FACEBOOK

Face Book

Unique Book. 2014.  A book of ridiculousness compulsions. Let me give you an idea – about three weeks prior to the digital art festival celebrating ‘20 years of democracy’, I decided to paint the entire department for the staff exhibition. That’s  not five or ten portrait exercise, that’s about 80 portraits, all original paintings. The book is called Face Book - obviously!  The portraits are 25cm x 25cm in accordion format. If that was ALL I had to do, I would not be thinking I was vaguely mad – there are 80 of them! The bottom corner is Lindt - a rescue kitten who is all claws and ears at the moment. AND I understand why 'curiosity killed the cat'...

Babel Collaborations

There have been about 17 participants in this collaboration so far, with just 3 sets outstanding, but mostly on their way.  They have been collated into three pocket books for the New Alexandrian Library and one set has gone to Japan for exhibition in December.  Each participant received 5 other altered copies of Babel.

Here are some of the USA collaborations received:

                                                    Cheryl Penn/John Bennett (USA)

Cheryl Penn/Allan Bealy (USA)

Cheryl Penn/Rosaire Appel (USA)

Cheryl Penn/Mark Sonnenfeld (USA)

Cheryl Penn/Alicia Starr (USA)

Lest We Forget Elizabeth - Cheryl Penn

Lest We Forget Elizabeth

Colophon: Unique artists book, accordion bound, lazer print Photostats from Harm Done series, collage, drawing with pencil, charcoal, water colours, stamping, stencils dated 2009.  This book is still hard to bear. The story of Elizabeth Fritzel is one of those moments when one looks into the heart of a man that is darkness itself. I wonder who ever thinks of her now, but I hope she and her children are now living a life worth living.

Cyclopedia of Drawing - William Kentridge.

Signed copy dated July 2008, gift from the artist.

 “Using pages from an American Technical Society reference book published in 1924, Kentridge creates each cell of his animation over mechanical and architectural engravings used to illustrate the fabrication of sheet metal and tinsmith projects. Kentridge has often used existing printed material from encyclopedias, maps and charts, indexes to create foundations that reflect knowledge, history or metaphysics.

In Cyclopedia of Drawings, Kentridge’s alter ego Felix jumps into the air and quickly morphs into a bird taking flight. After his brief stint as Icarus, he somersaults back to the ground and ends in a relaxing, almost comic pose. On each page, the diagrams and formulations from the technical book seem to be ‘proving’ the possibility of this remarkable feat while at the same time the page headers of SHEET METAL WORK and TINSMITHING humorously mock with their connotations of home-made construction and physical weight.

This book was published in an edition of 1000 copies, 100 of which were signed and numbered. I know of at least one other flipbook that was published in 1999 which I have heard animates a nude Felix as he scoops water up in his hat. The animation is supposedly drawn over pages from a Catalan grammar course book. Both of these have become very rare and very difficult to find. Originally priced at 28 euros, Cyclopedia of Drawing is now usually a couple hundred dollars. It is soft cover and approximately 6 by 8 ¼ inches with a strip of black binder’s tape on the edge. The reproductions are well done on a creamy yellow heavy paper stock common to technical manuals which is edged in red”.

from:

http://5b4.blogspot.com/2008/01/william-kentridge-prints-and-cyclopedia.html

Reacting to Renee (Omnibus). Renee Leslie/Cheryl Penn (South Africa)..

Reacting to Renee (Omnibus)   

Renee Leslie/Cheryl Penn (South Africa).

Colophon: unique collaborative artists book.  Mixed media including drawing, digital prints, text, collage, sewing, painting, 32 pages with pockets. Dated September 2009.

Its quite strange looking back to the beginning of making books. I had forgotten so many things.  Reopening these works has been a joy on every occasion.  Using ‘X’ as a character, I responded to some drawings Renee swopped with me or visa versa.  They were dreams I had had, and although when I first looked again, some of the drawings seem irrelevant, they were absolutely not.  One dream:

X hummed love among the ruins whilst sitting on a rickety chair looking at a set of ruins.  A lonely chair in a lonely spot.  It was growing dark, but X kept seeing a flash of blue among the dereliction. A LARGE blue chameleon emerged from the rubble, sitting on a broken pillar, blinking morosely at X.  The chameleon suddenly JUMPED and wrapped its legs about X’s neck.  X got such a fright! But all the chameleon needed was love among the ruins.  I smile as I remember this, so clearly. 

Handspun. Liz Vels (South Africa)

Handspun

Umsinsi Press, Artists Book,  210mm x 297mm, dated 31 December 1998, Malvern, 46 pages & art illustrations.  BUT I have a hand made, signed copy with covers, binding, notes and colours by Liz Vels.  Dedication - For Cheryl who makes books with love and thanks, Liz.

I met Liz while doing research on South African artists books.  She welcomed me to her home and I saw so many treasures that day I cannot begin to describe.  She was absolutely free with her knowledge and generous with her gift.  A poem from the book:

 GENESIS

Did you speak with your hands

flatten deserts in the wind

wave mountains

voice birds in the sling of Your arm

whisper trees through bent fingers?

Was Adam mouthed in locked embrace

to keep us face to face?