a post for Jennifer .....
This gorgeous little tea bag book was given to me by Adele Outteridge for my birthday in 1998 and began my love of tea bag art. This was the very first artist's book I owned and for me it defined what an artist's book is ...... something that has covers, pages and content. For Adele that content has always been the space between the pages, the music formed in her work when perspex, thread and paper are orchestrated into one of her books.
Adele has taught me many different bookmaking techniques over the years. Having been my teacher, it
felt taboo for me to work with tea bags, or with thread. And from then until now, I have actually resisted playing with materials that have intrigued and entranced me for over a decade. Of course thousands of artists work with thread and tea bags but out of respect for Adele, I left that area of exploration untouched. Until recently. You will see later in this blog my tea bag book with which I have had such fun playing. Thread ....... well, you will see in my next blog what I have been doing with thread! Addictive.
Here are a couple of totally delicious tea bag art pieces that I am lucky enough to own. These are a couple of Patti Roberts-Pizzuto's daily drawings, from April this year. I don't think I have ever seen anyone work so delicately and evocatively on tea bags. Such simple markings yet absolutely exquisite when placed as she does over tea bags ....... I love these daily drawings of Patti's.
And here in one of my many desk clutters is a pile of tea bags awaiting the completion of my little book - part of the body of work I am working on at present called 'A Sense of Place'. I have posted on this book before but in light of Jennifer's call to see who is doing what with tea bags, I thought I would pop it in again. No further towards completion but something I still love to pick up ( it is so squashy and tactile) and photograph.
mmmmmm drink it in!
ReplyDeleteThanks Ronnie - love the bits I own and am certainly enjoying my tea bag play.
DeleteYou know that quiet space...in between wonder and amazement...when your breath is taken away by something so great...so touching on your soul that all you are capable of uttering is a whispered "Oh"?
ReplyDeleteWell...that's where this post has landed me. More coherent words will come later, but for now...I'm in that space and am totally in awe of you and your creative ways.
I've also a huge case of lust for your tea bag book. Thank you for this post. It is truly exquisite.
I do know that moment - I experience it quite regularly when looking at some of the images you post on your rusty bits. Thank you for the Lovely way you commented on this post Jennifer.
DeleteLove the archeological layers in the tea bag work. I, too, have been wanting to play with this for years. I resist as well for some of the same reasons - though not the same person nor a teacher of mine - but also because I'm waiting for the material to be called into my work on its own, not me imposing it. I think its near to being so. And Patti's drawings are amazing!
ReplyDeleteI am glad you saw the layering in my tea bag book - in the etchings I am preparing for 'A Sense of Place' I am hoping to capture all those layers and marks, natural artworks on the ten acres where I live. The tea bag book is like a preliminary study for that. You are right about waiting to be called by materials ...... they can be things lurking in your periphery and almost like a bolt, you suddenly know that you need to explore them. It is no use you trying to impose yourself on them because then the work would lack that artistic integrity we all strive for. I hope that moment is just around the corner for you Valerie.
DeleteAnd yes, Patti's drawings are totally amazing. I have quite a collection of them.
Yes, that's it... "things lurking in your periphery and almost like a bolt..." Well said!
DeleteSusan....totally honored to have you feature my little teabag drawings! However, they pale in comparison to that exquisite use of teabags in your book....I'm quite in awe! What a wonderfully delightful post! I think you absolutely must feel free to explore the use any materials. Each of us will take the teabag, the thread or whatever the material to new places. No holding back or the rest of us won't be able to experience what only you can bring forth! Cheers and thank you!!!
ReplyDeleteYour tea bag drawings certainly do not pale in comparison to my little book. I think there is room for them to shine alongside each other! I often look at your work and think I would love to work like that - truth is, we create how we create instinctively - and if we try to copy another's work, ours just lacks integrity. I love that there are so many people who work creatively and yet we are all so different in our interpretations. Don't think tea bags will be my thing - but have certainly got a taste now for thread ....... Will see if that keeps popping up in my work or if it is just a passing fancy that HAS to be explored. Being a drawer, I still think the drawn line is more authentic for me.
ReplyDeleteS-maybe the little teabag book is finished? It looks gorgeous enough to be finished to me. Go well. B
ReplyDeleteThanks Barry. Those pages with work on are indeed finished. In amongst thebundles are blanks which need nudging along! It photographs well .....
DeleteI have collected some tea bags over time.. but have not done much with them.. I too love Adele's teabag book.. love the idea of space between the bags.. and I can see why you love Patti's tea bag art.. so delicate and textured. But I especially love your tea bag book.. subdued and textured fit my aesthetic so well.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much Donna. I hadn't really considered working with tea bags but my little book has drawnenoughpraise for me to consider doing a few more. I tend to be drawn to the grey scale (50 shades of grey? - not that I have read it!) and Imagine I would need to keep my tea bags in those colours rather than working with the tea colours. The little book certainly is tactile and begs to be picked up and explored.
ReplyDeleteLovely book! I've been looking all over for someone doing something similar to what I've been doing with tea bags. I wouldn't have thought about the mark making on the tea bags. The way you have colored and textured the bags is really very nice.
ReplyDeleteI have printed on tea bags to create "soft" images for my books. In one book I sewed the tea bags to tracing paper to create pockets. I then inserted vellum "tags" inside the pockets.
Thanks for sharing your beautiful work.
Thank you so much for posting this. I have been saving my teabags for quite awhile, I never thought of turning them into books/journals. I will now!
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