A few weeks ago I ran across a vlog by artist Debbie Mackinnon where she demonstrates how easy it is to create a square concertina book from one sheet of paper. She had me at “easy”.
I had a vague curiosity about concertina books, a term I heard thrown about in the art community. Her video drew me in because I saw a way to make use of some of the discarded, half-hearted attempts of work on paper scattered about my studio.
I immediately dug out an old piece of paper, used to offload paint from a brayer while Gelli printing, which I was never able to toss. It fell easily into the category of this will come in handy one day, the reason so many random scraps of paper, bits and bobs, old books, and ephemera take up residence in any art studio.
Following Mackinnon’s instructions, I folded, cut, folded again, and was immediately awed by the transformation of an ugly piece of paper. Transformed, this old scrap had something to say.
I became the vessel: a vague familiarity emerged as I applied layers of collage, paint, and marks, reminding me of something or someplace. The work and marks I made slowly revealed the familiar. I began to see one of my favorite places: Martha’s Vineyard! The colors of sky and water, rugged cliffs, foggy mornings, magnificent sunsets, the endless miles of farmland that tumble into the sea on the horizon are all represented in my first concertina book.
The concertina book is a kind of prototype for… an expanded view – two, four or six or more pages can be visible at any particular time, rather than the limited spread available in the traditional sketchbook…. Drawings can be treated as discrete statements or they can spread horizontally; episodic drawings and notations can be read singly or as a series of connected visual observations. The landscape is regarded as a whole, yet, at the same time, it is a journey through motifs – an unfolding.
Andrew Sayer – The Concertina Book
Water Lily Pond concertina
After completing my first book, I looked around the studio for another subject to create a second concertina. And voila! I found it hiding in a pad of Strathmore smooth Bristol paper. The piece contained colors and shapes that reminded me of a pond and, after folding the paper into my second book, I knew it was destined to become a water lily pond.
Who better than Claude Monet to teach me about water lilies? Perhaps there is no work of art more distinctive or enchanting than Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series where he shows us the many ways to interpret the relation between light and objects in art, by opening windows inside the human brain to accept these interpretations. With no fixed point of land or horizon, we become lost in the light, shapes, and colors of Monet’s pond.
Inspired by Monet’s Water Lilies series I created my book where the viewer moves through the deepest blues and purple shadows, to the light greens and warm pinks of the pond. In my pond all colors and shapes of lily pads live in unity.
While researching concertina art books I ran across books made by John R. Walker. He briefly described his first experience with making a concertina book. He was participating in an artist-in-residence program and was quickly hooked. Since then, making concertina books has become an integral part of his art practice. I know they will infuse mine as well.
If you have any questions at all, please contact me! I would love to hear from you.
Pennie says
They’re like little journeys. <3