Artist books/zines /book~artworks

a selection of images from my archives up to my most recent handmade artist book.

I have always struggled with the naming of this very important and consistent part of my art practice.

When I first started exhibiting within the lively zine community of the early 2000’s my work was influenced by the classic d.i.y cut and paste photocopied works which are called zines.

I am now employing very intricate binding methods such as Coptic binding which has arisen from the textile based art work I am now making and these works are definitely not zines.

I feel they are humble objects of art, reliquaries , memoirs, gatherings, talismans, amulets , poetic space, moments, and naming them is difficult.

I enjoy the fact that I can home produce these works, this wasn’t always the case.

Reads formerly of Nassau street and now Lower Abbey street in the heart of Dublin City was my happy printing place and many of my earliest zines, then artist books~zines were made upstairs within the sanctuary of my friends vintage clothes shop Lucy’s Lounge.

These works were a something , a something tangible that I could make out of some very challenging personal circumstances.

Makers have got to make and even though my exhibiting profile lessened after 2016, my books continued with abundance.

Some are very humble photocopied and stapled works, some more art worked but all hold my truth and that to me is what my work and practice is all about TRUTH, not hiding my struggle’s in visibility and embracing my outsider tendencies.

These works were portable and affordable and perfect to bring to my market stalls alongside my artist cards.

Both have afforded me some memorable connections with the outside world , on my own terms.
The independent publishing world of zine fairs, the original independants day, and latterly the Dublin Art Book Fair, held annually since 2012 have accepted my work which has struggled to finds its space, right from the start and allowed me to grow in confidence and find an audience.

My work has been purchased for public libraries in Ireland, notably n.i.v.a.l which is The Irish Visual Arts Library housed with The National college of art and Design N.C.A.D.

These works make themselves and consist of a mixture of visual reference books that would be made at art college alongside projects, and also made from a narrative text that has images as well. The white dress would be an example of this.

The books have to be made, they are a something that I need to express and it’s only after I have made them, that I realise why.