Stephen Sidelinger ~ California

The Book of Time
By Stephen Sidelinger
1995. One-of-a-Kind.

Comments from Stephen Sidelinger: "The Book Of Time was painted in 1995; the 12 plates are based on cliché phrases associated with the word time. The drawings were done on an airplane to New Jersey of my 30th high school reunion. When painting the images the seemingly casual themes were found to have greater depth as they were deviled with a variety of gouache techniques. The binding is made of all found object. The white cover has a collage of clocks cut out many years ago and saved because they would be useful someday. The box is covered with a pair of pants I wore for years. The homage to Schwitters collage on the front of the box is made of found objects randomly collected over the last 10 years. Everything takes time and shows the effects of time."
$850

The Book of the Human Condition I: The Plays of Tennessee Williams
By Stephen Sidelinger

14 x 6 x 2" Embroidered velvet boards with gold thread. Uses gouache.

Comments from Stephen Sidelinger: "The Book Of The Human Condition 1 - The Plays Of Tennessee Williams was painted in 1982 while in Venice, CA on sabbatical leave from The Kansas City Art Institute. Tennessee's insight into the human psyche seemed so deep that I wanted to investigate it like an analyst. I would reread the play during the day taking notes like a psychologist, and I would translate these themes that evening like an artist. 16 plays in 16 days. The book was bound later in red velvet, what lies under the human skin and gold couched embroidered with a cross on a grid, symbolizing the reoccurring theme of sacrifice to an external structure. The black silk box has a hidden compartment that houses all the working notes, both verbal and visual. These notes serve as an index for the plates. I consider this book to be an apex of my life both artistically and mentally."
$8,000

1997: Comments on Contemporary Life
By Stephen Sidelinger
1997. One-of-a-Kind.

Comments from Stephen Sidelinger: "1997 - Comments On Contemporary Life was conceived and made in 1997 and because of 1997. Everyone was so excited by Faxes, the Internet, Jerry Springer and The Home Shopping Network. I could see all of these advancements only as dehumanizing encumbrances, at best. No more personal hand written notes on fine paper; Fax Me. One subject on the Internet could have 40 million + sites, no human can deal with that much information, and who wrote that information???? Every TV show had to present the pro and the cons of an issue, which only ended in screaming. And chips, try to buy a bag of plain potato chip, etc. on. The woman in Ohio with a collection of 10 thousand Teddy Bears, boxes of travel photos no one will ever see, etc. etc. etc. The age of information? The plates are limited to black and white collage but became an experiment in graphic design tricks to heighten the communication, pop-ups, useless die cuts pages that do not open. The black cover is made from a deconstructed/reconstructed old book. The box is a satire on the fancy silk boxes I usually make."
$1,200

Homage to Alexander Calder
By Stephen Sidelinger
1979. One-of-a-Kind.

Comments from Stephen Sidelinger: "Homage To Alexander Calder is one of the very few books left from my very early work. Dating from 1979, it is large, from Italian, white leather, French binding with on-lays and hand tooling. The 20 plates pay respect to Calder for his playfulness, directness and willingness to creatively apply his visual language to many facets of art: jewelry, wallpaper, airplanes, mobiles, a toy circus, etc. I was drawn to his human art personality as a student and reconnected with him when I found later that he too worked in gouache. The bookplate are in gouache heighten with ink edges. I hope the book reflects Calder's joie d'art. It was once referred to as the ultimate coffee table book."
$1,600