Rene Magritte, Journey 2 and Clouds

 


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 accordion piece with curtains and a window frame.  The first quote, by Rene Magritte, in the book is: "We are surrounded by curtains.  We only perceive the world behind a curtain of semblance.  At the same time, an object needs to be covered in order to be recognized at all."

JOURNEY 2 

I was reading part of Heinrich Heine's story titled, 'The Harz Journey (1824).  His poem explicitly explains why he is setting out on a journey.  

Black skirts, silk stockings 
white polite cuffs, 
gentle speeches, 
embracing - 
Oh! if only they had hearts! 

Hearts in the breast, 
and love 
warm love in the heart - 
ah, their songs 
of false love pains kill me.

I want to climb the mountains, 
where the pious huts stand, 
where the heart opens freely 
and the free winds blow.

I want to climb the mountains, 
where the dark firs tower,
Streams rush, birds sing,
and the proud clouds chase. 

Farewell, smooth halls, 
smooth gentlemen! 
smooth women! 
I will climb the mountains 
and look upon you, laughing." 
                            (Heinrich Heine) 

 The poem is prefaced by a quote from Ludwig Borne, whom Heine admired: 

        "Nothing is permanent but change, nothing is 
        constant but death.  Every heartbeat inflicts a 
        wound, and life would be an eternal bleed if it 
        weren't for poetry.  It grants us what nature 
        denies us: a golden age that doesn't rust, a 
        spring that doesn't fade, cloudless happiness, 
        and eternal youth."  (Ludwig Borne)  
    

Front protective cover: laminated milkweed seed, chiyogami paper and leather balls for closure. 


Open protective cover 


First page with flower and butterfly pop-up.


A Poised Heart: an abstract hand drawn heart and painted with water colours. 

There are two short stories in the center of the book:  A Poised Heart and Elegance in Each Step, which are about an individual's internal journey.  So the external journey surrounds the internal journey. 



Elegance in Each Step: graphite and water colours


The False Mirror by Rene Magritte is the last pop-up in the book. 


I decorated the back of each section of the book with different shapes and coloured them with water colours.



The back of the book. 

CLOUDS

Clouds, to me, are full of joy.  I particularly like big fluffy clouds.  I like watching them move across the sky and shape shift as they travel with the wind. They fuel my imagination when their shapes resemble  animals or a humans.  I feel my inner child come to life and wander out to play with them.  I find the beauty of a colourful sunset, reflected off the bottom of a cloud, heart warming and inspiring.  Such beauty is the fuel for my creativity. 

Recently I created a piece of mail art, for an exhibition in Italy, with the cloud theme.  After completing it, I decided to create an artist book with clouds.  


Mail art piece: Clouds 


Front cover, photograph of moon with clouds 

For the Clouds artist book, I painted six panels (three on the front and three on the back),  with different shapes.  I cut out a window in each panel and inserted a photo into the panel.  Then I painted the clouds on the panel.  The coloured pieces that were cut out of each panel were used to decorate the front cover of the book.  I added asemic writing to the front cover and each panel.   


Front page with photo of the moon


Pages two and three 


Back: page four 


Back: pages five and six 

I had an artist book in an exhibition in Madrid, Spain this past month.  

That is all for now, more in the works, as always.  May your spring bring renewal to your creativity. 

Mary 
(Copyright 2025, all rights reserved)  



































 























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