Book Cases / Head Cases

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Each morning I receive a word-of-the-day email from an online dictionary. Sometimes I make a painting prompted by that day's word. When 'bookcase; arrived in my inbox it seemed to offer a literal interpretation, but the painting was bland, illustrative, so I made the painting about what books do rather than what they are. I love books, feeling their weight as I read one, and the anticipation of turning to the next page. One's progress through a book is visible, and re-reading can be a form of time-travel, where scribbled notes and underlined passages reveal immediate responses to the first time it was read. Similarly, picking up a secondhand book can give insights into the mind and life of its previous owner, connecting us as a community in a way that is impossible with digital media. 'Book Cases / Head Cases' depicts a reader undergoing the transportive aspects of reading, of learning about the world through the words of another. The trees reference the raw materials for paper and bookcase-making, pointing out that books directly connect us to our physical world. Show more