A Small Artist Book

I have been creating artist books for several years.  Often, I start with an old book that I repurpose with collage and paint directly onto the pages.  This is the smallest book I’ve done so far.  Starting not with a book, but an expired passport.   
This little book tells a story.  The passport belonged to my grandmother who travelled the world more than many people I have known.  Growing up, I knew no one who travelled like she did.   She was a department store buyer who made frequent trips to California, New York, Hong Kong, and Europe.   As a child this was just grandma’s job to me.   I knew it was a bit unusual but as an adult, I started to understand how extraordinary it was for a woman born in 1919 to have that kind of career.   She also played the more traditional grandmother roles with ease — no one made a better apple pie than she did.

Cat Chaekgeori

This is the newest painting of books and things in my Chaekgeori-inspired series.  One might ask, where are the books?  I believe there is a small one tucked in on the lower shelf.  But in this modern example, clearly that iPad Mini is filled with ebooks.  Does Spinerboy actually read?  He is clever, but he might prefer cat game apps over reading.  And what sort of cat has his own iPad?   There is even has a special shelf where he keeps his fancy cat dishes.  Spinerboy shares a home with Scarlett Jo, so that shelf is a necessity.  Scarlett Jo is the type of girl that thinks nothing is more charming than a dog with cat food breath.