Norma Penchansky-Glasser and Barbara Brown
Line, Paper and Artists’ Books
March 20 – April 28, 2018
Opening Reception:
Friday, March 23, 2018, 7 – 9 pm
Show Statement :
In writing about artists’ books, it is a bit difficult to know where to begin but it is said that they blossomed, as an artistic vehicle, in the 20th century, and have since found their way into most major art forms.
For artists, the book form can be delightfully compelling. It allows one to draw on a wide spectrum of artistic materials, and in so doing, to stretch boundaries of the traditional book, sometimes beyond recognition.
In some circles, these books have been tagged with the tongue-in-cheek acronym, “BSO”, or book-shaped-object. In a more serious vein, in defining the artists’ book, perhaps it can be stated that it is intended, from the very start, to be an art piece in and of itself.
For Norma Penchansky-Glasser, the process involved in the two media presented in this show is the same: Norma begins with an idea, then collects images and information, and finally realizes the completed work. The drawings are inspired by the line, gesture, and movement of figures in motion. She draws with watercolor crayon and washes on watercolor paper. She constructs books by monoprinting the paper, and choosing and collaging images depicting the message she wishes to convey in a format that allows a sense of kinetic energy.
Barbara Brown has been a book artist for twenty-five years, and for her the journey has been an endlessly varied, always evolving venue for artistic expression.
— Barbara Brown and Norma Penchansky-Glasser