Pages 1/2 of my mini book for Gillian Jansen, 3.5 x 5 inches (approx.), Collage/Mixed Media, January 2011, Text: "Letters from the dead... the lost souls who loved me..."
Pages 2/3 of my mini collage book for Gillian Jansen, 3.5 x 5 inches (approx.), Collage/Mixed Media, January 2011, Text: "follow me through the dark... and hope for..."
Pages 4/5 of my mini collage book for Gillian Jansen, 3.5 x 5 inches (approx.), Collage/Mixed Media, January 2011, text: "return... to the saviour"
Last January, I received a small hand-sized collage book from my friend Gillian Jansen, a painter and mixed media artist. It was a beautiful one whose theme centered on an old Irish New Year’s blessing which Gillian had carefully hand-written across its pages in a glittering black Sakura marker. Its soft blue, rose and lavender tones revealed graphic images of trees skillfully embedded between various patterned, textured and lavender scented papers. Running my hands across its surface, I loved the organic feel of it against my finger tips and the smell of its delicately perfumed pages. This wonderful book inspired me to want to create one for Gillian and in no time a book for her was underway despite the fact that I had no two clues about how I would stitch it together!
Living on the south western tip of the UK, nestled between the English Channel and the Celtic Sea, Gillian is blessed to have the seashore as her home. I felt this was something she held dear so I decided my mini-book for her would reference the natural world too… there would be forests, lakes and an endless sky. As I began to find images that carried the geographic and mythological feel I associated with her home, the theme of my book emerged: an other-worldly place far off in the universe where dead souls communed with their earthly counterparts. While I was making it, a little voice in my head informed me that I was in the process of making a book for the dead! These stories evolved from the Celtic and Gaelic tales I’d been introduced to by my fourth grade teacher, Allan James Gillis, who hailed from the east coast of Canada where such stories thrive. The images were equally inspired by the scenes I conjure up in my head when I hear the World/Celtic music of singer Loreena McKennitt. As visual references to a boundless universe, enchanted human/forest creatures and estranged loved ones materialized I crafted my text from randomly selected lines of poetry from the works of Pier Giorgio Di Cicco which I felt captured their spirit. Although I agonized about how I would do this for months, on Gillian’s urging, my book was eventually bound with simple single stitch and tied in a knot. The making of this book inspired three others which I’m very pleased with.
While journaling gives me a chance to connect with my inner feelings about life, making these mini collage books allows me to experiment with other aspects of my experience and imagination. It was so fulfilling to take those folktales and songs I loved and build my own story around them. In other accordion-style mini books, to further challenge myself, I’ve drawn on the personalities or favourite subjects of their recipients. A humourous one I made for my husband as a Valentine’s Day present was based on his incessant virtual gaming; a bold statement he made as a child and something silly my little sister said to him when she was just four. Another, for my friend Diane was based on her love for contemporary dance; it was really fun to try to capture the feel of energy and movement in this one. Yet another book for friend Elaine was prompted by a recipe from an old family friend I wanted to share with her. Soon I’ll be posting a new portfolio page with more of these images for you to see; eventually I’ll be documenting the steps for you to make your own mini book. In time, I’d love to offer collage workshops on these as well.
Other Links of Interest:
Loreena McKennitt’s The Bonny Swans video
Loreena McKennitt’s All Souls Night video
Special thanks to Peter Farris-Manning for the beautiful photos above.
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