Art, Science and Craftsmanship

I recently attended a workshop that introduced me to new techniques to use in my book making practice.  The above image is the outcome of the workshop: a combination of collage, ink and appliqué.  It was great fun learning in a creative space, with 19 other creative people.  

MY GIFT TO YOU 

The new techniques got my creative juices flowing.  I find peoples' hands can be quite beautiful.  I thought about how we use our hands and what we convey with them, either through gestures or through giving.  This piece is inspired by the gift of love that is given from one individual to another. 

I created a three-sided box for this piece.  I covered it with a beautiful chiyogami paper.  

When turned around the open space is exposed with the images inside.  

Removing and opening the center piece there are a pair of raised hands around a raised heart.  The background for each section is water colour and ink.  Each hand is done with graphite and coloured with water colour and ink.  

ART AND SCIENCE OF HUMAN ANATOMY 

I found some old decorated images I had left over from an artist book called, Arc of Desire, I made for a group erotica exhibit. I combined these pieces with left over images from my artist book: Anatomical Abstraction: This Is The House I Live In and created this artist book called: Art and Science of Human Anatomy.  I used water colours and ink to colour the images which were copied onto inkjet paper.  The colours bled through the pages leaving partial colours on the backside of the pages.  Instead of covering them up, I treated them like palimpsests and incorporated them into the glued down images.   

The cover is black Fabriano card stock.  The decorative tie is a laminated image of a human heart.  

The complete book.  

BROKEN SQUARES

Broken squares is a game/artist book.  In tis set, there are five squares, each consisting of three pieces.  I made an envelope for three pieces of each square, but the three pieces do not complete a square.  I was so focused on playing with the letters in the book that I forgot the 'u' in squares.  So it really is a game of broken sqares. This is where the game element comes in.  I made a protective cover for the envelopes and covered it with paste paper.  Broken squares was initially developed, as an exercise, by Dr. Alex Balevas in 1973.  The exercise was part of training designed to help individuals and groups develop problem solving skills, team building skills and identifying behaviours that contribute to both. It is a great game that can be played with children and adults.  Once people have played the game a couple of times they will get to know how the squares fit together, so it can be mixed up by creating different shapes: i.e. octagon, rectangle, etc.  A template for the broken squares and broken circles can be found online.  

Paste paper cover 

Pocket for accordion book with the rules. 

Accordion book cover

Pages of the accordion book with some of the rules.  I used pieces of the squares to create the patterns on each page.  

Paste paper envelopes for the pieces of each square. 

An example of three pieces in one of the envelopes.  

BLANK BOOKS 

Last, but not least.  A while back I created some book covers using a mixture of oil paint and cold wax.  Now dry, they have been put into covers for books.  I usually use one painted cover for each book, but this time I used two painted covers for one book.  I like the effect and it has an interesting tactile nature.  

Front cover 

Front and back covers.  The book has 100 pages of Fabriano sketch paper.  

Front cover: oil paint and cold wax.

Front and back covers.  I decided to use a stamped cowhide for the back cover of this journal.  

Fly leaves for both blank books.  

That's all for now.  Autumn is upon us, the days are getting shorter, the nights cooler and soon the leaves on the trees will be changing colour and falling.  May your autumn be enjoyable and filled with creativity.  

Mary 

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