Artist Books 1

Lighthouse Book

Exhibited in Pataka, Porirua; Aratoi, Masterton; Sarjeant, Whanganui; and Waikato Museum, Hamilton in May 2018.

Title of work and year: Distant Memory, 2017

Media/materials used: Linocut and collagraph prints, embossing on paper, Acrolin hinges, metal studs, wooden pages and base, LED light, switch and battery unit.
Woodwork credits to Royce Johnson.

Dimensions: 800 mm high and 300 mm diameter

Description: Artist book, shaped as a lighthouse, with six wooden pages holding linocut prints, mounted on a wooden plinth.

Artist Statement: I am intrigued by the idea of “home” while undertaking a long journey of adventure in foreign parts; “home” becomes a memory you take with you, of a safe haven that now seems very distant, and a little unreal.
In Medieval times, travel was a risky journey into little-known territory, where there were unimagined wonders and perils. Mapmakers in 1400 guessed at those marvels. At that time, the lighthouse functioned as a beacon to guide sailors home to port. I use it as a symbol of homecoming and safety.

Pushing through the rushes, 2016

Scroll artist book in cylindrical, side-opening box, Japanese stab binding with flax leaves and tissue pages, linocut prints, woodgrain, stencils.

After assisting DOC workers with a scientific orchid monitoring project in Ihupuku Swamp near Waverley, I became intrigued with the process of pushing through the swamp plants to find and count the tiny Pterostylis micromega plants growing in the soggy thicket. Counting each life stage, rosette, bud, flower, and seed provided tallies for each quadrant marked out in the swamp. “Getting your eye in” was learning to be able to see certain leaves amongst the press of foliage, especially the rushes. Leafing through the translucent pages of the book echoes catching a glimpse of something and not being sure until the next curtain is pushed aside to reveal the treasure. Pterostylis banksii flowers in the book add to the story because they are so common and easy to find in dry bushland. The pollen grains are not readily seen at all.

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Camino Santiago de Compostela 2015

Artist book, pencil drawings, Solander presentation box with scallop shell pilgrim emblem.

The pilgrimage route across Spain has been followed by pilgrims for over a thousand years. As a contemporary artist walking this trail, I aimed to engage with the medieval artists who worked during the Romanesque era. Inspired by their medieval motifs, I gathered drawings in a special lightweight handmade book that travelled with me along the 800 kilometre walk, until the 160 flax paper pages were filled.

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Growing By My Footsteps, 2017

Basic crossed structure binding in leather with second style stitching; with pages made of topographical maps and drawings of the plants observed in those locations.

Hidden in Plain Sight: Collaborative Book Project with Julz Coffey

Secret Belgian Binding with content in collaboration with Julz Coffey, printmaking, stitching, drawing, multi-media

15th Century Turkish Ottoman Bird Palaces, 2017

Flexi-spine binding with ink drawings on wallpaper

Under Cover of Darkness: Nocturnal New Zealand, 2017

Flexi-spine binding with an exploration of black paper and the world of night-time

The Beauty That Betrays: Travellers to Bastia Hill, 2017

Soft cover long stitch binding. Nature journal depicting the exotic weeds of Bastia Hill, with photos, drawings, botanical notes, microscopic photos and drawings, cyanotypes, indexed.

Journey One, Patagonia, 2015

Miniature artist book, pencil drawings, ink handwriting.

This diary of Patagonia is a handmade book taken with me on my 5 week journey. Each day I drew a tiny pencil line image of something I saw that moved me, and also wrote of my thoughts at that time. Worded in a general way, these comments are intended to be thought-provoking triggers that take the reader somewhere into their own memories, creating new meaning as the book is read.

48 Slices of Literature, 2017

Basic crossed structure book working on the "sliced" concept of the quotations taken from 48 books, from that page of that book.

Pompallier Project 2013

Triptych and double concertina books based on the history of the Pompallier Catholic Mission in Russell while Maori Wars raged overhead.

African Art: Minkisi 2012

Artist book, flax skewer spine, flax cover, feathers, hair, raffia; Conte crayon drawings of African statues and masks

Being interested in the intuitive spirit that manifests itself in artworks, I became immediately fascinated by Desmond Bovey’s collection of African art pieces. Exploring a culture that differs from ours helps to put our own in a closer perspective. My response to their other-worldly characters is to honour their drawings with their own woven stockade in book form, protected with the tufts of my hair and with feathers crowning the palisade.

Flax Paper Series 2012

Lost In

French Door structure for a case-bound book-block with two spines and overlapping pages; hand-made papers with woodcut prints and drypoint etchings; going tramping in the forest and pushing through the 'leaves' to find the treasure.