|
JUSTARIP Press ~
New Jersey |
|
Bookworks influenced by the sayings of Lao Tzu |
|
Of Diadems and More Maryann Riker: "Of Diadems and More is an accordion-structure foldout artists' book that speaks to the ever changing cycle of creation and destruction. Once again the viewer is caught in an unfolding of a secret garden where flights of butterflies flitting here and there may touch upon a resting bird. Silk flowers, paper wings, and other glittery things reflect the world of the garden within each of us that needs tender nurturing and pruning." |
 Click image for more |
| Views of Venezia By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2011. Edition of 3. 4.625 x 5.625 x 1.25"; 5 double-page pop outs. Carousel book construction. Materials: book board, book cloth, paper, plastic, metallic ribbon. Paper title tipped on front board. Ribbon closure. Maryann Riker: "Venice or Venezia is a city that arises from the mist. Like a mirage, early mornings shroud this beautiful city with an opalescent light that shimmers and dissipates. The canals and sea are an aqua-blue that reflect its classical and baroque architecture. An archipelago of 118 islands connected by bridges, this beautiful city remains unchanged. These vintage postcard images of early Venice are exactly the same vistas one views today. Gondolas still cross the canals and there are no autos. It is a city whose schedule and populace must abide by the tides as they flood and recede. Enjoy this carousel book as one would enjoy images before they departed on their Grand Tour." $225 |
 Click image for more |
| Navigation Imagination #4 By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2010. Series variant. 5 x 5 x 3.75" folding box structure. Illustrated paper covered. Found objects. Collage. Materials: book board, paper, plastic, mirror, acetate, metal. Maryann Riker: "Another work that utilizes vintage maps and images are reminiscent of charts earlier travelers referenced to find their bearing in their world. As this work opens and lies flat it resembles the four cardinal points: North, South, East, West. As the four pieces fold back they create another space that may be a classical space complete with columns and windows. A secret space for contemplation for the viewer reveals four quotes about the journey. Two quarters can move back up and become a two-level structure creating another space for retreat. Enjoy this work as it changes and reveals some secrets for its seeker." $225 |
 Click image for more |
| These bookworks were influenced by the sayings and work of Lao Tzu, a philosopher of ancient China and an important figure in Taoism. | |
Balance 4.375 x 4.2" x 1.375". Mixed media sculptural work with found objects and collage. Cloth-covered box with paper collage lid and edges. Top cover opens to a single opening: recto a shadow box with pull-out drawer. Maryann Riker: "This piece influenced by this philosophical nugget from the Tao incorporates that which is seeking and that which is known.That which is seen and that which is hidden. And, it is the balance that is struck." Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching: "Ever desireless, one can see the mystery; ever desiring, one sees only the manifestations. And the mystery itself is the doorway to all understanding." |
 Click image for more |
Looking Again 2 5.375 x 4.5 x 2". Mixed media sculptural work with collage and found objects. Cloth covered box with paper collage lid and edges. Top cover opens to page with window opening, which lifts to reveal shadow box. Maryann Riker: "The immutable cycle of life is what it is...life, no life, life. All things come and they go. Life materializes in a variety of forms but at some point ends. Coming and going seems to be a temporary condition...but look again...it the ultimate constant because it never ceases." Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching: "Things flourish, each by each, only to return to the Source ... to what is and what is to be." |
 Click image for more |
| Riker creates house-shaped books that can unfold and rotate 360 degrees for various views and angles. | |
