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Katherine Venturelli ~
California |
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Bookworks with copper engraved pages |
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House of Moon 11 x 8.25 “closed; extends to 4 feet. In wood base 12 x 11". Five 7.5 x 5" intaglio images. Printed on various printmaking and rice papers. Accordion format. Bound covers have varying etched copper plates inlaid. With each phase of the moon is a corresponding Chinese ideogram: wholeness, surrender, balance, death, renewal.
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Prophecy 11 x 30 x 1.25" open. 3.5 x 18.5" monotype image. 13.75 x 6.25 x 6" wood encasement with copper adornment. Multi media. Monotype with copper leaf on Rives BFK. Other materials imported fabric; graphite text; and, wood. Katherine Venturelli: "[This book is ] a variation on the accordion format, one of several in a series. Imagery from previous monotype 'Prophecy Series' is condensed into this structure." Text from Lao-Tse:
$2,400 |
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| Sandra Kroupa, University of Washington, The Work of Katherine Venturelli: "Of particular interest is Venturelli's reuse of other intaglio plates in one-of-a-kind or varied edition artists' books. Creating altar piece accordions with copper engraved pages, Venturelli responds to a common artist attachment to the beauty of the means of production of other prints. These pieces contrast the tactile - hinges are supple leather riveted to copper. Few non-artists ever see etching plates and these books have a compelling richness. ..." | |
Blueprint of a Symbol 6 x 8 x 1.5" closed; opens to 42". Accordion format with etched copper plates hinged together with copper rivets and leather. Closed with leather strap and snap. 9.75 x 10 x 4.25" wood slipcase in shape of house. Katherine Venturelli: "Enjoying the 'physicality' of working with the copper medium, resulted in another transition piece. The etched copper becomes the page; reflective and ephemeral qualities of the copper add new dimensions to the book form. We communicate on personal, cultural, and spiritual levels with messages which manifest symbols. My intent is to "look" at the meanings of these varied communications. I found that the intimate book format relates well in this exploration. The artist book can be an intriguing vehicle to transport ideas for reflection and communication. The copper book becomes bound into an architectural form, a housed-shaped wood encasement, a classic archetypal symbol. Circle: totality; wholeness, unity, the self contained; completion, the infinite; the feminine |
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Prophecy 6 x 4" closed, extends to 7"; 2 panels. Copper book with pages/panels hinged with copper-rivets snap attached to leather spine. Displays on a wood base 4 x 9". Katherine Venturelli: "This piece is the maquette for the copper artist book House of Prophecy which is now in the Achenbach Collection." |
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Trinity 8 x 6" closed, extends to 16"; 3 panels.Triptych. Pages: etched copper plates hinged together with copper rivets and leather. Housed in wood house-shaped box (9.5 x 8 x 2.25"), which has two components: a base (3.5 x 8") for closed book to slip into; a house (8.5 x 7.5"), which slips over book with triangular window through which the title shows. From Out West: The Artist's Book in California: "This is a case where 'architecture' is a particularly appropriate term for discussing the structure of a book. Katherine Venturelli has been working for several years now on a series of house-shaped books in house-shaped boxes, the form of which serve to reinforce her explorations of universal symbology. Her use of copper as a material, indigenous to the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains where she lives, has increased in recent years, some books employing copper pages with text and images etched onto the surface." Katherine Venturelli: "We communicate on personal, cultural, and spiritual levels with messages which manifest as symbols. My intent is to look at the meanings of these varied communications. I found that the small, intimate book format relates well in this exploration. "Trinity is a collaboration with my spouse, Herb Boxhorn, a musician. We were invited to participate in an exhibition entitled Side by Side. The invitation requested that two creative professionals who live together create an artwork together. We decided the house shaped book was perfect for us as we have been involved with the continual change of our own home in Fiddletown. The piece is the result of working closely together and discovering frictions previously unknown to us. Images and symbols from my on-going work fused with the theme of Herb's text – body, mind and spirit." |
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| Katherine Venturelli: "My most recent work, the series “Universal Language”, integrates a friend’s mathematical notations (another symbol system) together with my continuing theme of universal- archetypal symbols (the circle-moon). The two artist books, “Mr. Stanley’s Math Lesson…”, an accordion book, and “Lunar Journey”, a Turkish-map fold structure, are current creations from this series." | |
Lunar Journey 5.75 x 6.75 " closed; 11 x 12 x 4" open. Long tie closure which wraps several times around the book. Printed papers using chine collé techniques. Book fabric varies with each book. Continuing with her mathematical and lunar series, Katherine Venturelli has utilized an unusual fold for the book's format, the Turkish map fold. Both sides of the individual print are hand etched, using multiple drops of up to five different copper plates. The fabric cover has mathematical notations with an embossed circle on the front representing the moon. Katherine Venturelli: "The book “Lunar Journey” addresses a contemporary journey of discovery, the present day frontier of outer space. Incorporating the math symbol system suggests the prominent role that math and science play in new frontier exploration. The depiction of the lunar phases, attests to the moon’s own journey, a continuum of rebirth and death. I selected the unusual fold/pop out format which enables the lunar and mathematical imagery to be viewed as if it were a celestial map. Also, the element of surprise in the fold-out book structure captures or recreates the feeling of the excitement new discoveries can produce." |
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Mr. Stanley's Math Book: 8 x 7.8" accordion book opens to 42". Seven pages in length with five etchings depicting the lunar cycle. Each etching hand printed on rice paper and Rives BFK. Uses chine collé technique. With a tie closure. Each book is a variant due to fabric of boards and variations in printing. Curious about her friend's mathematical cipherings, Katherine Venturelli created a small book bringing together art and science. In the resulting accordion book there are etchings depicting the lunar cycle as well as Dick Stanley's mathematical doodles. |
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Page last update: 06.17.09
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