Understanding the Universe

Book Description

Portland, ME: Artist Book, 2001. Unique Edition. Hardcover. Single section book bound with brass fasteners in handmade laminated paper box. Materials: Various papers, watercolor, collage, mica, thread, bamboo. [Book] 16mo. [Box] 12mo. In the artist's words, "In 2001 I attended a class at Penland School of Crafts called Historic Books and Boxes and that's where I made this little book. It is styled after a late-eighteenth-century French book that a courtier would carry-printed pages listing important dates and events, like royal birthdays, with a pocket inside one cover for small bits and pieces, and a mirror inside the other for inspecting one's coiffure and keeping a surreptitious eye on the competition. The text and images in my book were collected and reassembled from an old textbook called Understanding the Universe, and from a book about teaching children to sew." In a period where a fair bit of "book art" is glib, Cawley's work is subtle and engaging. Where much is to be seen once, enjoyed and forgotten, Cawley's begs "rereading", as with each rereading one is able to trick out another nuance...another wee tale. Cawley is emerging as a fresh and sophisticated voice in American book arts.

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