Gazing...Gazing...Upward Towards... 5.75 x 3.5 x 3.25" closed, 5.75 x 16.5 x 3.25" extended; house-shaped sculptural book. Collage, found objects. Maryann Riker: "Gazing upwards to the heavens, many ancient voyagers and journeyers derived insight by understanding and interpreting the celestial bodies to read their futures. Spiritual travels and physical travels were mapped by astrologers and cartographers. Their limited knowledge of the world and the heavens seemed boundless to them at that time. Their imaginations coupled with readings and interpretations of the movement of the stars and planets encouraged them to seek all that was new out beyond the edge of the world and the heavens. Ancient celestial maps show the locations of the celestial bodies, which ancient travelers relied on to pinpoint their positions. Ancient astrologers and astronomers named these early star formations and imbued them with zymology derived from ancient myth and stories handed down through the generations. Venus looks on and Minerva peeps out wondering perhaps how future generations will portray their mythic tales. An angel peers sideways waiting to see how the new religion will unfold and influence these ancient myths and tales from an earlier time. And a butterfly alights on the world as we know it today contrasting the real with the imagined. The illusion between truth and reality is clouded. Cherubs and mythological guardians point the way. Angels guard the heavens and moons and the voyager's reflection looks back at him/her through small mirrors attached throughout. "This work is an imaginary portable altar that an ancient voyager might have carried with him/her to inspire and instill the courage and curiosity to go out and seek." |
 Click image for more |
Navigation Imagination #3 5 x 5 x 3.75" house-shaped folding structure. Collage. Illustrated paper covered. Materials: book board, paper, plastic, mirror, acetate, metal. Variant in the series inspired by the exhibition Imagination Navigation. Found objects. Maryann Riker: "Spiritual and physical journeys began with beliefs. Early voyagers sequestered funding from wealthy patrons and asked for blessings from their religious leaders. As one looks back at the energy and vision of these early explorers, one must ask what compelled them to venture out from safe harbors to the edge of the world. Their spiritual journeys were closely aligned with their physical journeys as church and monarchs ruled. This work is an imaginary portable altar that an ancient voyager may have carried with him to inspire and instill the courage and curiosity to go out seek. Map fragments create illusional vortexes. A butterfly alights on a glass orb and the illusion between truth and reality is clouded. Cherubs and mythological guardians point the way. It was a time when astrologers charted paths and futures." |
 Click image for more |
| The Gathering By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2009. One-of-a-Kind. 5 x 7 x 3" house-shaped sculptural book. Materials: book board, paper, plastic, glass, acetate, mirror, metal. Collage. Found objects. Maryann Riker: "The Gathering is a visual narrative-styled artists' book detailing the gathering of the butterflies in spring to begin the cycle of birth and death again for the coming year. A mirror reflects back the viewer's image and birds ponder the balance and gleam of new things, ideas, and plans. Telescopes gaze at the heavens for the changing of the seasons and skies to signal the ever-present cycling of creation, destruction, birth, and death." $325 |
 Click image to enlarge |
In the Company of... 7 x 5 x 2.5" decoupaged box accented with beads, feathers, mirrors, and flowery pink wallpaper. Riker is a mixed media artist whose handmade books are sculptural and visual. This work does have a spine, pages that turn, and text (but in the form of images rather than words). Maryann Riker: "Soft whispers, subtle hues, and scented bouquets fill this artists' book with the images of a woman reclining in confidence. She offers us a world of roses and looking glasses..We can see her as she wants us to see her, looking out at the world without fear, beckoning us to join her in this safe abode." |
|
| Bookworks with shadow boxes | |
The Eye Has It 2.25 x 3.5 x 1.625” two panel accordion attached to shadow box. Collage and found objects. Maryann Riker: "Watching, waiting for the moment. Hiding and observing to see what will transpire is the inspiration for this work. Moments that require action or moments that require holding back ... the watcher does not always act when needed and waits too long to take action ... or the watcher patiently hangs back for the 'perfect moment.' But will that 'perfect moment' ever arrive? Is the watcher afraid to transform to be ready for the 'perfect moment'?" |
 Click image for more |
Blue Horizons 5.375 x 4.5 x 2". Mixed media sculptural work with collage and found objects. Cloth covered box with paper collage lid and edges. Top cover opens to page with window opening, which lifts to reveal shadow box. Maryann Riker: "Being creative means trusting your inner calling, ignoring criticism, judgment and releasing resistance to one's natural talents. Without fail, it reveals its presence...without fail it journeys to its own perfection...and then the creative muse whispers to the creator to let go. As one gazes towards the blue horizons, one realizes to just sit there right now...don't do a thing...just rest...and it shall follow."
