Artists in Inventory

 

Artist Statement

What this show is really about is mediums, materials and methods. I am a photographer and a book artist. What I’ve always envied is an artist who could create a piece of work on canvas, a painting.

I’ve always considered photography as my way of being able to draw or paint whatever I wanted. Sometimes, these photos simply stood on their own. I matted them and framed them and hung them on the wall. But, other times my photos became pieces of a story. These needed to be presented as part of a book. This is where book arts came into my life.

My first books were handmade, mostly accordion books with photos on each page. But, as I learned new and different techniques of making books, my photos became the book, more sculptural and always created on some type of paper.

I soon learned many different methods of transferring my photos onto paper to create a whole different feeling. Some of these methods of transferring were done with solvents or using such things as packing tape. But, the method I found most exciting to use was medium transfers. There are so many different kinds of mediums to use and each has a different look and feel. I also discovered that these transfers, for me, looked best on canvas.

I started using the small stretched canvases. Transferring my photos onto them and then painting on the transferred photos. These mostly became wall pieces.

I still wanted to be making books though. Then I rediscovered the flat canvas panels and realized I could use these as pages.

I have since found more types of canvas, canvas in tablets, canvas combined with paper, all of which can be used to make books.

This show is a coming together of all these mediums and techniques. I am using some of my favorite photos I have taken over the past couple years. I am painting on the canvas. I am using a lot of different methods of photo transfer to get these photos onto the canvases. But, happily, these are sculptural photo books on canvas, some with acrylic painting, a combination that is perfect for me.

Artist Biography

Barbara Gilbert is a Portland photographer and book artist. After graduating from the University of Washington she spent many years studying photography and book arts—including calligraphy, bookmaking and printmaking. Since then she has been working to combine her book arts skills with her photography. She has been a member of the Interim Group and Group 669 photographic organizations. Gilbert’s work was featured here at 23 Sandy Gallery in October of 2007 in our Photo+Construct show.