Paper has always been a medium for communication, and british artist su blackwell is testing papers storytelling ability by. Made from 3,700 plastic straws, with aluminum and steel. This remarkable artist employs this delicate, accessible medium and uses irreversible, destructive processes to reflect on the precariousness of the world we inhabit and the fragility of our life, dreams and ambitions. This monograph contains an interview with the artist and provides a rare glimpse into her studio practice. Uk artist su blackwell blends the two in 3d works that are both literature and sculpture. Elizabeth blackwell nee blachrie was among the first women to achieve fame as a botanical illustrator. Su blackwell uses the humble and ephemeral qualities of paper to represent feelings of wonder and melancholy. I recently fell in love with the magical world of british booksculptor su blackwell, whose work i came across while devouring the catalogue of the modern masters.
Find art for sale at great prices from artists including paintings, photography, sculpture, and prints by top emerging artists like dong li. Reminiscent of popup books, blackwell literally uses the subject of each book to make her own sculptural version. See more ideas about book sculpture, paper art and book art. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. Ive always thought that it would be wonderful to give old books a second life. The subject matter certainly plays an important part in why i paint but secretly, its more about the abstract elements such as verticals and horizontals, shapes and values, composition, color, and light. Su blackwell is a famous british artist and art director, working predominantly within the realm of paper. Choose your favorite blackwell designs and purchase them as wall art, home decor, phone cases, tote bags, and more. Bygg studio, who have created an entire alphabet out of stacked books. Blackwell began his career as an abstract expressionist. In plastic bag as humble present 2012, discarded bags. Paper book sculptures by sue blackwell su blackwell is a british artist and art director working predominantly within the realm of paper and old books. Check out 10 most creative book sculptures by su blackwell below.
The most beautiful house in the lakes blackwell, the. For the ultimate metaconceptual book art, look no further royal college of art graduates hanna nilsson, sofia osterhus and markus bergstrom, a. British su blackwell makes magical paper works 1 of 7. Don spent 23 years in the united states air force as an artist, and almost 30 years in alaska.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. British artist su blackwell makes magical paper art from old books. The inside scoop on su blackwells sculptures real simple. With titles like the orient express, down the rabbit hole and the girl in the wood, her work is always inspired by fairy tales and folklore. Some artists make it happen by turning old books, dictionaries and encyclopedias into admirable sculptures. She transforms flat pages into threedimensional objects and constructs entire landscapes filled with mystery. Buy su blackwell book sculptures by su blackwell isbn. Fast dispatch, carefully packaged, worldwide delivery. Scotlands secret book sculptures in pictures books. Kristy blackwell toronto based artist specializing in. Find art for sale at great prices from artists including paintings, photography, sculpture, and prints by. Altered book artist su blackwell june 05, 2014 if paper art typically catches your eye, then you may already be familiar with su blackwell, a creator of marvelous altered book sculptures. A companion to contemporary art since 1945 blackwell.
I paint the things that i experience and find visually interesting. The scottish book sculptures are a group of book sculptures that were contrived to be found in scotland between 2011 and 20. James blackwells artwork centres on themes of nature, silence, structure and meditation. British artist su blackwell makes magical paper art from. I often work within the realm of fairy tales and folklore. The sculptor constructs physical representation of textual narrative, making her pieces like metasculptures, figures made of stories telling stories. Ive noticed that a recent trend among paper cut art is book sculptures but su blackwells bookcut sculptures far exceed most that ive seen.
The book illustrated many oddlooking and unknown plants from the new world, and was designed as a reference work on medicinal plants for the use of physicians and. Post the most beautiful examples of book sculptures. Although the concept was more literary experiment than arts and crafts hackjob, the resulting book is a visually stunning reinvention of its preexisting form. Su finds her books in secondhand book shops and always reads them first before starting to sculpt. The book artist has re interpreted the book focusing on its visual and tactile qualities and transforming it into a unique object. Traditionally, books and sculptures are thought of as different fields within the general category of art. Su blackwell is an english artist who creates fairytalelike book sculptures. She creates tranquil unique landscapes from cutting up pages of old books. Su blackwell makes amazing book sculptures, made by cutting three dimensional popup sculptures out of the pages of books. Shop for blackwell art from the worlds greatest living artists. I am a paper artist, i make book sculptures, paper jewelry, and paper art. His resulting exhibition, native grid ii, will include exciting developments for the artist, such as installation works and larger scale pieces.
Generally, im a pleinair painter and work in both oil and pastel. World book day interview with book sculptor su blackwell. This fantastic selling exhibition of contemporary craft was curated by sarah griffin and organized by sothebys at chatsworth house in derbyshire, uk through december 23, 20. I found a few amazing examples of book sculptures, so i invite you to share the pictures of amazing book art as well.