|
 Click image for more |
| Maryann Riker: "For the past several years my work has centered on a personal exploration of my relationships with my mother and my aunt who were early feminists. I have also researched how the media influenced the American family and the American suburbs in the post-war era. I internalized this research and the resulting body of work is the visual narrative." | |
| 3 Cooks in the Kitchen By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2011. Edition of 12. 4.75 x 4"; 8 pages. Accordion structure. Digital printing. Paper covered boards with red-and-white polka dot cloth spine. Back board edged in white eyelet. Ribbon closure. Maryann Riker: "Early 20th century America brought a revolution in the food industry with prepackaged, canned, and frozen foods. And the food industry did their darndest to get American housewives to whip up and use all the newest fangled food products. But they resisted. To the American homemaker, the finest test of her skills was the home-cooked meal from scratch that she lovingly prepared for her family to enjoy. It took 3 women, cooks themselves, to change the way American housewives used these new food inventions and one re-introduced women to cooking from scratch but with a new cuisine. Enjoy this little accordion structure book to see how these women spooned up new delicacies for American women to dish out!" The three women who helped change the way American women approached cooking were Poppy Cannon, Marjorie Child Husted, and Julia Child. A pop-out image of each is accompanied by a brief statement about her accomplishments. $45 |
|
| Crocked or Will the Real Betty Crocker Please Stand Up? By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2011. Edition of 5. 4 x 4.5 x 2.75" closed, 18 x 4.5" extended; 5 panels. Double sided accordion structure. House-shaped book. Materials: book board, paper, plastic, mirror, acetate, and metal. Titles applied to spine. Maryann Riker: "Betty Crocker came to represent to the American housewife the standard of practicality and reliability. And, most women in the 1940's and 1950's knew Betty Crocker as well as their own name. But who was she really? Was she a real woman or a made-up icon [created] by advertising execs for the food industry? When Marjorie Child Husted, a home economist, was hired to promote Gold Medal Flour, later to become General Mills, a new icon would emerge that the American housewife would come to worship – and that icon was Betty Crocker and her place of worship was the kitchen. For the first time in history, American housewives could look to Betty for standardized and scientifically-tested recipes. It was no-failure cooking. This portable domestic altar to the domestic goddess of the American housewife is a tribute to the woman who created her. So, will the real Betty Crocker please stand up?" "I guarantee a perfect cake, every time you bake – cake after cake after cake…" ~ Betty Crocker $225 |
|
| Pancake Makeup By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2011. Edition of 4. 5.75 x 7 x 1.25"; 5 double pages. Three-layered star carousel structure. Digital printing. Paper covered boards with red book cloth spine. Front board edged in white eyelet. Ribbon closure. Maryann Riker: "It is 1889 and the inventor of self-rising pancake batter attends a mistral show where two comedians in blackface perform. One of the portrayed characters named Aunt Jemima complete with apron and bandana strikes a cord in this inventor's mind and a food icon is born. Christopher Rutt chose Aunt Jemima as he felt that she was the quintessential symbol of southern hospitality. He was right and her popularity has never waivered. Pancake Makeup is a concise history of the makeup of Aunt Jemima from her first appearance in print in 1895 to contemporary times and how her appearance changed to meet consumer demands." $265 |
|
Domestic Intimacy 7.5 x 6.5 x 1.25" lightweight stiff-paper letterfold wrapper in red polka dot pattern. Tied with red polka dot grosgrain ribbon. Contains one cloth 29 x 20" apron with ties. Text applied via heat transfer. Apron pocket contains 8-page (4 x 5") pamphlet with red polka dot covers. Maryann Riker: "Frilly, lacy, sweet and sexy, a woman's apron defined her as a happy hostess and housewife. This work highlights a poem entitled "Domestic Intimacy" by poet and essayist Nancy Scott of a memory in her grandmother's kitchen portraying a more intimate view into the world of the American housewife. "Whatever the apron's functions, these home-crafted garments worked diligently in protecting their wearer from spills and splashes. They dried tears, cleaned up scrapes and bruises, helped the busy little lady of the house as a way to hold eggs or potatoes, or a quick dust cloth for the hallway table when unexpected guests came to call. Aprons served all these functions well and still evoke memories of Mom, Grandma, or some other Doris Day-like image of domesticity. "This apron itself is styled and sewn from a vintage apron pattern and cherry pattern fabric and uses transfer paper to add the poem and image on the apron." |
