MY ARTIST BOOK

My artist book incorporates four main symbols;

Hands; the hand can be a symbol of many things - power, strength, relationships. The way I have used it to is to symbolise all these things but also the act of reaching out.

Clocks; clocks can symbolise the passing of time, the loss of time and loss in general.

Books; books symbolise wisdom and intelligence, along with a thirst for knowledge and education.

Heart; the heart is a symbol of love and compassion.

the main colours I am using are reds, blues, pinks and yellows, but the colours alone are not what create the message. It is the contrast of the colours in different parts. On the outside of the house the colours are yellows and pinks and warmer colours; more inviting colours, but behind the stairs in the private areas the colours are darker and less inviting.

A lot of the pages in my book use repetition. Two of the pages have the images of a locket (something used to symbolise love and care) however the image in the locket goes from two people to one person and the colours change from happy warm colours to darker, cooler colours. the first page and the last page also mirror each other to help tell a story; the first page has a child's dress that is very similar to the last page which has a grown-up person's dress. It is used to say that despite all the things in the middle that have helped shape and change the artist there are still many similarities.

other symbols have been used to portray different meanings; keys have been used to show that something is locked away, a cat for feminimity and mystery. a chair means relaxation and rest but can also symbolise other things; the electric chair is a symbol of horror and misdeamenor and an elegant chair symbolises grace and social status. My chair is simply a chair that people can come by and lean on and it won't say anything against it.

I am using splashes of red amongst warmer, more pastel colours to show the splashes of emotion amongst the otherwise more hidden emotional side.

Shoes symbolise a path that somebody walks on; the changes in their path and the different ways a path can be portrayed. In the last page (that compliments the first page of my book) there is a pair of shoes to go with the dress to symbolise that the path has begun to be walked. there are other shoes scattered around the house to symbolise pathways.

there is a fence around the house which will incorporate sticks and leaves which symbolises what is left of enlightenment. But trees, and their counterparts, can be very strong and protective as well. The back of the house is going to incorporate symbols like glass and possibly bubble wrap but all that is under debate in my head right now.



Page 1 - Colours - yellow, blue and green
Symbols - clothing, heart

The outside colours radiating from the small dress are yellows which is meant to symbolise that the further other things are from the dress, the happier it is. The colours darken and become blues and blacks and greens closer to the dress to symbolise that the closer you are the darker and more intense it gets, the heart is to symbolise compassion and love and the small dress it so symbolise being a child.

Page 2 - colours - yellow red, black, white
Symbols - girl, heart

The silhouette stands out amongst everything else in the image (all the colour) to symbolise being a bit of an outcast. The body potiion of the person still appears giving and happy with her hands outstretched. There are hearts and love radiating from the girl but the heart on her chest is broken.

Page 3 - colours - white, red, pink, yellow
Symbols - locket, hands, photograph

The two people in the picture are in a locket, a bind of love and whatnot. THere are two hands holding symbolising closeness. The colours are bright and colourful and pretty. they are warm and lovely.

Page 4 - colours - blues, blacks,
Symbols- hands, locket, image

this page does not mean much by itself but it is to compliment the page before it with my parents in the photo. Instead the locket is torn in half and has an image of a child. The hands are no longer touching and they are stripped of flesh. THere are leaves to symbolise mother nature and a feminimity because I never really saw my dad, only my mum and the leaves are supposed to symbolise her.

Page 5 - colours - pink,
symbols - book pages, a door, photograph

The doors open up to a girl showing that sometimes it is harder than just looking straight at something to actually see it; you have to go out of the way to find out more. the door is covered in text to portray hiding behind words and text. The pink edging is the childlike colours and aesthetic that frames the girl.

Page 6 - INCOMPLETE, STILL UNDER DEBATE.

page 7 - colours, white, black, brown and blue
symbols - hand, pawprint

I am very close to my dog and this page is symbolising the closeness between us. Our prints are united in space and this symbolises that we see the same person; like others might see some smaller aspects of me but we still see the same one. the colours are starkly different, symbolising a huge difference (in species, etc) but they are still together.

Page 8 - colours - same as 1
symbols - same as 1, except with a pair of shoes.

This is just a more grown up version of the first page but with a pair of shoes added - to symbolise a journey.