a collaboration with my mother, who wrote the haiku. Some of her poems are inspired by my artwork, while…

Continue Reading

Kris Stewart—Unfurling Box

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This was such a fun project for a Type A person like myself. I didn’t have a model or instructions but thoroughly enjoyed figuring out the precise measurements…

Continue Reading

Kris Stewart—Leather Art Journal

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This journal is part of a series I created using circles in various ways. In this case, the stitching on the spine subtly reinforces the strong circular closure…

Continue Reading

Judilee Fitzhugh—Maple and Mandala

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I first became aware of the shadow prints of leaves on Portland sidewalks after the fall rains. India Flint’s book Eco Colour gave me a method of transferring…

Continue Reading

Brenda Gallagher—Southwest Desert

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This book was a practice for designing with multiple kinds of leather techniques. The binding was also a practice for learning a new binding structure. The inspiration for…

Continue Reading

Anne Sobbota—Gather in the Garden

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Translating the art of handmade books into a medium that is not traditionally used to construct multi-page items is the challenge I wanted to explore in this work.…

Continue Reading

Abigail Merickel—Pear Orchard

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement The Hood River valley in Oregon where I live is full of apple and pear orchards. During harvest these tall ladders swing and clang through the orchard as…

Continue Reading

Erika Taketa—Biáng

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Biáng is a Chinese character that forms part of the name of a Shaanxi noodle dish, biángbiángmiàn. It is famously complicated to write and has an 11-line poem…

Continue Reading

Christy Turner—Sarracenia

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This piece is a roughly life-sized portrait of a North American pitcher plant, Sarracenia flava, from my own carnivorous plant garden. I’ve always had a deep interest in botany and…

Continue Reading

Christy Turner—Nest

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This linocut depicts a female Giant Pacific Octopus tending her eggs inside a long-abandoned human rib cage, contrasting the surprising maternal instinct of these incredibly intelligent creatures with…

Continue Reading

Rhiannon Alpers—Ochre Color Experiments

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This multi-part, tiered-box artist book investigates ochre as both color and material trace. The work comprises two interrelated books housed within a three-tiered tray box with a magnetic…

Continue Reading

Janet Boyko—Sashiko

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement A trip to Japan. A new practice. Sashiko is a handmade artist book holding a collection of practice squares, each one stitched in the traditional Japanese running stitch…

Continue Reading

Janet Boyko—Pretty as a Picture

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Plain as paint, or pretty as a picture? Handmade circular artist book dressed up in powder puff pink. Inside, vintage magazine advertisements promise transformation—perfect nails, smoother skin, a…

Continue Reading

Janet Boyko—Gone Digital

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Some things vanish so gradually you barely notice they’re gone. Remember when information had weight? Gone Digital is a handmade artist book collecting the ephemera of analog life—objects…

Continue Reading

Rhiannon Alpers—Cicadoidea: Cicada Explorations

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Originally conceived as sculptural studies of cicada forms, this edition expanded into a broader exploration of origami, storytelling, cicadas, and handmade paper. Developed through an ongoing collaborative process…

Continue Reading

Cat Monroy—2026

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Small but mighty. This little book was made on a whim. The covers were made from pages of the paper magazine Flow. I love this stitch because it…

Continue Reading

Kristi Galbraith—Alternating Currents

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Alternating Currents is an electrically charged artist book featuring custom weavings, definitions, and stamped letters to highlight the range of words, feelings, and memories that are stirred up…

Continue Reading

Pietro Accardi—Purple Chrysanthemum

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement An unusual modern marbled pattern called “chrysanthemum.” My wife suggested that the pattern is also similar to a lotus flower. Materials and Techniques Silk and acrylic paint; marbled…

Continue Reading

Jennifer Woodward—Mirroring

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This piece was created during a residency on a farm on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Plant fibers were harvested and processed locally. Materials and Techniques Handmade paper sculpture made…

Continue Reading

Jennifer Woodward—SLOOOOOOOOW

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This piece was made as a reminder for myself and others. It’s okay to take it very, very, slow. Materials and Techniques Handmade paper sculpture made with recycled…

Continue Reading

Selene Fisher—The Neighborhood

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement As I was building each little house, I started telling myself short stories about the people who lived there and their relationship to their neighborhood. I used my…

Continue Reading

Rosemary Rae—Scattered Pieces

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Scattered Pieces is an assemblage of random imagery, paint, and words all stitched together to create spontaneous wonder. I enjoy creating paper landscapes where blue-sky-play blooms on perch and page, owls dance…

