Burnt Book Series
This art work began life as a book. I found it in a burn pile in the back of a 250 year old farmhouse, surrounded by vineyards in the wine growing region of Catalonia, Spain. I was attending a month long artist-in-residence program at the time at Mas els Igols, located about 50 miles outside of Barcelona.
I dug dozens of these disintegrating books out of the burn pile. Many
of them collapsed in my hands as I attempted to salvage them, but
some of them were still in tact. Most were covered in mold, and all of
them were soaking wet. I drenched them in bleach, dried them out in the scorching Spanish sun, and when they were dry, I began to take them apart, little by little.
Some of them still had images on the pages. I did my best to salvage
these. Some of the pages appeared perfect to me, just the way
I found them. All had endured an initiation by fire, yet had somehow survived.
For me, this series is a metaphor for the human spirit: despite the trials and tribulations endured throughout a life time, our spirit manages to persevere, survive, and occasionally create something of beauty.
Paper on Paper Collage
Size: 12" X 16"
Price: $250
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