The Descent, 2024
Flag artist’s book, 2-sided acrylic paper marbling on Masa paper, 80# cover, black rayon book cloth, black nylon cording, cover with recessed window, #1/1
6″h x 18.25″l x 1.5″d – closed
60″l x 18.25″h x 4″d – open
Colophon: One signature, softbound artist’s book with detritus from The Descent, link stitch, linen thread, laser printed text, Hobo Std font, #1/1
4.75″h x 5″w x .5″d
$1500
The Descent may seem a strange title for this artist’s book. Most folks see marbling as pure, abstract color and design; it’s just beautiful. They imagine it’s meditative to create, and that’s where they think the story ends. However, marbling is a turbulent art technique with chemistry and liquid dynamics at its core. The surface of the marbling vat can be seen as a street fight with pushing and shoving. Some colors are bullies; others just sink away. There’s a constant balance that must be maintained for optimal results. The “narrative” of a marbling session contains a tale of decline. The marbling liquids get exhausted or contaminated and eventually stop producing traditional marbled designs.
The flags in this artist’s book are 2-sided marbling with the forward flags designed with a stone pattern and the reverse of those flags printed on dying marbling vats. The staircase of flags propels the story downward with the broken, jagged colors drifting with remnants of stones towards the end.
For me, The Descent’s story is broadly about mortality, also climate change, and more specifically, the bleaching and death of coral reefs due to increases in water temperature and acidity.