|
Pumps and Pearls 4.5 x 4 x .25"; 6 pages. Double-sided accordion structure. Collage elements. Bound in color copy of vintage images with small pearls added. White ribbon tie closure. White satin ruffles frame the back board. Maryann Riker: "Pumps and Pearls is another visual ode to women of the 1950's who established an ideal through the media for all American women to follow. With a poem written by Nancy Scott entitled "Power to Burn" it speaks to women of a generation who balanced their sanity on stilettos and choked their ambitions with pearls. Vintage fashion photography depicts women of the time who perfectly coiffed and corseted themselves and made it look effortless. The dream and the reality were difficult to achieve and it was not until the 1960's when women broke these ideals that bound them. Finished with a satin ruffle and adorned with pearls, this accordion-style book is a small pictorial history of that era and its images." |
 Click image for more |
Seduction of No Dust 11.5 x 9.25 x 1"; 3 leaves. Backboard contains small picture/shadow box with white gloves. Maryann Riker: "White gloves seem to have disappeared the way the pillbox hat and the panty girdle among women's apparel choices these days. The image evoked by their mention is still strong, though. White gloves signified breeding and lady hood and though they gave a superficial elegance on Sunday "The social significance of the symbol of white gloves is highlighted in Nancy Scott's poem (for which this artist's book was titled) and Maryann Riker's prose piece. Judgement, choice, and social acceptance were relegated to an essential part of a woman's wardrobe in the 50's and 60's, which became an iconic symbol of women in these decades. "This piece is an ode to that pair of little white gloves and all it entailed." Nancy Scott is a poet and essayist living in Easton, Pennsylvania. |
|
Tie One On 4.5 x 4.5"; 8 pages. Double-sided accordion book. Four pop-ups. Page edges sculpted to resemble lace. Bound in color copy of vintage papers. Pink ribbon ties. White cotton lace frames the back board. Maryann Riker: "The history of the apron is an interesting little narrative that starts with Adam and Eve when they first sewed together fig leaves for cover. This little miniature accordion pop-up book highlights the apron's purpose and its evolution as a fashionable clothing accessory. With pop-ups from vintage apron patterns showing women's aprons from the 1930's through to the 1960's the apron has protected many a dainty lap in its lofty purpose of protecting all that it covers." |
 Click image for more |
|
|
|
| Maryann Riker creates books that are wearable jewelry such as bracelets and necklaces. She uses this method to explore role identity and societal relationships. | |
Handbook 1.1.25 x 1.625" accordion miniature book with 6 pages attached to faux pearl bracelet. Laid in 5.25 x 1.875 x 5.125” paper-and-cloth covered box. Maryann Riker: "Another tongue-in-cheek approach to a wearable/unwearable miniature book attached to a string of pearls that is a bracelet. This style bracelet was frequently worn during the lifetimes of the women artists whose hands are portrayed in this accordion-foldout book. It was from their hand that their fame became known in their time and later through feminist art critics who re-discovered their works and careers." Hands of women show in this book: $155 |
|
The Necklace Book or How To Lose Your Head 7.5 x 1.875 x 7.25” box opens to reveal pearl necklace with a miniature book (2 x 2.25") with accordion-foldout. Maryann Riker: "A wearable/unwearable miniature book depicts the portraits of three royal women who became queens and lost their heads over the man they married. A tongue-in-cheek piece that is a miniature book attached to a strand of pearls that is styled after the necklaces worn by the women who lost their heads. A warning to women: be careful who you fall in love with—you may lose your head over him!" Women who lost their heads depicted in this book: $225 |
|
| Riker uses her unique book structures to represent literature and poetry. | |
