Sometimes a work comes into being very slowly. The idea for this (still in progress) book, was inspired by a work by Francisco Clemente. His huge painting was made up of large sheets of watercolor paper, attached to form a grid by means of the strips of torn linen that he had glued around the edge of each sheet. When folded up, it formed a  block of pages just the right size to fit into a large suitcase. Unfolded it covered an entire wall of the exhibition space. I started with sheets of fine water color paper and, mimicking Clemente, glued connective strips of linen along the edges of the pages to form the book.  It fits exactly in my carry-on suitcase when I travel. For some reason each page on which I paint, draw and apply collage, takes an unusually long time to finish.  And then another long time to start the next page. The images in this book are among my favorite, telling me things I didn’t know I knew, or that I still don’t understand.

 

Gouache, crayon, ink, mixed-media collage, acrylic paint, on Arches water color paper, 16″ X 12″