Blackwell works with her scalpel to take ordinary tomes and transforms them into expressions and relationships of space. Charles curtis blackwell is a visual artists, poet and playwright. Josh blackwell artist bio and art for sale artspace. I was happy to come upon her new blog su blackwell studio earlier this week.
Nicholas jones book sculptor as much about process as it is about the form these books were conceived, born, loved, stored, discarded, found anew, studied, cut. All blackwell paintings ship within 48 hours and include a 30day moneyback guarantee. I love working with paper and i am always thinking about new designs. Best known for constructing delicate sculptures from the pages of books, she uses the ephemeral qualities of paper to represent feelings of wonder and. Threedimensional book sculptures by su blackwell wired. Su blackwell book sculpture, paper art, sculpture art. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading a companion to contemporary art since 1945 blackwell companions to art history book 2. Utilizing natural materials gathered from the australian bushland and other resources, he reconfigures the materials into gridlike formations often in a 3 dimensional manner with the use of textured and handmade papers as a support.
The sculptures are on topics mostly concerning scottish literature and poetry, and are made out of old books by an anonymous female paper sculptor. She is a british artist best known for constructing delicate sculptures from the pages of books. This large coffee table book has been turned into a sculpture by folding each page at precise points. Since the straws didnt fully line up an optical phenomenon occurrs.
She was born elizabeth blachrie in aberdeen in the early 1700s there is disagreement about the date and was the daughter of a successful merchant she trained as an artist. Working across mediums, josh blackwell creates art objects and installations that explore and challenge the purpose and use of everyday, disposable items. The british artistwho has created 142 book sculptures to dateanswered a few questions about her process. Bishop faculty fellow 2011, selected works, the center for book arts, new york, usa solo exhibition 2011 ghosts of gone birds, liverpool school of art, uk 2010 happily ever after, long and ryle, london, uk solo exhibition 2010 remnants, the bronte parsonage museum, haworth, uk solo exhibition 2009. Choose your favorite blackwell paintings from millions of available designs. Straws are not just for sipping as we can see by the amazing straw sculptures produced by artist evan blackwell who takes recycling to the next level. Su blackwell book sculptures is the first monograph cataloging the artist s work from 2006 20. Londonbased artist su blackwell, an avid reader, draws inspiration from the art of the written word found in books and uses that creative influence to produce her remarkable book sculptures. A 70minute documentary about artistpoetplaywright charles curtis blackwell. See what happens when talented artists use books as their artistic medium, the results are truly impressive. Su blackwells clients include vogue germany and harpers bazaar.
To celebrate world book day, we ask artist su blackwell about her book sculptures and bringing classic stories directly off the page. Could those really have been made from the pages of a book. If youve read real simple s june 20 feature 50 books that will change your life, youve seen su blackwells paper sculptures and may have wondered. British artist su blackwell works predominantly within the realm of paper. Born and raised in hendersonville, north carolina, don blackwells pen and ink images reflect his love of the blue ridge mountains and the inhabitants. Elizabeth blackwell 1707 1758 was a scottish botanical illustrator and author who was best known as both the artist and engraver for the plates of a curious herbal, published between 1737 and 1739. Find the latest shows, biography, and artworks for sale by su blackwell.
The magical world of book sculptor su blackwell objects. Using characteristically bold hues and textured surfaces, he constructs a careful critique of the twodimensional boundaries of painting in paper sweaters 2011. The beautiful photographs convey the delicacy of blackwell s works. Old books turned into fairytale sculptures by su blackwell.
To illustrate the multimedia value of this alternative usage, here are ten artists who have transformed traditional texts into works of genuine art. Su blackwell, a british artist best known for constructing delicate sculptures from the pages of books. Su blackwell book sculptures is the first monograph cataloging the artists work from 2006 20. Follow us on instagram like us on facebook follow us on twitter. In other works he has turned his attention to elaborate shop window displays, capturing the reflections of street. We visit her in her london studio to find out more about her work. A companion to contemporary art since 1945 blackwell companions to art history book 2 kindle edition by jones, amelia. All blackwell artwork ships within 48 hours and includes a 30day moneyback guarantee. British artist su blackwell, known for her literaryinspired paper sculptures, answered a few questions about her process. Trading since 1879, blackwell of oxford is the largest academic and specialist bookseller in the uk. This book sculpture takes its form from the amar jawan jyoti or the flame of the immortal warrior at india gate. Pinner wrote just received a press release for this delightful looking exhibition in november. Absolutely wonderful artistry of su blackwell, bookcut sculpture. As bonified typography geeks, wed love to see the series turned into an actual, usable font.
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