Past Issue: No. 59 (October - November - December 2023)
Get a sneak peek .

UPPERCASE October-November-December is issue 59, with the theme of “‘made by hand’ and features lots of artists and artisans and their crafts and handmade art. I hope that you will be motivated to draw, paint, sculpt, sew or otherwise create something made by you!,” writes publisher Janice Vangool. The cover artist is Catherine-Marie Longtin, a French Canadian quilt maker and textile artist who is profiled in an included feature article. “I chose to highlight a work in progress for the cover of this issue because it speaks to the two main themes of this issue. The first: things made by hand in an old-fashioned, analog way, devoid of new technologies. And secondly, mark-making. In this case, basting threads of the paper piecing marks the path and process of the artist. The artist/maker is present, even if you can't see their hands.” All UPPERCASE publications include a playful exploration of creativity, an affinity for vintage ephemera, and a love of typography. Free of any advertising, UPPERCASE is for the creative and curious; meant to spark the imagination and inspire creativity.

A note from the editor:

Dear Reader,

As creative people, we are driven by something that exists within us: a feeling we need to express, a thing we need to make, a perspective we need to share. It’s just part of who we are. Creating and making is our language of expression, our self-identity and, for those of us who make a living through art, our currency. 

Although the bright glow of algorithmic social media might sway us from time to time, and the novelty of new artificial intelligence tools might grab at our attention, it is always worth remembering that how we use our creative time and talents is up to us. It is through mental exertion combined with physical effort that art and crafts are made. The marks that we make are uniquely ours, made real through our own hands. 

No artificial intelligence can replace what is unique to us as creative individuals. It’s what contributor Sharon VanderKaay calls “AH-HA”—authentic human-hand art—in her essay “Artists Wanted.” Authentic human-hand art is what we need now, more than ever. 

So get your hands dirty. Eschew modern technologies. Mess around with mark making. Find yourself.

Janine Vangool
publisher / editor / designer