Years ago, rare book dealers acquired Sandra’s work and mentioned they had materials she may enjoy. She asked for the biggest pages they had and was rewarded by a crash course in Hogarth and text pages from from a large-scale (25” x 19”) 1822 Hogarth monograph. History buffs had already ripped out his illustrations but not the essays on his art, life and times 300 years ago. Turns out he was the first artist to get copyright and that resonates with Sandra deeply…among other Hogarth tidbits.
“Painting on old book pages frees me from potential blocks surrounding precious materials. The books themselves are past their prime in the antique market - when they come to me I gift them another life. I handle fragile fragments of someone else’s work, enshrined in shadow boxes, they are laden with paint, dirt and layers of meaning…they take another bow. Whatever remains readable is a nod to chance, everyone’s collaborator.”
