Beyond the Book IX

Several of my books were accepted into the annual Beyond the Book show hosted at the Fanueil Branch of the Boston Public Library in Brighton. The opening will be this Saturday from 11:00 - 1:00 and the show will remain up through the end of January.

My pieces Love Thy Neighbor, The Narrow House, and Mirror, Mirror will all be on display.

Month of Fear - Danse Macabre

It's my final piece, and the final day of Month of Fear!

When I was younger I spent a lot of time at my younger sister’s ballet recitals. Though most of it was a snooze-fest for me, the best performance was the little kids who had absolutely no coordination but were trying their damndest. This inspired my Danse Macabre piece, which I didn’t research much, but I’m sure obviously translates to “Dances Adorably”. I started with a mummy but as these characters devolved it didn’t really fit anymore, I would like to try and add it in for the classic horror film superfecta.

Month of Fear Appreciation Post

Artists (counterclockwise from top left): Sam Guay, Jenna Kass, 

Tim Paul, Rovina Cai, Serena Malyon, and Shannon Knight

As we turn the corner from crisp chill October to downright cold November we see the end of another Month of Fear. I've loved working on this project for the past three years. It's always so inspiring to see the work of other incredible artists and it pushes me to make the best art I possibly can. It's our final week this week, with the theme Danse Macabre, so catch one last look at Month of Fear!

Month of Fear - What Lies Beneath?

This week's Month of Fear challenge was What Lies Beneath? I made a box that opened with multiple panels to reveal different pieces of anatomy. There's a brain made of cork with thoughts pinned to it; a ribcage made of paper covered a heart painted on a stone; a stomach embroidered full of knots. The lid of the box is indented with a silhouette.

Month of Fear - Mirrors

Month of Fear is back in excellent form! This week's challenge is Mirrors, which led me into learning about the various death beliefs of the Victorians. Text reads:

Immensely obsessed with death, the Victorians believed that mirrors in the homes of the deceased needed to be covered to prevent the departed soul from being trapped behind the glass, unable to pass over.
The Victorians also believed that if a mirror in your home fell and broke of it’s own accord, it was a portent that someone in the home was going to die.

Cut paper on mirrors mounted in a handmade board book, measures 4.5 x 4.5 inches.

Slipcase Week - Day 4: The Narrow House

Making the slipcase for the Narrow House book was a bit more complex than some of the others and took a bit paper engineering to make the shape of the case match slope of the roof. But it was well worth the effort to create this uniquely shaped case.

Slipcase Week - Day 3: The Little Books of Fear

Today features a set of books each made for the Month of Fear blog. Since both are about my fears, I decided to made them into their own little series, drawing inspiration from the set of Golden Books I had growing up.

Slipcase Week - Day 2: Tudor Safari

Today's slipcase was made for the Tudor Safari board book I did a while back. It features a watercolor and gold acrylic painted crown with paper cut outs.

Slipcase Week - Day 1: The Homeowners Guide to Household Demons

This week I'm going to be showcasing some of the slipcases I've made for my books and on Friday I will post a tutorial on how to make them yourself. Slipcases are fantastic because they are easy to make, fun to decorate, and they help protect your books from every day wear and tear.

This slipcase I made for my Month of Fear book: Homeowners Guide to Household Demons. It's made from a stiff screen printed paper with a simple paper cut out and hand lettering.

Tiny Tunnel Book

Tunnel book inside frame measures 1.5 x 2.75in

Watercolor on Arches paper, handcut

Shadowbox

Recently, the Illustration Department at MassArt decided to do a project to raise proceeds for student awards. We were provided with matching shadowboxes and asked to make a piece related to the idea of shadows and darkness.  I chose to make a three dimensional representation of an anatomical drawing depicting the "darkness in the hearts of man."

The box measures 5 x 7 x 2 inches. The label reads "Fig. 1 - Darkness in the Hearts of Man, with Enlarged View (Frontal)"

Month of Love - Forbidden Fruit

I may have skipped last week's challenge for Month of Love, but I'm back this week with the final 'Forbidden Fruit' challenge.

I have been really into the design of vintage seed packets lately, so I decided to do some packets for the seeds of fruits featured as forbidden fruits in mythology. Here’s the classic apple from the story of Adam and Eve. Also the pomegranate eaten by Persephone that keeps her in Hades six months of the year.

Month of Love - Diamonds

This weeks challenge for the Month of Love was 'Diamonds' so I got my inspiration from that classic Paul Simon song Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes, I call it Honey Take Me Dancing.

Each frame was painted and handmade by wrapping paper around a book board frame. All painting was done in watercolor.

Month of Love - Love Thy Neighbor

It's time for another Month of Love! The first week's challenge is Love Thy Neighbor. As per usual, I decided to move forward with a tiny book.

I decided make a book focusing on homes around the world. They’re all different, as every culture and region builds a home that suits a certain purpose. But we’re all neighbors on this one earth we’ve got.

We've moved over to a new website and platform so update your links and check out all the fabulous art at monthofloveart.com

The Narrow House

Here's a little book I made with some leftover house pieces from another project. The covers are made from cut paper and the inside is illustrated in watercolor with ink details. Closed, the book measures a mere 1.25 inches wide by 4 inches tall. Open it fans out to about 7 inches wide. I should have taken a picture with an object for scale, because this thing can fit in the palm of your hand.