Adding Miguel Jimanez El Taller de Zenon (Spain) to Pal Csaba - (Hungary) Bound with Knots and Dean Marks (France) and the New Alexandrian Library Book Collection - leave your bicycle outside.

[cheryl penn]

I wrote a huge lot and the wind has arrived and is sweeping all my words into the Ether - so I'm afraid you'll have to make do with images from this work I have been very remiss in posting. But I'm claiming the 1000th amendment. 

Overprinting is a favorite technique of mine - it adds complexity and multiplicity of readings. I'm not certain if this is a book or not.  All definitions of MOST things have become so elastic I guess it is :-) - so its going into the library. 

These pages were intended as a contribution to Mail Art Makes the World a Town Zine. But luckily for me, they came bound as a book. So they're going to remain a book - they're NOT being seized from their home and disseminated through the world. Pal as most of you know is a great maker of artists books.

Expressionism at its best.

I am often struck by recognizable signature work I receive - signature work as in high levels of expectancy on my part and recognizable style from an artist.  I have not received much mail art from Pal but he has participated in a few book projects. Clarity of expressive gestural marks is one of his signatures. 

Told you I'm lucky!  Good work immediately reacts with me in a "how did he/she do this? I want to do the same!" I certainly got that this time.  MANY thanks Pal :-) X

In the 'old days' (dates remain unspecified just in case someone remembers them correctly) men made books. They held onto them and would not let the general populace even TOUCH them! The masses were ignorant and that suited those in dank and drafty castles. Books were chained to pews and people fell off the edge of the world if they sailed to the horizon. But this is another time.  Contrary to the dark ages, this book has been handled by one and all on its way from France.  It was not even envelope enveloped.  I've told you before Dean has friends in high places. 

I opened it - and as was intended by the artist inseine, turned and turned the pages and the book around wondering WHICH WAY IS UP??? Dean perfectly demonstrated one of the fundamental dichotomies of  artists books - they are intended to subvert the traditional book.  They are intended to question the way we read.  So how do you read this?

Which way is up - or down? Which IS the right way up? After all, in a 24 hour period, SOMEONE gets to be upside down at the bottom of the world - and they don't fall off.  They remain gravitationally intact. As do the images in Deans book.

Its year end and somehow this book arrived at EXACTLY the right time to ensure that my overloaded brain realized yip, this is a time of ordered disorder.  That nothing is at it seems - Gremlins lurk at every turn, WAITING to disrupt.  Just in case there was insufficient horizontal disorder, Dean made certain the viewer got his message - he interfered with the vertical plane too - for good measure. 

So are you confused? You should be - and so Dean meant us to be. I ALWAYS expect a quirk from Dean and he never fails to deliver. I think its got to do with too much time cycling in the South of France.  His book titled Order and disorder does not fail to impress.  Time to take up book art Dean - no more ducking the issue - you achieved a thoroughly provoking work.  Save up 10 cards to me and send another book! 

 

[Nadine Wendell-Mojica]

So many angles. Very interesting reading the impressions. Great stuff. Books are my heroin.

[Claire (aka Cleo)]

Hi Cheryl - I'm working (very hard!), but I'm having a lot of probs bringing the design to fruition. If I get it done by the end of the month I'll send it expedited and hope it makes it in time...If not, will have to wait till next yr...

[cheryl penn]

Dean you were in a blog - all on your own.  Then the days passed, the bicycle rusted and I added Pal. You may have attempted humor - and for sure its there, but conceptually its a good piece. Claire - I'm wwwaaaaiiiittting...Dvs - I'm serious or not not funny - is that in the Minxus phraseology manual? :-))X

[De Villo Sloan]

I'm with Claire. Maybe Dean meant to be funny but the work came out, well not not funny and not completely serious as to suggest it has no humor... Oh well, like Claire wrote ... it's really cool. Nice work Dean.

And throw in a Gold Star for Pal too. I'm serious or not not funny.

[Claire (aka Cleo)]

@Dean - ha ha ha! I would think twice about the "one off" though...it's really cool!

[Dean aka Artist in Seine]

Happy it arrived to you Cheryl.  What a wonderful blog, and such kind sentences.  I didn't understand most of what you said, but it sounded good and hinted as if I really knew what I was doing.  As always, it was only meant to be funny.

   Well I think this will be a one off Dean Art book; Been there, glued it, sent it, got the blog.  What could anyone ask for more!

[Claire (aka Cleo)]

Gorgeous! I adore Pal's work...

[Nancy Bell Scott]

You ARE lucky, Cheryl!!! These are over-the-top great!

[Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat)]

Dean went hiking in the French mountains

...should be home in Paris by now,

unless he took a wrong turn and ended up in Spain??? sigh.

[cheryl penn]

Hello Suus - and Carina and Katerina - yip, I got lucky :-).  Katerina - break is only end of November - I'm on the canter until then... I don't know where Dean is - did his bicycle not have any breaks?