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‘feature artist book of the week’ Category

  1. Book Artist of the Month: Jody Alexander

    August 26, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    exposedspines-jodyalexander

    Over the span of a year, Jody Alexander, created a series of altered books under the title Exposed Spines. This series of work is a celebration of the most beautiful part of the book that is so often covered. Each object is comprised of discarded books, fabric and thread. 

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    At the end of the year in 2012, Jody exhibited Preparing for Evanescence at the Cabrillo Art Gallery in Aptos, California. This massive installation combined three different series: Sedimentals, Uphosterables and Suspendables. The Exposed Spines pieces are considered Uphosterables in this installation, although they were created before the concept of this exhibit, they were the catalyst.

    Statement for Preparing for Evanescence at Cabrillo Art Gallery
    Preparing for Evanescence addresses the relative ephemeral nature of humans compared to the belongings that we accumulate, and how we cope with our mortal awareness. The treatment of the objects in this installation exhibits a concern for their well-being, and the caretaker’s need to create and protect in the face of powerlessness and dematerialization. Each possession has been attentively prepared and placed for safekeeping between the folds of fabric, stitches of thread, in the sediment of a household.

    In the final days in this space the caretaker found that he/she was evanescing – or gradually disappearing.  The treatment of objects was as much for their care as it was a necessary process for the caretaker – a busying of the hands, a distraction from the inevitable.  Equal attention has been given to objects of use and sentiment as well as space and time.

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  2. Book Artist of the Month: Jody Alexander

    August 19, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    misssook-jodyalexander

    Jody Alexander found inspiration in Truman Capote’s character Miss Sook Faulk, who is directly based off of his cousin Nanny Rumbley Faulk, whom he called ‘Sook’. Miss Sook’s Dropsy Cure Drawer Remained Unbeknownst to Most is a ‘boxed book’ piece created from 2006 to 2009. 

    A found wooden sewing machine base is perfectly stuffed with handbound exposed spine books in addition to other found objects. The smaller compartment houses a single hand-sewn book made from handmade kozo/gampi paper; pack sewing over cords. The cords continue onto the covers, creating a raised mirrored design.

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  3. Book Artist of the Month: Jody Alexander

    August 12, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

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    The Pharmacist’s Daughter is a ‘boxed book’ piece by Jody Alexander created in 2005 based on the character of the same name. The Pharmacist’s daughter used thread and stitching to heal, mimicking the actions of her father. The viewer is asked to fill in the rest of the story. Housed within the wooden box are glass bottles filled with various colored threads. The book is pack-sewn over cords; the cords have been used to create the raised design on both covers. The book is bound with gampi/kozo paper.

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  4. Book Artist of the Month: Jody Alexander

    August 5, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    zelda-jodyalexander

    If She Thought It Would Help, Zelda Would Use Her Antediluvian Curse Cache to Attain Her Revenge is the title for a ‘boxed book’ project that Jody Alexander created in 2004. The wooden box is packed with books on the left and found objects in compartments on the right. The exposed spines of the books display a variety of sewing structures including packed sewing over split thongs, Coptic, longstitch, ticketed, French stitch and sewing over cords. 

    Jody expresses that the title says enough for the viewer to fill in the rest in regards to the concept of the piece. So please, make your own conclusions. 

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  5. Book Artist of the Month: Ellen Knudson

    July 29, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    subjectverbobject1-ellenknudson

    Subject/Verb/Object grew from frustration and anger towards art criticism and other academic writings, which largely incorporates language to control its audience and exclude outsiders. In 2012, Ellen Knudson of Crooked Letter Press created this word game, with no beginning, no end and no way to win. The turning, fitting and order of words can cause clarification or confusion. Using simplistic language forces the reader to attempt a visual organization of the things we cannot put in order: our desires. 

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    The volvelle is made of three layers bound with a metal brad and measures at 12″ in diameter. The book was letterpress printed in an edition of 85 on a Vandercook Universal I from a combination of handset metal type and photopolymer plates. Murillo paper was used to created the volvelle, interior sleeve and belly band which is held together with a set of metal grommets; the exterior sleeve is covered in Iris coffee bookcloth. 

    This artist book can be purchased from 23 Sandy Gallery. 

  6. Book Artist of the Month: Ellen Knudson

    July 22, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

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    In 2009, Ellen Knudson revisited her work How to Become One of the Original Wild Girls, a book that was designed and printed in 1997 in the new piece Wild Girl Redux: An Operator’s Manual.

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    How to Become One of the Original Wild Girls

    The original work includes a playful list of imaginary “rules” that “should” be followed to achieve a Wild Girl status. The rules are light in nature, but the deep-rooted sexist issues are easily recognizable. 

