| |
| Click thumbnail to view
full image. Thumbnail may be cropped.
Entelechy series
1. Entity, front page, 2006, leather, white paper, shell, gold thread
2. Entity
3. Growth, 2006, leather, paper, hair
4. Strength, 2006, redwood venire, paper, grommets,
elastic
5. Energy, 2006, leather, paper, bead, embroidery
6. Essence, 2006, paper, embroidery
7. Pervade, 2006, leather, paper, silver wire
8. Pervade, 2006, inside
9. Entelechy, 2006, paper, inkjet print
10. Entelechy
|
3 1/4”x 4 x 1/2 – 1” closed each; opened 7” wide each |
|
| |
Artist Statement
Entelechy: n. 1. in the philosophy of Aristotle, the condition of a thing whose essence is fully realized; actuality. 2. in some philosophical systems, a vital force that directs an organism toward self-fulfillment.
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Published by Houghton Mifflin Co.
How is life lived?
Perhaps it is a straight line, created by connecting one experience to the next.
Perhaps it is a churning, complicated series of steps: a day to day grind of movement pushed by an unseen force.
Perhaps the documentation of the small steps is more interesting than the final outcome.
Books are a metaphor for the structure of a life. Each spread representing the process of living and the page-turn is a marker; a point of reflection.
|
| |
| Click thumbnail to view full image.
Thumbnail may be cropped.
1-5. Diary Project 1, 2006, book, photography,
embroidery, 6’ x 7’ x 5’
|
|
|
Click thumbnail to view full image. Thumbnail may be cropped.
1. Plenum, 2005, altered hand bound book
2. Document, 2005, plexiglass, soil, barley grass
3. Natural Effects, 2005, ice
4. Family, 2005
5. Gray’s Anatomy, 2005, rebound book
6. Fibrillate, 2005, altered hand bound book, hand dyed paper |
|
| |
Artist Statement
Book: n. 1. a written or printed work consisting of pages glued or sewn together along one side and bound in covers. (Concise Oxford English Dictionary – 10th Edition)
My work is an esoteric exploration of the question “What is a book?” The simple definition from the OED does not begin to explain the capacity a book has to transport the reader to imaginary places, nor can it explain how printed symbols on a sheet of paper can communicate infinite amounts of information. Each of my books represents a possible answer in my continuous exploration of the question. Some of the books contain text, some are sculptural and others explore the use of alternative or non-traditional materials. Some of the books are literally alive, growing small plants. I work with traditional academic leather bindings, as well as innovative contemporary book structures and often incorporate humor into my work. Only as a group can the work begin to be considered as an answer, a library meant to respond the question of, “What is a book?"
back to top |
| Contact Information
tel: 562-587-2695
e-mail: inkfishpress@mail.com
Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.
|
| Education
2005
The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
MFA, Book Arts and Printmaking
1997
Whittier College, Whittier, CA
BA, Studio Art |
Awards
2006
Delta Tau Professional Service Award
2005
Eugene Feldman Commemorative Award, The University of the Arts
2004
Chi State Scholarship Continuing Education, Delta Kappa Gamma
2003 - 2004
Graduate Fellowship, The University of the Arts |
Residencies
2005
Artist-in-Residence, various book structures, Springside School, Philadelphia, PA
|
Professional Experience
Present
Manager of Preservation and Conservation Services, The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Instructor, Moore College of Art and Design, Philadelphia, PA
Instructor, Chestnut Hill College, Philadelphia, PA
2006
Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership, Philadelphia, PA
Leather Bound Memorial Album, Church of St. Martins-in-the-Fields, Chestnut Hill, PA
Box and Book Production, Snider Library Book Binder, Middlemarch Films
Book Binder, The Fabric Workshop and Museum
Book Binder, Julianna Foster and Nadia Hironaka, The Late Show
2005
Teacher, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Portfolio Workshop, Marbling Workshop
Book Conservation, Greenfield Library, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Production Binder, Susan Viguers, On Collecting, Calling Home
2004-2005
Book and Paper Conservation, The Philadelphia Free Library, Philadelphia, PA
Assistant Printer, Offset Lithography, Borowsky Center for Publication Arts, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2004
Teacher, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Flag Book Structure, Intaglio
Visiting Artist, Book Arts Workshop, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
Book Conservation, The American Philosophical Society Internship
2003
Assistant Lab Technician, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
1997-2003
Teacher, La Serna High School, Whittier, CA
Ceramics |
Collections
Public Collections
Bibliograph, Montreal, Canada
Bokartas, Vilnius, Lithuania
Cerritos Public Library, Cerritos, CA
Columbia University, New York, NY
Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, MD
Scripps College, Claremont, CA
The Tate Modern, London, Great Britain
University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
and Private Collections |
|
|
Selected Exhibitions
Solo
2007
Entelechy, The Art Alliance of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
Group
2007
23 Degrees,The Icebox, Philadelphia, PA
New Works, Gallery Sotoportego, Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Venice Italy
(Un)Contained Vessels, Center for Book Arts, New York, NY
6th Biennial Artists’ Book Juried Exhibition, Athenaeum Music & Arts Library, La Jolla, CA
2006
Exploiting/Exploding the Book, Gallery of the Art Institute of Boston, Boston, MA
Book as Object, Coburn Gallery, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, CO
San Diego Book Arts, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA
Mutilated/Cultivated Environments, The Center for Book Arts, New York, NY
The Window on Broad, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
4th International Artist’s Book Triennial, Vilnius, Lithuania
2005
Cover to Cover, Maryland Federation of Art, Baltimore, MD
Bright Hill Press 4th North American Juried Book Arts Exhibit, Bright Hill Center, Treadwell, NJ
Book + Art + ?, Core New Art Space, Denver, CO
All Creatures Great and Small, Whittier Art Association, Whittier, CA
Projet Mobilivre, A touring exhibition of Artist’s Books
United States and Canada
The MFA Book Arts/Printmaking Program at The University of the Arts,
Kamin Gallery
, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA
Artists' Books from Philadelphia & Timisoara, Philadelphia, PA and Timisoara, Romania
MFA Thesis Exhibition: . . . on the book, Gallery Siano, Philadelphia, PA
|
Exhibitions Curated
2006
Jump Start: Launching an Artists’ Book Collection at the Free Library of Philadelphia, The Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
With Karen Lightner
2005
Dress Hedi Up! A print exchange, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Turning Pages; New Student Work from The University of the Arts, Whittier College Wardman Library, Whittier, CA |
|
back to top
Images copyright © Tara O'Brien
Copyright © 2000 - 2008 InLiquid.com
Home
|
|