Notes from E 4 books, each 2.75 x 3.5" and 4 leaves, are housed in recesses of a collaged three-dimensional octahedron (12 x 12"), which is ingeniously bound with a Jacob's ladder. This lies in a collaged 13.25 x 13.25 x 1.5" lidded box. Maryann Riker: "A three-dimensional octahedron utilizing a Jacob's ladder hinge mechanism lies opens with four small books hidden in recesses revealing notes of wisdom from the renowned and well-loved poet, Emily Dickinson. The book folds up and back onto itself to create small rooms that provide garden-like views for the reader to mentally rest in. Another twist and fold creates shelter-like structures that one can retreat and contemplate Ms. Dickinson's nuggets of wisdom. Both sides reveal images of gardens and ponds that Ms. Dickinson so loved to view and write about." Emily Dickinson: "The soul should always stand ajar ready to welcome the ecstatic experience." |
 Click image for more |
| Justarip Press Out of Print Title: | |
Domestic Partners 4.75 x 6.5 x 1"; 5 unnumbered pages. Three-layered star carousel structure. Two layers edged with cutouts resembling lace patterns. Bound in color copy of vintage papers with cloth spine. End boards shaped to resemble a peaked roof house. Green grosgrain tie closure. Maryann Riker: "Domestic Partners is a walk down memory lane when the advertising industry began marketing to the housewife in post World War II America. Utilizing vintage advertising from such brands as Bendix, these ads visualize an elegant woman in close proximity to her new domestic partner - the washing machine, the stove, the toaster, etc. These ads portrayed these appliances as the new and improved must-have for the little lady of the house. As standards of cleanliness rose from 1920 to 1960, the little lady of the house was actually spending more time cleaning than less; and, she spent more time with her new appliances than her husband and children. This was not the fairy-tale ending as spun by the advertising moguls who promised less time in the home and more time for leisure for the little lady. "Peruse these delightful scenes and remember back to a time when the ideal American housewife cleaned and laundered in pumps and pearls." |
|
Imagination Navigation 5.75 x 3.5 x 3" house-shaped folding structure. Collage. Found objects. Maryann Riker: "Ancients read maps of the universe to design their days. Their travels were mapped by astrologers and cartographers whose limited knowlege of the world and the heavens enticed these ancient voyagers to learn more. Their imaginations served them well in encouraging to seek all that was new out beyond the edge of the world and the heavens. Their spiritual journeys were closely aligned wth their physical journeys as church and monarchs ruled. This work is an imaginary portable altar that an ancient voyager may have carried with him to inspire and instill the courage and curiosity to go out seek. Map fragments create illusional vortexes. A butterfly alights near the true vision of the world but remains unknown to the voyager who is viewing it. The illustion between truth and reality is clouded. Cherubs and mythological guardians point the way. Angels guard the heavens and moons and the voyager's reflection looks back at him. This is … one of a series that was inspired by an exhibit at the Abecedarian Gallery [Denver] entitled Imagination Navigation. " |
|
Imagination Navigation #2 5.75 x 4 x 3" house-shaped folding structure. Collage. Found objects. Maryann Riker: "This is [one] in the series inspired by an exhibit entitled Imagination Navigation at the Abecedarian Gallery [Denver]. This 3-dimensional guide to the heavens and stars may have been carried by an ancient voyager to inspire [her] to look beyond the reality of [her] everyday environment, to go out into the heavens and seek new worlds. The ancient voyagers sought new wealth and lands at a time when knowledge of the world was confined to the doctrines of church and monarch. Ancient cartographers relied on myth and legend to draw the maps of the world particularly of regions unknown and unexplored. Traveling to the beyond demanded great courage and curiosity. My ancient voyager carried his guide with [her]. Angels looked over him/her. Cherubs smiled and welcomed anyone who ventured their way and mythological guardians pointed to new regions an stars. Maps are uncompleted, globes are left blank until all can be explored and redrawn. And, who knows what jewels and creatures the voyager may meet. Perhaps our own voyages can be so mysterious and new." |
|
