Small Books pt. 1
Untitled. Two 2.5” x 2.5” Mixed media hardcover books. Coptic and French link binding with grommets. Brush and ink on various papers. ©Sheeba Maya 2024.
Overview
My goals for this project were to continue this rhythm of mark making with inks and use them for book binding, box making, and collage materials. I wanted to continue working on clean cuts, neat alignments, and consistent sewing for an exposed spine. I can sense that adding hardware will become a trademark and I’m inspired to push this further…
brown Inky Breakdown
I started with these 2 *inkies* I made a few weeks ago. Earlier this year I bought a ton of sample inks to play with and I really enjoy seeing how they respond to the tools and materials I’m using. I like moving intuitively through this, tuning into the thoughts of my observations of these interactions. The dilution and movement of water, colors and shapes overlapping, metallic bits reflecting..
…a very meditative & fluid process…
There are times when i shift into intentional marks that are calligraphic, asemic, and lead by stream of conscienceness. So the marks are informed…but they are unrestricted…they go with the flow. They are without hesitation or edits or suffer self-consciousness. It just embraces Self…just being Self….in all it’s messy indecipherable wabi sabi glory.
Then I selectively cut some of that up for the covers of 2 book small books. This part is a bit of magic for me. I like to see what kind of composition will come from it’s details. It’s like falling into or discovering a new universe….or being awake for a dream.
Binding
I gotta say….I’m proud of the stitching here. I’ve been working towards a flawless and consistent braided herringbone on either side where there pages are attached to the grommets on the cover. I was looking for a nice balanced French link down the center too. I used a creamy beige thread with a touch of gold tinsel running through it and I really enjoy the shimmer. Gold touches are another hallmark I’m obsessed with. I love a little razzle dazzle. This came out to be a nice balance of old gold and new gold tones….which i can see convey totally different energies. The grey pages turned out to be a nice contrast.
I’m growing more in love with how this binding shows off it’s construction and look forward to trying out more ideas with it.
Pages
The truth is these books are *done for now*. My real intention was to add collage to the pages. I may still do that. But I’m stepping away for now. Partly because once I cut these down, the materials i set aside for the collage phase just doesnt match to me.
I also played with doing some inkies first, then cutting down the pages for one of the books. I used the same inks but very differnt paper. It ended up with these blue reflections and other color shifting that didnt quite match my first thoughts on this.
But I loved the little compositions that came from arranging and rearranging the page order. I thought…maybe it will go once it’s all together or some other materials may be better for the collage. Maybe if I incorporate the remnants from the cover cuts, it will harmonize or synthisize in some way. Maybe i should write in it…?
I was getting indecisive so I thought it was a good place to pause. The construction was complete and I was happy with the results. Even if they kinda strayed a bit from my original vision for this.
Either way….I can ponder while I work on the next project.
So we’ll see…..
#mishaapproved
