Lunch in the Time of Peonies//Oil on panel// Anne Belov//all rights reserved.
Well, I really need to take pictures of the snowdrops and hellebores that are in full flower now. But the peonies are budding up, and soon they will be doing their thing, as well.
The artists who will be participating in the show this summer have started to supply me with images of their work, so I hope to have something for you every week. I’ll try to post on Sundays, so that maybe, I can have some semblance of sanity in my week. Maybe.
But enough about my mental health….
One of the artists in this years show is Suzanne Schlicke, one of the founding members of Dog-Eared Books. The other book binder has moved on to other things, but Suzanne continues to make beautiful hand made blank books. Why should you consider obtaining a handmade book, rather than just getting generic books by the kilo at your local bargain shop? I have no evidence other than anecdotal, but I think that I am more eloquent, my cartoons are funnier, and my travel journals more interesting when they are in a beautiful book. Well, I guess I got into the art biz because I enjoy beautiful things, so I am not unbiased. All things considered, it’s not much of a gamble to see if I’m right.
Here are some of Suzanne’s books from last year.
Dog Eared Books
I bet even your in-laws would look good in this photo album.
Those of us who work in paint can mix any color, and make minute adjustments to a color, but those who must find existing materials that add beauty by their combination with other materials have a different challenge. It’s a little like a treasure hunt, to have an idea in your head, and then see if you can find the materials to make your vision a reality, or coming from the other side, finding a beautiful paper or ornament, and then figure out how to use it so that it becomes more than it was on its own. Suzanne does this beautifully. In fact, today when I was in Brackenwood Gallery, my eyes were drawn to one of Suzanne’s books, where she had used the uneven edge of several handmade papers to overlap and form an abstract landscape. Beautiful!
Till next time…
froggwell 