the allure of books...

so...
i've been making these book pages every so often when i'm in the mood to paint or draw but don't want to start another big project. i've got too many going as it is. it's really just a way to indulge my romantic fascination with books and book-making and zines (i'm expecting a few more of those little sweeties in the mail this week! YAY!). hopefully, i'll one day end up in a place or mindset when i can really utilize this fascination toward my own aims but right now it's purely for fun and i have no clue what i'll end up doing with them. i'm happy to just watch the portfolio i've got them in get fatter and fatter. here's a few of my favorites:








they're all done on tracing paper that has been folded in half and then glued together. i liked being able to use the transparency of the paper to my advantage and work from every side of the paper, allowing marks made on the back to show through to the surface. gluing them together is what gives them this wrinkled, aged look that i really enjoy. the last one is yet another study for "witch of the bayou". i am such a nerd! :)

but you know, art for art's sake is always a good thing. i've got no real expectations other than using these pieces as a way to explore ideas and learn more about what books can be. so many of my favorite artists are print-makers and book-makers - kiki smith and anselm kiefer to name just two. i think there's such an enormous value in working within this format and i guess i'm currently exploring its limits and potentials. plus, i am completely in love with making little keepsakes and small, precious one-of-a-kind things.

artist books are awesome and one day i'll have enough of these pages to create my own. it seems natural given my complete love for the written word, text-based art, and the influence writers have had on my art practice in general.