Bookmarks Update:
The painting on Colleen Tully's bookmarks website is now complete. Thanks to everyone who logged in with their bookmark. You can see the finished canvas at: http://bookmarks.erasures.net
Exhibition in the Artists' Books Study Area at the Library
School of Art, Media and Design, UWE Bristol:
Hafod Press : One-off and Digital Artists’ Books
Noelle Griffiths
4th May – 15th June
I am a painter who has made artists’ books since 1996. My books fall into two categories. Firstly, a series of Travel Books which visually record the essence of my experiences of travel. This series started with Mexico – Five Mayan Sites (1996) and now includes Italy Books (1997-8), Sri Lanka (2001), Camping Book, India Books and Andalucia (2003).
Secondly, books which are made and exhibited as part of a series of paintings. Book of Balance Volumes I & II (1999-2000) is central to a series of paintings made over three years which relate to my experience in the landscape at the time of the Celtic cross-quarterly festivals of Beltain, Lammas, Samhain and Imbolc. Water Passion Books (2000), Shrine Books (2001), Box Books (2001), Hands Books (2002) all relate to series of paintings of the same titles. Three Letters Books (2002) relate to a large diptych painting on canvas ‘Failure of the Imagination’ made after 9/11.
Making books is a natural extension to making paintings, and often opens up new imagery and visual narrative, which then feeds back into the painting. I usually make series of paintings or use a diptych or triptych format, and this extends to making triptychs of books, which are handled separately but exhibited as a whole. I enjoy the intimacy and physicality of the book format, the way one image leads to another, the way a concertina book can be read page by page and also as a long multiple image.
Until 2003 my books have all been one-off hand painted books, with the exception of Hands Books and Letters Books, which are collograph concertina books with an edition of three. In 2003 I started Hafod Press and began to print books digitally. I wanted to be able to create books using photographs and text as well as drawing and painting. It enables me to make larger editions, which are more affordable and less precious. The most recent digital book The Sacredness of Matter is a subtle form of social comment and protest and includes an excerpt from a poem by Jungian psychotherapist Marion Woodman.
Making artists’ books in collaboration with other artists or poets is an exciting departure from the more isolated and individual practice of being a painter. My most recent book Koyaanisqatsi is a collaboration with artist Jane McCormack and uses the music of Philip Glass as its inspiration. It is a concertina book, which opens out to 2.5 metres long, and combines screen-printing, painting and digital imagery. At present I am working collaboratively with two poets on two books.
Hafod Press
Snowdonia, UK
2005
www.hafod-art.co.uk/gallery
For a more information, essays and a full range of exhibition images, please see our exhibitions page.
Artist’s Book Yearbook: 2005-2007
The next issue of the Artist’s Book Yearbook 2005-2007 will be published this autumn.
The new issue includes essays by: Tana Kellner (WSW), Clifton Meador The Nameless Dead; Mike Nicholson; Guy Begbie on the 1st International Korean Artist’s Book Fair; Mette Ambeck on book arts in Norway, Sweden and Denmark; Ian Tyson on 10 years of ed.it; John Bently; Sarah Jacobs on the Prinzhorn Collection, Heidelberg; Tanya Peixoto; Linda Newington and Catherine Polley on Winchester School of Art’s artist book collection; Paulo Silveira on book arts in Brazil; Vicki Fullick on Small Presses, Carrie Galbraith on book arts in Romania; Tracey Bush on Paper Butterfly; Jan Voss on Boekie Woekie; Anton Weurth on the use of typography; Kyle Schlesinger (Cuneiform Press) on Granary Books NY; Reinhard Greuner on his artist’s book collection and Graheme Walker on Bookville. Artists pages by: Patrick Lears, Kristen Merola, Tate Shaw, Kyoko Tachibana and Hannah Lobley, plus artists’ listings, collections, bookshops, courses, books published and more…
To pre-order a copy at the special price of £11 GBP (UK) or £12 GBP (Airmail) – before 30th June 2005, or to list your own books, collection, library, course, bookshop etc. - before 30th April.
e-mail: Sarah.Bodman@uwe.ac.uk for an email version of the order/listing form.
What's in the Box?: Volumes IV and V (2005)
A Collection of Artists’ Books curated and edited by .
Supported and sponsored by: CFPR, UWE School of Art, Media and Design and Hewlett Packard.
Launched at Halifax 8th Contemporary Artist’s Book Fair, Sat 12th March 2005
What’s In The Box? Volume IV
This collection contains the work of the following artists:
Steve Hoskins, Savage, Ian Chamberlain, Sue Gregor, Neil Bousfield, Claire Carey, Sarah Pitt, Ollie Betts, Jan Martin and Laura Clark
ISBN 0 9543810 6 8
What’s In The Box? Volume V
This collection contains the work of the following artists:
Shelley James, Wayne Hamilton, Felicity Bowers, Mick Anderton, Frea Buckler, Sarah Bodman, Paul Laidler, Tom Sowden, Jane O’Sullivan and Luc Fierens
ISBN 0 9543810 7 6
Boxed Set of 10 (By Volumes I-V) £35.00
Individual Copies £4.00
Visit the Publications page for details on earlier 'What's in the Box?' publications and how to order these as well as the latest editions.
Arcadia id est: artists’ books, nature and the landscape.
This exhibition examines the use of nature and the landscape within the format of the artist’s book. Many artists use landscape or nature as metaphorical carriers and the exhibition and accompanying small publication will examine how they are interpreted and utilised in a narrative format: through the use of image, text, structural and site–specific works in relation to the artist’s book.
Nature and the landscape have always been a rich source of material for the traditional art mediums, and it is not surprising that this area has grown in the field of artists’ books.
The exhibition examining the use of nature and the landscape within the format of the artist’s book Arcadia id est launched at TRACE Gallery, Dorset, England on 19th March 2005, with a talk by Dr Stephen Bury of the British Library. The exhibition will be on tour in Europe, Australia and the USA over the next two years.
There will also be a one-day symposium on artists’ books and nature at UWE, Bristol on 15th April 2005, featuring speakers from the exhibition and the field of book arts. The exhibition consists of 111 books by artists. A small, folding publication (£3) accompanies the exhibition with essays by Patrick Eyres and Sarah Bodman (ISBN 0 9543810 5 X).
The one-day symposium will look at artists’ books, nature and the landscape from the perspective of five artists.
Speakers include: Helen Douglas, Michael McGraw, Iain Biggs, Tracey Bush and David Ferry. Sarah Bodman will also talk about some of the 90 artists’ books included in the Arcadia project.
For a more information, essays and a full range of exhibition images, please see our exhibitions page.
Fees: £40 per person (£20 for student/unwaged)
For further enquiries/booking forms please contact Sarah Bodman:
Tel 0117 32 84747
Fax 0117 32 84824
e-mail: Sarah.Bodman@uwe.ac.uk
The next exhibition venue dates are:
Centre for the Artist’s Book
Grahame Galleries + Editions
1 Fernberg Road
Milton 4064
Brisbane. Australia
editions@thehub.com
www.grahamegalleries.com
How you can help:
One of this survey’s aims is to publish a guide for book artists, particularly those who have little experience of marketing their work. We are asking established and new artists amongst others to fill in some forms concerning this subject in order to obtain the views of as many people as possible. If you would be willing to fill in the forms below, as applicable, then it will really help to establish a wide picture of the current situation and contribute to resolving some of the problems experienced by book artists.
For more details, Check our projects page.
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