Continue Reading

Jeri Oswalt—The Book of Calm

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement The outside world was swirling and I could not settle to design a project. I began a daily stitching practice on linen scraps. They had no purpose. This…

Continue Reading

Raluca Iancu—Overpasses

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Overpasses are among the most familiar forms in contemporary life, especially within car-centric regions such as California, yet they are rarely examined beyond their utility. I am drawn…

Continue Reading

Raluca Iancu—Landslide

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Disasters are the perfect locus to observe the line where function and dysfunction bleed into one another. The illusions of control and privilege are irreversibly challenged. We discover…

Continue Reading

During the Conference

For campus non-emergency issues, please call Western Oregon University  at 503-810-9591. For non-emergency dorm room assistance call 503‑932-3415. Use this number for lock‑outs, problems with your room, etc. In case of emergencies, call Campus Public Safety at 503-352-2230 or from on-campus phones…

Continue Reading

Arriving on Campus

How to Get to Western Oregon University Registration and check-in for FOBA is in the Richard Woodcock Education Center at 601 Monmouth Avenue North, Monmouth, OR 97361. Please give this address to the transportation company or put it into your GPS.…

Continue Reading

Before You Arrive

Important Things to Bring to FOBA Workshop Supplies: Review the supply list associated with each of the workshops you are taking and gather up your supplies. The list was emailed in your registration packet and is available under the workshop…

Continue Reading

For Attendees

Now that you are registered for the 2026 Focus on Book Arts Conference, it’s time to figure out: How you are going to get here and if are you bringing all the right stuff:Before You Arrive What to do when…

Continue Reading

Naomi S. Velasquez—Challenged

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This artist’s book speaks to relationships affected by book banning in libraries. So many of the most frequently banned and challenged books represent marginalized voices sharing important narratives…

Continue Reading

Celeste Chalasani—In My Garden

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I worked In My Garden to stretch myself artistically. The question I posed to myself was, “Is it still stumpwork if your background fabric isn’t fabric?” I also…

Continue Reading

Celeste Chalasani—Clematis Journal

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Clematis Journal was inspired by a visit to the Rogerson Clematis Garden near Lake Oswego, Oregon. We had traveled from our very gray, overcast home to Portland in…

Continue Reading

Helen Hiebert—Weaving Album #1

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I launched my own 100-Day Project, creating 100 weavings over the last 100 days of 2013, at a time when I needed something to help me focus and…

Continue Reading

Cindy Luxhoj—The Incredible Journey

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I made this art book project in a five-day “Hidden Worlds” online workshop instructed by Lesley Patterson-Marx through San Diego Book Arts. The miniature books were designed as…

Continue Reading

Cindy Luxhoj—Tribute to Georgia

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement My Name is Georgia by Jeanette Winter, published in 1998, celebrates the life of iconic artist Georgia O’Keeffe, my favorite creative. A Tribute to Georgia is my excavated…

Continue Reading

Genevieve Kaplan—minimum responses

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This floppy little book—and the poem it contains—was inspired by the desert landscapes and windscapes of southern California. Themes of fragility, attention, language, and scarcity are examined through…

Continue Reading

Kit Davey—Bay Leaf Tunnel Book

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I gather leaves on my morning walk and use them in many of my books. Using natural materials in my bookmaking combines two of my loves. Materials and…

Continue Reading

Kit Davey—Tetrahedral Japan

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement I love books with surprises. This one has an unusual shape and a wee door hiding a triangular tunnel book. Materials and Techniques The tetradedran is made from…

Continue Reading

Kit Davey—Fence Meets Leaves

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement Natural elements make for rich page enhancements. Materials and Techniques Wooden fence post top used as front cover, mat board covered in craft paper for the pages; pages…

Continue Reading

Tess Yinger—In Doctrine: No. 8

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This work builds on the long historical tradition of miniature religious texts worn around the neck. It was inspired by the recent rise in religious extremism that is…

Continue Reading

Shawn Sheehy—42 Wildflowers

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement This boxed collection of six bound books houses a total of 42 flowers, nearly all of which are US wildflowers. The engineering and development has stretched over 16…

Continue Reading

Julie R. Filatoff—Georgia O’Keeffe

Click on any image to enlarge. Click again to close. Artist Statement As an art student in college, I studied the contemporary painter Georgia O’Keeffe. Her work was significant to me because I’d recently visited New Mexico for the first…

Continue Reading

FOBA 2026 Sponsors

Thank you to our generous sponsors who help FOBA bring together students and instructors. Gold Leaf Sponsors New Morning Bakery(541) 754-0181https://www.newmorningbakery.com Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Dessert, and Anything In Between. A local landmark for over 40 years, New Morning Bakery is…

Continue Reading

Sponsorship Levels

Contact Development Director Cindy Luxhoj at development@focusonbookarts.org for more information about being a sponsor of FOBA. Read to assist? Click here for a form.

