Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Buffon, Picasso, and Me plus Detached Buttonhole


Yesterday was a wonderful day despite the fact that I turned 49! I'm claiming 50 though....taking a year to get use to the new decade! I also finished, photographed, and created a video of my newest artist book. It was started months ago...the result of an inspiration brought on by my cyber friend Doreen's once piece of lost fabric. It inspired a book cover. At first I created all these wonderful pages for the new cover. Then, I hated the pages with the cover and set them aside. I created my Mask Book for the cover. It's been in a juried show and won an award...but I still had the pages. They were created out of very special paper, the printed pages of a 1959 French publication with Picasso illustrations and sketches...all for a modern edition of the mid-18th c. naturalist, Georges Buffon's Histoire Naturelle. A framing client/book dealer had me dismantle the volume and mat and shrink wrap the images for resale. He said I could keep the rest...the few pages of text...enlarged reproductions of Picasso's handwriting with a few drawings.

I finally decided how to use these pages and created Buffon, Picasso, and Me. All the engravings come from various volumes of Buffon's editions printed in 1819 and 1827. We deal in antique prints afterall! All the pages are made from the 1959 text. I added transferred images of our pets and my own family memories. I created a set on Flickr! where all the words are legible...even as a slideshow. It can also be viewed on "My Video" blog....complete with Camille Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animal excerpts as background music. I'm trying to really document this little book because I've got a potential client....the CYBER FYBER caterer....a possible trade: part of the reception for the artist book!



I also finished my TAST detached chain stitch.

I had an early afternoon meeting at the South Carolina Arts Commission too....pitching CYBER FYBER. I've already blogged about this wonderful experience on the CYBER FYBER journal.

7 comments:

Julie said...

You're in front of me with the detached chain stitch Susan and your different samples look great. This seems to be a versatile stitch.

beadbabe49 said...

thanks for your kind comments on my blog...I enjoy yours regularly too...;)

Anonymous said...

Happy Birthday! 49 doesnt seem that old anymore, funnily enough! love the book

Unknown said...

Happy 49th! Congrats on the exhibit and installation! A question, Do you have the music playing in the background at your blues exhibit? The video is just fabulous! You have been doing so much this year!! All so very amazing!

arlee said...

Happy 49th Sweetie! A whole new decade will be opening up for you--stronger, more sure, more explorative---have a wonderful start!

Wanda said...

Are you surprised that I cried when I watched the slideshow of your book? The combination of Buffon, Picasso and you is amazing. Truly breathtaking. You give us a glimpse of yourself with everything you make...this was an incredible journey. And I am so glad I was there beside you the whole way. I felt every page and every word. And I remembered.

Unknown said...

Happy 49! Your book looks great!!!!