Small Books pt.2
Untitled. 2.5” x 2.5” Sewn board books with velvet spine & brush and ink. ©Sheeba Maya 2024.
CONFESSION
When I started this project i had grand plans of making 2 matching Coptic bound books with a box they would nest in. I was saving these brown inkies along with other materials i’d gatherd just for it.
But I punched the holes on the cover waaay off. *ugh* And from there the project kinda went off the rails a bit. I called many audibles and ran into many *opportunities for problem solving*….which is what I tell myself to keep myself from raging out when I fuck up my progress 😀
Materials + Intentions
Since I’m too embarrassed to show just how off those holes were, lets talk about how I resolved this little problem. I wasnt about to waste the progress or materials I put into the covers so far, so my thoughts were to cover it with some sort of thick fabric.
I’d been collecting fabric for art for years and now that the move was done, I could access all of it. Exciting! I came across a black velvety top my mother gave me years ago. It’s so soft and lustrous. Ultimately, I ended up going with a hinged sewn board binding and using the velvety material as a strip to attach the spine and cover the holes. You’d never even know the holes were there because the velvet’s so lush.
Untitled. 2.5” x 2.5” Sewn board books with velvet spine & brush and ink. ©Sheeba Maya 2024.
Nice Turn of Events
It was nice to feel a touch of my Mom’s energy in there. And the more I worked on them, the more removed they were from my original vision. I thought these would be kinda grungy or rustic and include things belonging to my grandmother. I thought they’d feel a bit haunting or be a place to process heavy thoughts or uncover family secretes.
But instead they came out light and sweet and didnt really go with the stuff I collected at all. I gave into this and realized that my stubon problem solving lead me down a completely unintended project that I really enjoyed. I probably needed to work on something that gave me the sweet, warm, and fuzzies for a bit anyway. I forgot I was even annoyed at myself for messing up.
I may add to these down the road, but in the end, I was determined to go back and cut material for books closer to my vision. I talk more about that in my last entry Small Books Pt 1.
Still figuring out the box situation, how I’ll incorporate those found objects, and how I will stretch whatever’s left of my brown inkies….
