Urbana, IL
Aging Gracefully (Top) $800
The Passage of the Ruby Ring (Mid) $400
Grace’s Daughter (Bottom) $8
To Purchase Contact 23 Sandy Gallery
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Tunnel book printed in brown tones on an Epson printer on acid free matte paper. Images were laser cut. Slip case is cloth covered with image of a mirror on cover. 6.5 x 5 x 12 inches (extended). 8 pages. Edition of 5.
Artist Statement
This tunnel book shows my mother Grace as she aged from a little girl of about six years old, to a beautiful woman in her eighties. Key transitions in her life are included: childhood, college graduation, marriage, motherhood, career, retirement, and gracious grandmotherhood. The images are framed in a mirror, as if one could see one’s entire life reflected back when gazing into these pictures. This is a contemplation of one woman’s life, represented by decades of portraits. The images in this book were printed on an Epson printer, cut out by a laser cutter, and then hand assembled into the dynamic structure of the tunnel book. The book is housed in a slipcase with the mirror on the outside label.
About this Book - The Passage of the Ruby Ring
This star accordion is hardbound in pink rayon cloth. Printed on acid free paper on a Epson printer. Suminigashi marbling on the back and on the exterior of the slipcase that has a golden spine. 8.25 x 5.5 x 55 inches (opened). 10 pages. Edition of 5.
Artist Statement
This story originally appeared in an earlier book, Grace’s Daughter. It tells how a ruby and diamond ring has been passed for five generations down my maternal bloodline. Indeed the ruby is a metaphor for blood and fertility. The ruby was given to my Great Grandmother Rozetta, who died tragically young. Her daughter Beatrice passed it to her daughter Grace, then I was given it, and next it will go to my only daughter. There is a text in this accordion book that relates key events in these women’s lives, shows other small heirlooms, talents, and interests that have flowed through the generations. This flow is further reinforced by the pink sumingashi marbling on the back of the book, and a ball of red yarn that rolls through the pages and is taken up by my daughter who loves to knit.
About this Book - Grace’s Daughter
Offset lithography, duotone images on acid free paper, perfect bound with matte laminate cover. 8 x 8 x .5 inches. 48 pages. Edition of 2000, 25 copies remaining.
Artist Statement
I am Grace’s daughter. In this autobiographical book I tell the classic stories, the ones that get repeated time and again at family gatherings: the potluck where everyone brought pie (except my mom who made her normal tub of potato salad), the day I took the hat-pin to class to keep the boys from pulling my curls, the outing when my mother took five children to the beach alone and my brother was surrounded by sharks…those sorts of stories. Find out why I grew my hair long and never cut it until I turned twenty-one. My mother’s wisdom, companionship, and sense of fun are clearly felt throughout this book. Produced in 1994 using vintage family photographs, this two-color book was created entirely on the computer, and then delivered to be printed using offset lithography.
All images and text copyright the artist. All rights reserved.
