Beach Finds
Philadelphia: Alice Austin, 2024. Paperback. Number 6 of 30 copies, signed by the artist. An accordion book with stiff paper covers and five inserted map folds containing linoleum cuts of natural objects found on the beach in Ireland. The objects include: limpet shells, fossil rocks, seaweed, a bird skull, and feathers. Printed on Mohawk text weight paper on a Vandercook press -with each linocut printed in a different color. Housed in a light grey archival box with paper title label to spine panel. Size: 2.25 x 2.85 inches. A miniature book that opens to 12 inches. Alice Austin has been awarded several artist residencies in Europe including a few in Ireland. This book was created after her most recent fellowship in 2023 at the Ballinglen Arts Foundation in County Mayo, Ireland. "My approach to the book is often sculptural: the form presents the idea. Words, when used, reinforce the visual. My knowledge of different book forms has evolved over the years spent as a book conservator and teacher. I see myself as a keeper of craft, using this respect for a beautifully realized book, and combining it with a modern approach, to create a sensual object. In my work I am interested in the textures of different mark making - drawn or printed - the feel of the paper - the sound of the page - as it relates to the entire book" (artist statement). Alice Austin is a printmaker, book artist and painter living and working in Philadelphia. She has been on the faculty at the University of the Arts, teaching book structures, and has also taught workshops at the Center for Book Arts in New York, Ballinglen Arts Foundation in Ireland, The Scuola Internazionale di Grafica in Venice, and other institutions. She earned a BFA from the Philadelphia College of Art and has been an active member of the Guild of Book Workers since 1998. She worked as a rare book and paper conservator for over 20 years at the Library Company of Philadelphia. Alice has also been awarded several artist residencies in Europe, and her work is widely held in private, public and special collections worldwide. ARTB/030624. Fine. More