WHOLE LIFE FULL LIFE

 

Whole Life, Full Life is an artist book designed from an excerpt from The Prophet by Khalil Gibran.  I made two books.  I used  two fine Japanese papers in the first book.  I really like the sound of the paper as the pages are turned and the tactile experience when touching the paper at the same time.  The graphite images are hand drawn. 



Cover: leather and bone carving. 


First fly leaf: embossed with hibiscus flower. 


Title page.  I used these half pages, for the text, in between the images that represent a half life. 


Each line of the poem is written on a half sheet. 


There is a blank page between the written text half page and the drawn images.  When one lives a half life, they are aware there is more to life to make it whole, yet it may not be clear at the time. 


The hand drawn image representing the line of the poem.



























BOOK TWO: WHOLE LIFE FULL LIFE 

This second book was made in response to a call for artist books that would be handled during the exhibition.  The graphite images have been created on mylar, which is a durable film.  Once completed I sealed the pages to prevent smudging of the graphite.  The half pages with the written text are made from a durable sketch paper.  Here is a sampling of some of the pages done with mylar.  The images and text in both books is the same. 


Cover: vegetable tanned leather with enamelled ornament.
















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NEW BINDING: FLATSTYLE AUSTRALIAN REVERSE PIANO HINGE BINDING

Image
  Summer is upon us and the solstice is just a few days away.  May rains have turned June's blooms and trees full of life and colour.  As it goes, inspiration also struck when I saw a different binding being demonstrated on Instagram:  I tried it out.  After posting the video on my Facebook page, I was informed this binding is called, the Flatstyle Australian reverse piano hinge binding.   The binding is comprised of two covers held together with an accordion fold and signatures.  The signatures are affixed to each mountain fold and secured with a tab inserted into the fold.  This creates a thickness at the spine and a thinness at the fore edge, which makes this perfect for photographs.   I covered the boards with chiyogami and made the accordion out of Tyvek.  I learned that Tyvek is not the best material to use for the accordion fold because it is too soft and the book has too much movement in it.  This is the first book...
Read more

TREES

Image
  Trees are vital to the planet and all who inhabit it.   Humans cannot live in a world without trees.  For them it means a certain death.  On the other hand, trees can survive and flourish without humans. Even in death, a tree provides life through the making of functional objects: homes, fences, bowls and so much more. Rotting, dead trees provide an environment conducive to new life and homes for the forest inhabitants, in the air and on the ground.  The objects made from the wood can be refurbished and modified throughout centuries of use.  Inspired by the novel, "The Overstory", by Richard Powers, I created this collage.  I have photographs of the life of trees through the seasons: new growth, full foliage, slumber and old age.  At the center is a weathered wooden fence still serving its purpose.  Next to it, a human skeleton; consequences of life without trees.  Initially, I left the background unpainted. The more I looked at i...
Read more

Rene Magritte, Journey 2 and Clouds

Image
  Spring has arrived.  The sun is shining, the grass is greening, the buds are budding, the birds are singing and the tulips are blooming.   New books come with the splurge. RENE MAGRITTE, Surrealist Artist  I like Rene Magritte's surrealist art.  I find it makes me ask questions and think about what I am seeing.  I decided to create a book with some of his paintings.  This is an accordion pop-up book.  In designing this one, I decided to draw the images in circles and have them extend past the fore-edge when the book was closed.  The quotes, by Rene Magritte, are hand written.  He speaks about his work and the underpinning influences. Front of protective cover: water colours and chiyogami paper over book board  Open protective cover   The Human Condition: water colours and ink   The Idea and The Unexpected Answer  Secret Life IV and The Face of Genius Back of protective cover  I decorated the back of each a...
Read more