Sunday 5 August 2012

finished with moeraki ......

Back in June I posted on the Moeraki Boulders in New Zealand which have really captured my imagination.  Hopefully one day I will do some of the etchings I have in mind for these unusual boulders but who knows ...... at the moment my mind is racing with so very many ideas that many just get left in the 'some day' pile.




Here are some of the details of the finished book.  Actually I may make a cover for it yet but haven't quite resolved that ...... may just end up with a perspex slip case.  In some of the photos you can see the use of graphite.  I have actually used graphite line work throughout the pages but the lines don't always show up on the pages as they need the light to catch them. The book is sewn together with a simple black coptic binding though you can't see that against the background. Back in the previous post on Moeraki Boulders, you can see a few of the actual photographs I took.
















The threads have been left very loose to indicate the ever changing play of the tide in and around the rocks and the piercings are there to suggest the beach texture.







This is a detail of the front cover - in many ways I wish I had embossed all rocks into the paper rather than stick some of them in as with the image above.  I still think they work quite well though as they are made from the same papers - using the cutouts and a little extra detailing with graphite. I love some of the blues that have appeared in this paper.




Though it would appear so, this final image is not altered.  The rich colours of the rusted and ink greyed paper edges are rather gorgeous in their own right.



18 comments:

  1. Exquisite Susan! I love the amazing array of color and the beautiful organic shapes of the rocks. Such a beautiful book!

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    1. Thanks Patti. Although I do manipulate paper, the result is often so serendipitous that I can't take credit for myself. The colours are delicious though aren't they .....

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  2. Thjis is such a beautiful book. it must be wonderful to actually turn the pages.

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    1. Thank you for visiting my blog. The book works well with turning as the imagery works along both open pages. Because of the shape of the book though this makes it a little too long and thin to photograph successfully for this blog.

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  3. This is just so beautiful - a jewel of an object.
    I LOVE the colours that are in the papers, the openings, the embossing EVERYTHING !

    Diane.

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    1. Thanks Diane. It gives me such a buzz when people respond to my work.

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  4. It work beautifully Susan - I love those loose threads - tidelines. It is very evocative of a place I have never been - but seems to echo your photographs.

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    1. Thanks Fiona - the colours do seem to evoke the actual boulders. especially the ones that are not often submersed and show their corroded colours. x

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  5. S- love the different ways the boulders appear - real, soft, hard - so many perspectives. Go well. B

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    1. Thanks Barry. I am always fascinated to read the responses to a piece of work as those that comment seems to see differing aspects of the work. Hadn't looked at the boulders from that perspective - hard, soft etc but have looked since, and you are right. Many ways to represent the same thing which we might tend to think of as static and yet in nature, with variations in light and water, look so variable.

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  6. The colors, textures, movement, play, creativity...aah...perfection.

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    1. Thanks Jennifer - I always love reading your comments.

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    1. Thank you Valerie. I have enjoyed having such lovely feedback from fellow artists on this book.

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  8. this reminds me of the hunt for beautiful stones where the waves break. 'i must tear myself away, but just look at the way the light reflects off of this one, and how this one looks rusted, and this one wrapped with pretty string...'
    your book is just like that!

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    1. Ah - I know those idle beach walking days so well. The thrill of finding treasure along the shore .... and how hard it is to drag yourself away from the pleasure.

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  9. I too am a pebble gatherer and this book re-creates the same feeling of searching and finding pebbles in pools, at the waters edge or lying half buried in wet sea sand. Beautiful!

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  10. thanks Robyn. Although I am representing boulders that are enormous, the book actually does seems to echo those lovely pebble playing times along the shore or riverbed. It has been grand that blogging friends have seen that in this work.

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I appreciate your comments - thank you!