Continue Reading

Pricing

Workshop Pricing Housing Pricing See below for extra night (Sunday), which includes dinner Sunday and breakfast Monday. Bed linens and towels are automatically included in the room rentals. This linen package includes: a pillow, blankets, two flat XL twin size…

Continue Reading

First Timers Club

New to FOBA? You’re not alone! Join the First Timers Club and you can learn what to expect at the conference, make new friends, and get your questions answered.

Continue Reading

Meals at FOBA

You can download a .pdf of this page here. You can find various meal package pricing here. Please Note: Footnotes: 1 For those who have purchased the “All Meals” option2 For those who have purchased the “Lunch Only” options3 For…

Continue Reading

Art Exhibit Honoring Patty Grass

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…

Continue Reading

Open Studio Sessions

Have you ever wanted half of a day during the conference to work at your own pace, relax, and embellish your previous day’s workshop creations? Or wanted some low-stress time to get input from an instructor (or your peers) on a project you’re working on? Join this Half-Day Hosted Studio Session for just $55, and enjoy a dedicated space to work alongside other like-minded attendees at your leisure. Then, spend the other half of the day exploring Monmouth, taking the trolley to Independence to visit the shops and galleries, visiting one of the local wineries, or joining the non-hosted open studio session after lunch.

Continue Reading

Erin Fletcher: Variations on Single-Signature Bindings

Books come in all shapes and sizes. Some may span only a single signature, while others become a thick tome. In this workshop, we’ll explore the former as we create a multitude of models with both soft and hard covers.

To help us punch all of the signatures for our models, students will begin this workshop by making a collapsible punching cradle out of binder’s board covered in Lokta paper. Then students will make a series of simple softcover pamphlets using a variety of sewing patterns before moving on to hardcover structures. All of these structures allow the book to lay flat and are perfect for artist’s books, chapbooks, presentation pamphlets, or short stories.

Continue Reading

Raluca Iancu: Japanese Stab Binding

During this one-day workshop, students will learn how to create traditional Japanese stab-bound books from beginning to finish, using traditional Japanese materials. The instructor will bring materials from Japan for this workshop (paper and covers). We will cover up to four basic bindings: Yotsume Toji (Four-Hole Binding), Kikko Toji (Tortoise Shell), Asa-no-ha Toji (Hemp Leaf), and Koki Toji (Noble Binding).

Continue Reading

Rosemary Rae: Collage Boot Camp

In this Collage Boot Camp we will dive into the hands-on creation of mixed-media collages, integrating text using a variety of ephemera, papers, acrylic paint, and other markmaking tools. Discover your artistic voice and learn about color theory and how to create strong compositions.

Continue Reading

Judilee Fitzhugh: Contact-Print Portfolio

This workshop will begin by using the contact method (also called eco-printing or botanical printing) of transferring natural plant pigment material to paper appropriate for book binding. Students will prepare contact-printed papers dyes with real leaves to create a custom portfolio to hold precious papers.

Continue Reading

Pietro Accardi: Advanced Paper Marbling—More Patterns and Metallics

This workshop is designed to provide students with a space to explore more of the marbling universe. Further complex patterns will be demonstrated. This workshop is designed to provide students with a space to explore more of the marbling universe. Further complex patterns will be demonstrated. Students will learn how to make and use metallic paint. Students will execute some overmarbled paper, which are papers “printed” two times, creating complex visual patterns.

Continue Reading

Pietro Accardi: Intro to Paper Marbling

In this introductory class, students will gain a basic understanding of the history, techniques, tools, and styles of Western marbling. We will talk about the color wheel and color theory to guide students’ creativity. Pietro will demonstrate how to execute the most classic patterns and how to create simple harmonic color combinations.

Continue Reading

Rhiannon Alpers: Boxmaking Fundamentals

Boxes can be both elegant and deeply personal—beautiful containers for books, sculptures, or collections. But for many book artists, boxmaking can feel intimidating. This two-day workshop is designed to demystify the process and build confidence through hands-on practice with one of the most essential forms: the clamshell box.

Continue Reading