bookarts

House of Sky and Earth

In creating this artists book I have used portions of a vintage book and old fabric to create a place to “house” vintage photographs which have been collaged using paper, found objects and paint. In this book the story is “housed” on the collaged pages. The words used are few, as in a storybook for a child, and so allow you to interpret the images for yourself. The pages have been attached to the fabric spine of the book using thread. The buttons are decorative.

We dwell between earth and sky and I have used organic objects found in nature to give the feeling of earth, while using wings to give the feeling of sky. I have constructed pockets from wire mesh and used natural mica. In the process of making this one-of-a-kind book using old materials I have become more aware of the deeper meaning of life, which becomes easily hidden by the barrage of advertising and mass produced products which tell us that acquiring more new things is the purpose of living. The book shows me the beauty in the old and the natural.


House of Sky and Earth	sprinkle stars over the earth	speak to the winds - flight of wings

awake the dreamland tree - dream within a dream	quiet spirit of earth and sky	embers of the day that went away

I have always loved everything about books - the smell of them, the texture of them, the way they look. When I was a teenager I loved being in my father's law office library. There was just something about the smell of the old books that made me feel at home. Even though I will probably never have the time to read every book on my many bookshelves they seem to have an energy that I love to have surrounding me. From my love of books has come an exploration into the book form. I love making mini books, altered books, paper bag books. In fact anything that resembles a book intrigues me. This led me to play with using my images and a collection of quotations I have collected over the last eight years which have inspired and encouraged me to move towards my creative dreams. I started giving the books as gifts and got enquiries from friends as to whether they could buy copies. So I have eventually produced my own book! Inside the covers you will find twenty pages of my photographs and sixty quotations to guide you on your "Journey to Creativity". The book is coil bound so that it can stand up on a desk, and is made from cardstock. The book can be purchased from my online Etsy store or you can email me at cathy@catherineandersonstudio.com.