Books

To make these paintings on books, I soak a book in polyurethane and lay it out flat to dry in an open position. Then I gild the edges of the pages, gesso the open surface of the book, and paint it with oil paints. Sometimes I carve the surface of the book, or add other things to the surface.

Perhaps you feel, as I do, that there is something transgressive about destroying a book – even in the service of making art. That adds a bit of frisson. Like boxes inside boxes and books inside books, these pieces reference the natural world, the trees that were destroyed to make the books that were destroyed to make art – and other ethical questions.

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