Saturday, March 2, 2013

Sketchbook Project - Behind the Scenes


At the end of 2012, I decided to participate in "The Sketchbook Project".  It is a a collection of artists' sketchbooks from around the world that makes up a traveling art exhibit. It will then permanently live at the Brooklyn Art Library at the end of the tour. Come check it out if you are in any of the neighborhoods where it will be traveling to. Otherwise there is a link at the bottom of this post where you can see a digital version of the entire book.

When they sent me my blank sketchbook, it sat on my desk, not started, for months. I wasn't inspired with the right "idea". I was, however, obsessed with my usual ruminating about life and death and the nuances it shadows onto my life. I finally decided to put my obsession, though starkly personal and dark, into play and use the material for my book. I incorporated buddhist funeral papers I found in Chinatown, orange ribbon, black netting (to symbolize black 1940s hats that may be worn to church funerals), my original photos cut into squares to symbolize the perfect cut-out of existence that is never the reality, my pencil and ink drawings, and my original prose printed on acetate. I actually rebinded the booklet to incorporate the acetate between the pages. Here are some images of my process:











You can see a digital version of the entire book here.