Midnight to Morn 2
CT: Ellen Schiffman, 2023. Hardcover. A unique artist's book. Ellen Schiffman has worked as a professional artist for over 30 years in her Connecticut studio. She is a multimedia artist working in a range of modalities including fiber art, collage, sculpture, photography, printing, cyanotype, eco printing and, most recently, book art. She often combines multiple media in a single piece. Throughout her career, she has been an avid explorer of both material and technique, often including found objects and everyday humble items in her pieces. Serendipity and surprise are hallmarks of her singular work. She has exhibited her work nationwide, including numerous museum shows and solo exhibits. She has received multiple awards for her work and has been featured in online and print publications, including several books. Her work reflects a fascination with texture, pattern, color, organic shapes, sculptural forms, the majesty of nature, and the beauty of imperfection. The pandemic shut-down provided Ellen with an abundance of time to explore and experiment with some media that were new to her. She started making books during this time. She felt an immediate connection with the materials and the techniques of this compelling art form and found the process of making books a meditative balm for stressful times. Books have allowed her the opportunity to present her work in new and exciting ways. She celebrates the fact, unlike most other forms of art, the viewer gets to touch and interact with a book, thereby becoming an active participant in the process of the book becoming a meaningful piece of art. She frequently uses her books to present a body of related art work, while just as often she uses them as vehicles to capture the essence of memorable places, issues and moments in time. As the worst of the pandemic has subsided, Ellen has continued her book making journey, exhibiting her books in notable book art exhibits nationwide.
According to Schiffman: "A traditional cyanotype is a camera less photograph created by coating paper or fabric with a chemical emulsion, placing an object or a negative on the surface when the emulsion dries, and placing it directly in the sun for a short time to develop. The final photo which emerges is a rich, Prussian blue imprint of the original image. I have presented some of my cyanotypes in this explosion book. While this book folds up to a small square, when open it explodes with beautiful nature imagery. The surprise inherent in the cyanotype process and in this style of book, mimics the surprise and delight I feel every time I interact with nature. The many shades of blue in this piece are characteristic of the variety and serendipitous nature of the cyanotype process. The book moves from dark to light, mirroring the trajectory of the pandemic itself, in which we collectively moved from a very dark place into a hopeful one. The plants in this book are collected from my garden and the beautiful woods around my CT home. During the pandemic I spent many soothing hours in both of these settings, finding respite from the stresses of the moment. In much of my work, as in this book, I strive to highlight the beauty of the everyday. Although the plants in the book remain unnamed, they represent the bounty that surrounds us. I cherish the fact that, unlike most other forms of art, the viewer gets to touch and interact with a book, thereby becoming an active participant in the process of the book becoming a meaningful piece of art." Bound in blue paper covered boards featuring digital reprodcutions of Schiffman's cyanotypes. The interior panels contain original cyanotypes, folded into the "explosion" structure. A dark blue ribbon is affixed to the top corner of the book, allowing it to hang fully open. Occasional small spots of glue from construction, but clean and bright overall. Housed in a drawstring off-white muslin bag with paper title label and illustration pasted down to the front panel. The bag was handmade by the artist. Unpaginated. Size: 6 x 6 inches, closed; about 63.5 x 15.5 inches, open. ARTB/100224. Fine.
Item #37369
Price: $725.00