Carol Barton
I have been working with the book form for the past fourteen years and have found it an ideal object for my creative methods and concerns. The book allows me to combine my background in painting and photography with interests in sculptural forms, printing, and serial images. I own a Chandler and Price letterpress on which I can print and die-cut sculptural books, and I enjoy producing both one-of-a-kind books and larger editions. Each requires a different approach: unique productions allow me to explore many ideas in a relatively short time, while books in editions reach a much larger audience and involve additional elements of production and distribution.
My inspiration comes from varied sources: reading, historical references, functional objects (furniture, jewelry and kinetic toys), architecture, and other artists' books. The book is a flexible framework for these influences. It is a very intimate art form in which the viewer becomes actively involved. This oppurtunity for personal communication with others is the most enjoyable element for me in making books.
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Tunnel Map.
Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY, 1988.
A dioramic art work consisting of 9 interconnected discs with holes through which a colored seascape can be viewed when the discs are separated accordion-fashion. A colored world map is printed on portions of the discs. 20 x 20 cm.
Limited edition of 150 copies.