Mixed Media Book Art Project Pt. 1 & 2
Portals+Windows: 10550 (l to r)-- (a)Case bound box. 4"x5" (b)Coptic with French link book #1. 3"x4". (c) Accordion book 2"x3" (d) Coptic with French link book #1. 3"x4". ©Sheeba Maya 2024.
Project 1/4:
Mixed Media book 1
Portals: 10550- Unknown Old Woman, 3”x4” Coptic and French link bound book, mixed media collage, brush and ink, watercolors, resin, gold leaf, mica flakes, beads, vintage photo. ©Sheeba Maya 2024.
I grabbed a handful of pics from the stash of old photos I found in my grandmothers attic. I thought maybe fate could make a few decisions here. I sifted thru maybe 30 or so and was really drawn to the black & white ones. These appeared to be from the 50’s and some spaces and faces seemed familiar. It looked like my grandmothers neighborhood but mostly, I didnt know any of the people.
I have no idea who this woman is. I think this was taken at a party at my great-grandmothers house which was a few blocks away from grandma’s. I was really drawn to this photo. I especially loved her hands. Poised and elegant…but those knuckles have seen a lifetime of hard work.
I still have to take a deep breath before cutting these things. But it’s coming easier now. I added a disc of resin on the photo along with other organic lines, gold leaf, and some collage. It almost look like an enamel brooch perched on the cover that was forming out of my little inky galaxy. It’s version of a “crystal ball”.
I’ve been calling my circle cut outs portals. With photo details and resin added, they feel more like windows. And I think windows may be like small memorials or energetic capsules.
This moment was captured on film, developed, tucked away for decades, discovered (possibly by bloodline), zoomed in on (cropped for its most important parts), encapsulated, magnified, and made to respond to the light of my local world against my body movements when I interact with it….even my subtle breath.
…just wow….
When light passes thru it, the chemicals in the photo respond with an almost 3d effect. Colors shift as it tilts about and is eerily alive with a kind of floaty nature. It’s ghostly…but oddly assuring.
Project 2/4:
Mixed Media Accordian Book
Portals: 10550-Flickers- 2”x3” Hardcover accordion book, mixed media collage, brush and ink, watercolors, resin, gold leaf, mica flakes, beads, vintage photos, grandma’s crochet thread. ©Sheeba Maya 2024.
I was particularly attracted to this construction because I thought it was a nice way to show of some collage work and present all the pages at once.
Yessssss………
I included bits of asemic writing in the collage and considered a layout similar to magazines. I wanted it to feel like it was trying to “say something”. Like there was a hidden message in plain sight.
This was actually the last project of the bunch. At this point I was really into the idea of putting teeny tiny details from the photos into the project. I enjoy working small. Small books are objectively adorable. But I also like that it encourages the viewer to lean in and examine closely and discover more details. I ca literally see the moment someone puts the mundane world behind them for a sec to give in to the artwork’s realm and explore.
I’m amazed at how well the details have been preserved in the pics. I dont know who the kid is on the bike…but I think maybe one of my dad’s childhood chums.
Crazy to see how much stayed the same over 60-70 years. Like I lived there for almost 15 years and here’s a snapshot of the scene from the front porch from 30 years before i was born. It’s weird to feel connected to this scene but also feel estranged from the family ties it represents.
I must be nuts to think the whole process is trying to tell me something or reveal something to me. But I am compelled to keep going with this.
Accordion book closed and wrapped in grandma's crochet thread. ©Sheeba Maya 2024.
