An Open Book
30 1/4”W x 1 1/2”D x 10 1/2”H 2024
Found paper collage, wax, book board, paper, acrylic paint, gesso
My work explores the book as form and object, moving beyond the traditional codex. In An Open Book I abstract the preconceived concept of a book as a container of literal information -text and images- and instead create works that engage on a multi-sensory level. Textural surfaces, intricate visual layers and the scent of wax enhance the act of “reading”. Long, exaggerated pages evoke a familiar book-like structure, yet their scale imposes a deliberate slowness in turning. This is a book reimagined - an unexpected presentation intended to reshape perception.
This work draws inspiration from the Chinese Dragon Scale binding, blending longstanding tradition with contemporary innovation.
Plastic and Paper
5 1/4”W x 5 1/2”D x 7”H
Found paper collage, wax, book board, PET plastic, brass screws, wood veneer, waxed linen, found wire, compass, fabric dye. Momigami and Konnyaki paper treatment, acrylic paint, gesso
Plastic and Paper is a reinterpretation of the ordinary codex and a deliberate act of abstraction and exaggeration. It challenges the conventional expectations of form and function, growing into a tall and unwieldy structure that both resists and invites exploration. The binding, which includes four sets of double-needle Coptic stitching, serves both as a structure and a metaphor. Loosely held, the pages exist in a state of tenuous connection, a nod to the fragility of narratives and the impermanence of the materials.
The front cover of the book features a small window covered vignette; a portal into the assemblage of found objects. Twisted wire, a compass and red thread become artifacts of a possible day in the field. Layered beneath is a diagram of a polymer molecule, the blueprint for plastic as a nod to humanity’s alchemy and its lasting mark on the natural world. Inside are fragments of found paper bearing stories of nature, obscured by distressed surfaces. Now repurposed, they carry whispers of their origins and invite viewers to imagine new tales, bridging the organic and the synthetic. This book is a study in contradiction: rooted in the traditional but pushing against its boundaries. It seeks to bind ideas together while embracing the pull of dissolution.
Paper and Plastic