| Leo's Flying Dreams By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2009. One-of-a-Kind. 3 x 3 x 3" rotating cube of images. Laid in 3.625 x 3.625 x 3.625" drop-sided box with lid. Box covered in paper and book cloth. Paper title label on lid. Images referenced listed on colophon. Maryann Riker: "A rotating cube structure that unfolds and reconfigures to show the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci's flying machines. Much like his mental process in devising his new inventions, Leonardo mentally put together ideas much like building blocks to create his inventive designs for machines that could simulate flight based on his studies of birds, bats, and other winged creatures. "This cube does not give the full picture of Leo's design until the viewer moves the cubes in various directions to reveal 5 or 6 of his exquisite sketches of his wondrous flying machines of his dreams. The box encloses the cube and when opened drops flat to reveal the cube. The inner box is lined with a Renaissance wallpaper pattern. "This little device is an ode to the master of drawing and invention." (SOLD) |
 Click image for more |
Leo's Working Dreams 3.625 x 3.625 x 3.625" in drop sided box. 3 x 3 x 3" rotating cube. Maryann Riker: "A rotating cube structure that unfolds and reconfigures to show the sketches of Leonardo da Vinci's working machines. Much like his mental process in devising his new inventions, Leonardo mentally put together ideas much like building blocks to create his inventive designs for machines that could dredge canals, grind concave mirrors, etc. "This cube does not give the full picture of Leo's design until the viewer moves the cubes in various directions to reveal 5 or 6 of his exquisite sketches. (The sketches include a Canal Excavating Crane, a Grinding Concave Mirror Device, a File Cutter, a Reciprocating Motion Machine, a Dredger, and a Paddleboat.) The box encloses the cube and when opened drops flat to reveal the cube. The inner box is lined with a Renaissance wallpaper pattern. "This little device is an ode to the master of drawing and invention." |
|
| Looking to the Stars By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2010. One-of-a-Kind. 5.75 x 3.5 x 3.25" closed, 5.75 x 16.5 x 3.25" extended; house-shaped sculptural book. Opens 360 degrees. Collage, found objects. Maryann Riker: "Ancients looked to the stars to determine their destinies. Spiritual travels and physical travels were mapped by astrologers and cartographers whose limited knowledge of the world and the heavens enticed these ancient voyagers to learn more to gain greater insight into their world and themselves. Their imaginations with their physical journeys served them well in encouraging them to seek all that was new out beyond the edge of the world and the heavens. ... Ancient celestial maps show the locations of the celestial bodies, which ancient travelers relied on to pinpoint their positions. A butterfly alights on the world as we know it. The illusion between truth and reality is clouded. Cherubs and mythological guardians point the way. Angels guard the heavens and moons and the voyager's reflection looks back at him/her through small mirrors attached throughout. "This work is an imaginary portable altar that an ancient voyager might have carried with her to inspire and instill the courage and curiosity to go out and seek." (SOLD) |
 Click image for more |
Theater of Memory 2 3.75" x 5" x 5" unfolding box structure. Paper covered. Collage, found objects. The box structure unfolds into an open courtyard with four triangular rooms face out on the exterior, resembling classical architecture. Quotes on memory are revealed as each triangular room is lifted. All four can be opened but variation can occur if the viewer allows two or three of the triangular rooms to support the 'roof' which was originally the 'floor.' Maryann Riker: "This book creates a small environment in which one's memory of past moments move in and out throughout important moments in one's journey through life. "The quote 'Time moves in one direction, memory in another' [William Gibson] allows the viewer to contemplate the transient nature of memory. Memory as sharp and clear in youth and tinted with rose-colored glasses to maturity where memory shifts to more dream-like states, unfocused and softened. "This work opens fully to reveal four quotes that deal with the topic of memory and can flip around to create a pedestal like work with rooms where butterflies move in and out as elusive as memory itself." |
 Click image for more |
