Guest Artist: Lisa Michelle Parrott

Lisa comes to altered book making with a great deal of art knowledge and skill especially in the realm of textile art. She sews into her pages in very painterly, expressive ways using line to add interest, direction, boldness and unity to an image. Lisa also possesses a very instinctive understanding of color. She creates haunting, mood-rich images that invokes artists like Mark Rothko, Helen Frankenthaler, and Anselm Kiefer. She doesn't limit herself to non-representational work, however, as you'll notice in her delightfully rendered self-portrait which nods to Warhol and Fransisco Clemente. The most remarkable aspect of Lisa's work is her process. Her ability to experiment with materials -both traditional art materials and non-traditional (you should see what she can do with corrugated cardboard or a paper towel!) - leads her to create work that is luscious, rich, luminescent and textured... and always leaves the viewers of her work wanting more.
(Click on images for enlarged views. You'll be happy you did.)

Oh My.

I found this sweet biscuit on the Interwebicons tonight and am in love. I found it here. Wonderful!

catching up

Hope in Honest Error

"There is hope in honest error, none in the icy perfections of the mere stylist."
— Charles Rennie McIntosh


When I'm experimenting with techniques, materials or ideas with which I'm not very confident, I think of the above quote. While it may not convince me that the art I'm making has any value whatsoever, it reminds me that the process I'm engaged in does. It's rather uplifting to think that my little artistic struggles connect me to a great many other artists and that this searching for beauty, truth, meaning, new ideas - whatever - in art making, is a noble pursuit. (Even if the product of this process finds its home on the studio floor.)

art redux

One aspect of altered book making that I appreciate is the fact that the final work is essentially a series. This means that the process of making an altered book involves creating a number of small art pieces in quick succession or, if you're like me, multiple works-in-progress happening at the same time. (I actually have more than one book going at a time.) If you tend toward the latter, you have the luxury of working on one page or spread and leaving it for a while to work on another piece. One benefit of this approach is that you can take your leave from a particular work for a little while and return to it later with fresh eyes. There are, of course, times when I begin a page and finish it in the same sitting. However, more often than not, I will begin a page or a two-page spread, lay down a layer or two, fiddle with it, play, experiment, and then say goodbye to it for a while. My return may take hours, days or even weeks. But when I do come back, I almost always have fresh insights and a greater degree of critical distance which helps me make better sense of what I'm trying to say with the piece. There are even times, as happened more than once this week, when I'll come back to a page that long ago I thought I had finished and add/modify/alter something about it. Strangely, I am never disappointed with the results of this process; my artwork is almost always better for it. This post contains some examples of artwork I returned to and changed up a little this week. Some from years (yes, years!) ago and some from even just a few posts ago.

magnificent struggle

Last class, we discussed how difficult it is to begin the actual process of creating in our books. We may have many rich ideas for our art but figuring out how to express those ideas visually can be a difficult process of translation. It's often intimidating to start making marks, laying down paint, affixing collage items. etc. because we believe that what we create must be perfect and we are conscious of the fact that our art is permanent. While we are indeed creating a record or document of our thoughts, ideas or feelings, we cannot let the permanence or perfection bully us into silence. We are, in a sense, making a static record of a very dynamic process, but it's the process that is exhilarating! We as artists are most certainly concerned with the product, for we create in order to communicate and we cannot communicate effectively if our art does not "say" what we wish it to say (though this doesn't mean it still can't be great art.) But, if we focus more on the process of our art making as we are going through it, and are not as worried about "messing something up" or making "mistakes" we'll probably be the better for it. That kind of focus will allow us to be thoughtful about our decisions, will bring an intensity to the creative risks and challenges we take on, and will give us the opportunity to direct all of our passions and intellect at the job at hand, not waste our energy worrying about falling short.

The artist Robert Henri said, "A work of art is the trace of a magnificent struggle." Right on, Robert. Let the man's words comfort you when you're facing the doubts and challenges so often associated with art-making. You are definitely not alone.

simple compositions

Along the lines of our "getting started" discussion, I thought I'd post a few pages I started this week to give you an idea of simple designs. The composition of each of these spreads is simple and the design elements are rather uncluttered, even sparse. I'm not actually sure I'm finished with these pages yet, but I thought I'd post them as examples of a less-is-more approach.















The above spread is pretty simple. Masking tape around text and metallic silver sharpie marker on the left. The sewn edge which was a design element from the preceding spread also works well with these pages. I like the monumental feel of the fields of color and the angles of the tape, and I also like the way the colors work together. I think the thread, tape and metal combination are raw and unfettered. I toyed around with including different images or drawings on the right but think I'm leaving it image-free. I want the text to speak volumes and not be interpreted for the viewer. On the left, I am still trying to figure out how to add something around the text to help emphasize it just a little more without interrupting the calming unity of the tape and text. I like the monochromatic feel of that tape field and if I add something around the text I feel like it will change the composition too radically. I'm still not sure what to do there.















The above image illustrates the pairing of a symmetrical element with an asymmetrical element. There is a dissonance created by pairing these two composition types, one calm and stable, one exciting and dynamic. Instead of being at ease with the image, our minds want to reconcile the dissonance by finding meaning in it.














The pages above are another example of a dynamic composition. Diagonal compositions create energy and are seen as having movement. I love the energy this image gives my spread because the singer's face is presented to us at an angle and therefore appears alive and fluid. The power of this energy allows me to include linear, boxy text lines and even layer the word "silence" over the image. Because this dynamism is so overt, I can contradict it without overpowering it, and thus enhance the idea I wish to express.