You never know what you’ll find in an old book especially if it has been in the hands of UK based artist Su Blackwell. Inspired by vintage books, Blackwell creates entire landscapes from the pages of old dictionaries and school texts. Three-dimensional dioramas spring from open books displaying stories of children living in forests and the animals that roam in moonlit nights.
Blackwell says, “For the cut-out illustrations, I tend to lean towards young-girl characters, placing them in haunting, fragile settings, expressing the vulnerability of childhood, while also conveying a sense of childhood anxiety and wonder. There is a quiet melancholy in the work, depicted in the material used, and choice of subtle colour.”
The artist is participating in a group show entitled “The First Cut” opening tomorrow at the Manchester Art Gallery in the UK. (show dates: Friday 5 October 2012 – Sunday 27 January 2013)
2009, Out of Narnia
“The Baron in the Trees” 2009
detail of “The Baron in the Trees”
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