photo by Steve Pittelkow
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flexagons gallery archive biography workshops make it/take it about the dog home |
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photo by Steve Pittelkow |
My work most often is with book forms. I have an ongoing interest in the artist's book as a container of content but also as a sculptural object. I like the complexity that working with books allows, the materials, the forms, the content all working together. I am interested in the relationship between the viewer and the book. A book to be viewed fully must be handled. This makes for a more connected even intimate, type of viewing. I draw from my own life, what I read, experience, remember, dream and also make up, is used to develop the content of my books. I want a communication from the book to the viewer, a communication sometimes clear, sometimes ambiguous or subject to interpretation. This is another aspect of the relationship of the book to the viewer. I use a variety of materials and methods to make my books, which are presented in editions of 10-100 copies. Working in multiples allows the books to be more widely distributed. I have been making artists books since the late 70's, when I was in graduate school. I earned an M.F.A. in painting from the University of Iowa in 1979. Since then I have been producing narrative paintings, sculpture and books. Most of my earlier books were one of a kind sculptural books. I began producing limited edition books in the late 80's, using images from my paintings and drawings. In 1995, I began the Naughty Dog Press, producing books using text either alone or in combination with visual imagery. I use a variety of printing methods with my books, inkjet printing, letterpress, Xerox, color Xerox and offset. My books are in public and private collections throughout the United States and internationally, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; The Tate Gallery, London; The Museum of Contemporary Art of Chicago; The Victoria and Albert Museum, London; The Museum of Modern Art, New York and others. I teach at the University of Iowa Center for the Book and in workshops around the country. I live and work in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.A. The Naughty Dog Press is named after my dog and studio companion, Gomez. |