HERBAL NOTEBOOK SERIES

The first 'Herbal Notebook" was designed as part of a collaborative installation which incorporated visuals, sound and poetry. The poem is within the book, but is also recorded as part of the sound installation.

The book is both part of the installation, but can be read separately. It is an open spine structure with chain stitch. Covers are of encaustic collage while pages vary in materials and therefore translucency. Some pages are entirely of silk, some of layered silk and tissue, some incorporating collaged elements. Each page is waxed to increase translucency. The content is a series of digital images. Interleaved with the images is an epic poem written by Liz Cashdan, who was inspired by the life and work of Elizabeth Blackwell, an 18th century Botanical illustrator and engraver. My own plant drawings and scribbled notes were scanned and used in the image pages. I added colour, as well as illusory textural and spatial elements. An alphabetical structure is used to organise the pages.

Herbal Notebook 2 evolved from the first book