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    How to Become One of the Original Wild Girls – page detail

    In Wild Girls Redux, Ellen reexamines these issues, combining motorcycle road and driving rules as text (adapted from the Missouri Department of Revenue Motorcycle Operator Manual) along with images of pin-up girls and industrial schematic illustrations. All parts of the book were letterpress printed on Indian Sunn Hemp Contemporary with photo-polymer plates. Bound as an accordion portfolio cover with two single signature pamphlets sewn in. In addition to the printed pages are pieces of ephemera, which include pink heart paper doilies, white doily placemats, and green office ledger papers. The cover is flocked paper in maroon. Each books comes with a set of stickers, which are kept inside a yellow office mailing envelope decorated with a wrap-around belly band. The intent of the Operator’s Manual is tongue-in-cheek and provides the ordinary, mechanical, and absurd rules of how to operate women.

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    Created in an edition of 100, each signed by the artist. Wild Girls Redux: An Operator’s Manual was the winner of the 2009 Florida Artist’s Book Prize for The Bienes Museum of the Modern Book and The Florida Center for the Book.

  7. Book Artist of the Month: Ellen Knudson

    July 15, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    selfdual1-ellenknudson

    Photo by Jerry Mathiason

    Over the course of graduate school, Ellen Knudson, would travel the road between Starkville, Mississippi and Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Self-Dual (How to Walk a 30,000 Mile Tightrope) is a collection of visual and textual vignettes in reflection of those trips; little pieces of the scenery and her thoughts during those drives. 

    The paper used in the book is 100% cotton rag, handmade from Ellen’s family’s clothing. The six large illustrations are linoleum reduction prints, the other illustrations are line art drawings printed from photopolymer plates. The type is handset in multiple sizes of Lutetia metal type, cast by Harold Berliner. The book is bound as a built-in groove case in the dos-a-dos style binding with two illustrated fold-outs. This book was bound in an edition of 50. 

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    Photo by Jerry Mathiason

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    Photo by Jerry Mathiason

    The deluxe edition is a handmade portfolio that houses the six large linoleum prints. This edition was produced in a quantity of 15. Self-Dual was made during 2005-06.

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    Photo by Jerry Mathiason

  8. Book Artist of the Month: Ellen Knudson

    July 8, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    howtolove2-ellenknudson

    In 2004, Ellen Knudson printed and bound How to Love Someone Forever in an edition of 50 books and 50 broadsides. This collection of poems are written by Kevin Knudson (Ellen’s husband) and herself for one another and for their son. As Ellen explains it: We are always working on how to love each other, Kevin, Gus, and I, so this is a hint of the grand gooey mess that is us.

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    Illustrations throughout the book are done by Ellen to represent weeds as a reflection of the tangle of relationships, lovely and difficult as they are. The illustrations are line drawings and letterpress printed from photopolymer plates. The book is about the every day of relationships and finding beauty in them when they can be taken for granted and so easily go unnoticed, much like weeds.

    The poems were handset and printed in Gould Old Style 394 and Caslon metal type. Pages were letterpress printed on dampened Hahnemuhle Bugra paper in mint and marble gray. The book is double-pamphlet sewn and bound as a built-in groove case binding. The paste paper covers are handmade on mint Bugra. All printing was done by Ellen at her studio, Crooked Letter Press, in Starkville, Mississippi on the (as Ellen puts it) badass Vandercook Universal 1 proofing press. 

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    The poem Valentine Sestina written by Kevin is printed on the only fold-out found in the book and  is also available as a separate broadside. The poem is a sestina, which is a 39-line poem consisting of six stanzas of six lines each followed by a three lined stanza.

  9. Book Artist of the Month: Susan Collard

    May 27, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    3x3-susancollard

    In 2010, Susan Collard created 3×3 a series of board books made from birch aircraft plywood, maple and walnut bound with Tyvek. Each page spread represents a single number ranging from one to nine. For Susan, numbers have definitive personalities that sprout from their mathematical associations. As Susan developed each numerical character sketch she began with a few poetic words (on the verso) before morphing into a collaged “portrait” (on the recto). 

    3×3 was featured in Quantified Aesthetics, an exhibit held at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts in 2010.

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  10. Book Artist of the Month: Susan Collard

    May 20, 2013 by Erin Fletcher

    smallmuseum-susancollard

    In 2010, Susan Collard created her smallest book to date with a wide range of materials including birch aircraft plywood, basswood, slate, various metals, mirrors, linen thread and a shell. Small Museum of Nature and Industry is a bit fatter than a perfect cube with dimensions of 2″ x 2″ x 2½”. This tiny structure opens up to a series of compartments to reveal a set of building blocks and concealed brass rods, as well as wooden and aluminum pieces. The unraveling architecture and hidden components of this book are quite surprising.

    Once the materials and title were determined, Susan set out to create a book with the open-ended complexity of a miniature museum. This artist book received a Juror’s Award during the Pop-Up Now! exhibit at the 23 Sandy Gallery. 

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  • My name is Erin Fletcher, owner and bookbinder of Herringbone Bindery in Boston. Flash of the Hand is a space where I share my process and inspirations.
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