Description
NOTE: This piece will not be available until January 2027
About this piece:
Created using similar materials as those in previous works in the ongoing Animal Mineral Vegetable series (laminations of mica and natural specimens), this piece presents as both sculptural book work and wall hanging. Mimicking the presentation of prayer flags, the nine individual panels are strung along the top edges of a single cord. Housed in a custom drop spine box that holds natural specimens (beaver pelt, plant specimens, bird feathers) in sealed glass tubes.
About this series: Animal Mineral Vegetable
The ‘Animal Mineral Vegetable’ series is part of my ‘Lovely and Amazing Project’, which I began in 2006. The project is an ongoing one that celebrates both the life of Ruth Wheeler and her many gifts to me through my early years. Ruth was a beloved biology teacher, naturalist, youth advocate and feminist who lived and worked in north Denver for 70 years. She was legal guardian of my orphaned father so her role in my life was similar to that of a grandparent. Ruth found the natural world a place of endless delight and shared her enthusiasm with many, including myself, her great-niece. She left behind a collection of biological specimens, notes and photographs which I have incorporated into a series of three-dimensional collages, boxes and book works. Her less tangible gifts to me were a great curiosity about the world we live in, a love of solitude in wild places and her role modeling as a fearless and adventuresome woman navigating solo through the world.
She and I also share the impulse to collect and preserve natural specimens. This series works both to keep my memories of Ruth’s spirit from fading and to preserve and present modestly scaled specimens.
The common elements in the ‘Animal, Mineral, Vegetable’ are primarily material based. The pages are made from thin sheets of mica which limits the size and shape of the books in the series. As the specimens must flatten between the mica sheets, the animal elements are mostly feathers, bits of snake skin, butterfly and moth wings. It is far easier to flatten plant material elements so there is a bigger variety in the vegetable category. Starting with number 9, I switched from using hardwood covers to collaged leather (Lacunose) over book board covers.
Materials:
Book: mica, natural specimens, linen thread, dyed linen cord, moriki paper, hand-made case paper
Box: book cloth, leather, hair-on cowhide, glass, Moriki paper, linen thread, natural specimens, hot foil.
About the artist:
Studio artist/gallerist Alicia Bailey is affiliated with several professional organizations and is owner/director of Abecedarian Artists Books in Denver, Colorado. Sheacts as an independent curator/juror, instructor/mentor and regional events coordinator in the book arts is a member of Denver’s Spark GalleryA long-time member and former Treasurer for Guild of Book Workers, Alicia now organizes workshops, events and exhibitions for the Rocky Mountain Chapter.
In her studio work, she has focused on book and box arts since the mid-nineties, producing box works, artists’ books, sculptural books and limited edition books. Her work has been featured in dozens of solo and group exhibits throughout the world and can be found in private and public collections worldwide. An archive of her work is under development at University of Denver Penrose Library Special Collections.
