Night Flight
Just got the happy news that a recent project of mine - Night Flight - has been accepted into Night Circus - which is Guild of Bookworker's Triennial, international juried book exhibition. This is only the 3rd time my work has been accepted into this high caliber, and very well regarded, traveling exhibition.
I was assisted in the project by @alex.blom.studio - and there were a couple of studio days (like the day I realized all the trays I'd built were about 1/8 inch too small - which rendered them useless) when I was ready to pitch the entire project. Then Alex showed up for work and we were off and running again.
So thanks to GBW for organizing the exhibitions, to the jurors who selected my work, and to all those behind the scenes who I know work long and hard behind the scenes on projects of this scope.
Onward!
Pleased to share that Flight, created way back in 2003, will be exhibited in Strong Together, an artists' book exhibition featuring collaborative works. In the late 90's-early 2000's I collaborated often with Austrian artist Heidi Zednik. For Flight, I contributed the book design and building, Heidi contributed the imagery. When it came time to build the book, we worked to gather on material selection and so forth. The rigid panel pages are bound in what I call a meander binding, allowing multiple display options.
Strong Together opens at the Port Angeles Fine Art Center on February 9 (in Port Angeles, Washington) and will be on view through March 24. I won't be able to see the exhibition - but maybe some of you can!
@heidizednick
#ravenpress, #artistsbooks, #aliciabailey
lichen_1 (720p).mov
Lichen 1 - 2023
One of my favorite aspects of curating artists' book work exhibitions is the opportunity to spend time with a variety of contemporary book works. One I particularly enjoyed getting to know is a structure developed by Kumi Korf and used in her 2007 book "Turning Leaves". Although I've only seen Turning Leaves in photographs, Kumi's long time friend Mary Ellen Long used the same structure for her piece "Walks in the Wild", which I had a chance to examine prior to its recent sale to University of Denver, Penrose Library Special Collections.
I had a grand time building Lichen 1and have another piece using the same drop wall structure in the works.
#ravenpress, #artistsbooks, #aliciabailey
Stripey Lake is one of my many book works that celebrate a bit of the wonder found in the magnificent state I get to call home. It's structurally based on a rolling box structure that I think was devised by Julie Chen - although I'm more familiar with Keri Schroeder's version as used in "Reliquary" (another of my favorite artists' book works).
2023
3.75 x 4 x 3.2.
Materials: canvas, acrylic, paduak wood, paper, watercolor, ink, hot foil, leather, mineral specimen, copper, laser toner, book board, book cloth, mica, cast acrylic
In Stripey Lake, an oft visited area is described with text and images in a rolling box structure. The five panels are paduak wood with inset watercolor paintings overlaid with mica. The structure is bound with canvas that has been surface treated with an acrylic wheat paste mix. The backsides of each panel or of leather collaged with additional hot foil line work. The text is positioned in the varying width hinge gaps between the boards and is laser printed on surface treated paper. Housed in a custom drop spine box that has two compartments. The left compartment holds the book; the right a mineral specimen held in place with copper wire and protected with cast acrylic.
#ravenpress, #artistsbooks, #aliciabailey @coyotebonespress
Round Miniatures
December Discounts was such fun that I plan to offer up some more older edition books later this year. Best bit was helping new collectors add to their personal collections without breaking the bank, and getting to increase the amount of my annual donation to The Rocky Mountain Land Library. Hope you're all looking forward to 2024 and that it is a good one. xoab
PS - the video posted here is older so some of the voice over isn't actually current . . . oh well.#bookarts #artistsbooks #ravenpress #bookbinding
Remember that archive I inherited in 1999? I've been sporadically working with these materials for the past 15 years or so - it was an educator's archive, so recent works present a somewhat nostalgic view of mid-20th Century educational tips.
Zoology Education, 2023 6.5 x 5.5 x 2.5 2 v.e. Materials:
vellum, paper, etching ink, india ink, walnut ink, leather, thread, photographs, pencil, sea turtle bone, sheepskin, plexiglass, book board, book cloth with surface applied color. Zoology Education presents an extracted text from a mid-20th century educator s notes on using zoology for youth education. Images are digital reproductions from my family s photographic archive and date from 1935 - 1974.
The text is hand-written with India ink on parchment. The pages are rag printmaking paper hand-printed from copper engravings. End pages are handmade paper Covers are vellum; the text block laced in with soft leather strips.
Housed in a custom, drop-spine box with a recessed tray. The tray bottom is lined with sheepskin on which rests a sea turtle bone. The case is covered with book cloth that has been airbrushed with metallic acrylic. Case labels are laserprint on treated paper.