The Journey is in Discovery 3.75 x 5 x 5" folding box structure. Illustrated paper covered. Found objects. Collage. Maryann Riker: "Maps, constellations, globes, and wings transport the mind and imagination to another world and time, casting an almost dream-like spell that compels us to journey onward. Mere fragments create mysterious new worlds and yet at the same time evoke a sense of familiarity and nostalgia. "This work is a modern curiosity cabinet for lost souls or soul seekers that opens and unfolds to reveal nuggets of wisdom collected from some imaginary journey where 'The Journey is in the discovery....'" |
 Click image for more |
| The Inundation of the Spring By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2010. One-of-a-Kind. 7 x 4.75 x 4.75" sculptural book. Jacob's ladder hinge binding. Opens 360 degrees. Decoupage; found objects. Maryann Riker: "The Inundation of the Spring speaks to the changing of seasons along a river. Time moves sometimes slowly as the laziness of the river's flow during hazy summer days, or rushes and fills its bank in early spring from winter's melting snows. Emily Dickinson's poem speaks to this ebb and flow of the river and contrasts it to the ebb and flow of the soul with the seasonal changes. This artist's book opens 360 degrees. Its opening creates a small room-like structure showing the various views surrounding the water and opens fully to create another set of more isolated views much like the demarcation between each season. The Inundation of the Spring shows the cycles and rhythms of time and water." (SOLD) |
 Click image for more |
Without Visiting the Universe 3.75 x 5 x 5" folding box structure. Paper-covered. Found objects. Collage. Maryann Riker: "Without visiting the universe one travels inward towards knowing thyself. Interior maps tell one where to travel. But this inward journey compels us to journey outward as well. Without the life experience one may not realize the inner travels and journeys and its meaning. Mere fragments of maps with parts missing create illusional vortexes. Butterflies meander through the heavens with moons and stars. Mysterious new worlds lie on the horizon. Cherubs and mythological guardians point the way. "This is another … modern curiosity cabinet for lost souls or soul seekers that opens and unfolds to reveal nuggets of wisdom collected from some imaginary journey." |
 Click image for more |
Women Work 5 x 6.25 x 3” house shaped sculptural book. Jacob's ladder hinge binding. Opens 360 degrees. Decoupage; found objects. Maryann Riker: "A person articulates as female in part through the material objects and images that frame her daily activities. 'Gender' is the set of behavioral norms and expectations that members of a given society attribute to the physical differences between women and men. In other words, the making of a woman is a social process. Sociologist have studied the influence of domestic technology on women’s time use. A 1965-66 national survey of suburban households found that employed wives devoted an average of 26 hours per week to their domestic duties as compared to 55 hours by non-employed women. In 1920, unemployed housewives spent 52 hours a week on domestic chores compared to 55 hours in the mid-1960’s. So, did these new domestic servants such as the iron and washing machine help the modern housewife to have more leisure time as advertising had promised? Or had the standards of domestic cleanliness risen to encompass more time in achieving these goals? Ah, aren’t ideals wonderful?" |
|
| Women's Work 5 By Maryann Riker Phillipsburg, New Jersey: Maryann Riker, 2009. One-of-a-Kind. 6 x 3.75 x 3.75" sculptural bookwork. Rotating cube of images in house-shaped container. Roof and house lift from foundation (pedestal) to reveal cube. Four sides fall away with text and images on interior of flaps. Pedestal designed as a four-flap container with lid being the house. Maryann Riker: "Another artists' book about the heyday of the housewife when cleaning products required much more energy to make them work and as a result the little lady of the house burned three times the amount of calories. As the century progressed, new cleaning products and appliances were improved and invented to cut the amount of time utilized in cleaning to about half. As a result the American housewife of the 1950's had more time to shop, entertain, and relax. Electricity and automation became the American housewife's best friends. This work depicts the images of the American woman at a time when the housewife was glorified into an American icon of the American home." (SOLD) |
|
Page last update: 03.18.12
Home | About Us | Contact Us | New Arrivals | Fine Press & Artists' Books | Broadsides | Miniature Books | Resource Books | Order/Inquiry
Copyright © 2008 Vamp & Tramp, Booksellers, LLC. All rights reserved.