Cheryl Penn Artworks

In the Textual shadowlands
Haiku’s Form

A Red Bicycle in a Dark Landscape.
In an effort to introduce students to the joys of collaborating, I persuaded some printers to part with their lino cuts.

As I do not have a press at home, printing was difficult as the tiles were completely cut away as part of the learning process. This middle image spread is by Sabelo Mpanza, the print being part of a module on architecture. The prints were A5 in size – too large for the format, but I hope to continue this exercise.

Some projects one is really chuffed to have been there from the beginning. The visual co-ordination, attention to detail and commitment to an aesthetic way are revealed once again in this second edition of Zine in a Box..


25 artists from around the globe have contributed to TICTAC.s project and the loose pages vary in execution but form a cohesive whole in the box.

I have been sitting with my pages for the next edition for over a week – JUST NOT HAPPY! So I decided to redo as I know the effort TICTAC goes to – in fact I think I had told her they were sent??? BUT having JUST received the box, I am hugely pleased I redid them.

As always – its a privilege and a pleasure to be trading with such a competent artist. MANY thanks

Embassy Pavilion 2013 55 – Inside Outside Biennale Parallel Event is another Italian Happening which has been celebrated by a gorgeous color printed catalogue – the sort of professional edition I have come to expect when an event is curated by Giancarlo Da Lio and Tiziana Baracchi.

The front page displays those wonderful lines by John Lennon –
Imagine there’s no countries
Imagine all the people living life in peace.

Although written in Italian, there is a text titled Somebody Up There Likes Us – and from this I read that this publication is dedicated to Tiziana’s mother, who called these events at Garage N. 3 Gallery in Mestre a “feast”.

Look at Tiziana’s blog – I think I’m going to agree with Mama ☺ – Tiziana and Giancarlo – thank you for the publication – it is not outside the realms of possibility that one day we will meet – I would LOVE to attend one of these Occasions. And thank you for the full page – thats a WOW!

An Encyclopedia of Everything
This work in progress will be exhibited as an installation of 400 -500 small books in April (Deo Volente) next year at KZNSA Gallery, Durban.

Process:
I am collecting, swopping and creating books on any topic for this show. An Encyclopedia of Everything now comprises 76 books – a way to go ☺ – BUT – bear in mind in was begun in February this year. The trick will be to keep the momentum going. Books are A6 when closed (postcard size) with a hard cover and consist of 6 – 8 folded pages (good grammage paper) – at least – many far surpass this – see Christopher Skinner (UK) below. Participating artists so far:

An Encyclopedia of Everything

Tiziana Baracchi (Italy)

John Bennett (USA) (3)

Jessica Bothma (South Africa) (2)

Judy Bourke (Australia) (2)
Kathy Boyle (New Zealand)
Marian Crane (USA)
Theresa Easton (UK)
Sue Hobbs (South Africa) (2)
Rebecca Guyver (UK)
Bifidus Jones (USA)
Susanna Lakner (Germany)
Alexander Limarev (Russia)
Lesley Magwood-Fraser (South Africa)
Yves Maraux (France)
Catherine Mc Cue (Australia)
Kathleen Nartuhi (USA)
Not Hi Ng (USA)
Cheryl Penn (South Africa) (35)
Martine Rastello – (France)
Bernd Reichert (Belgium)
Colleen Ross (South Africa)
Christopher Skinner (UK)
Matthew Stolte (USA)
Rod Summers (Netherlands
Erich Sunnderman (Austria)
Stephanie Turnbull (UK)
Guido Vermeulen (Belgium) (5)
Marie Wintzer (Japan) (2)

The Bhubezi Women Mythology:
Lesley Magwood Fraser (South Africa)
Cheryl Penn (South Africa) (4 books)
Alicia Starr (USA)
TICTAC (Germany)
Svenja Wahl (Germany)
PLEASE contact me if you wish to participate/contribute to this project. As with the first Mail Art Exhibition in South Africa which I showed last year, there will be a full online catalogue of books received, available for free download.

I maintained a very rewarding Mail Art exchange with Marie Wintzer (Japan) from 2010 to 2012 (abouts!). I became very familiar with Maries aesthetic which I felt a kinship with – she was in the habit of cutting up words, just as I am in the habit of cutting up pages – minds ether matched ☺. I often go through the box which contains her work, BUT yesterday I knew it was time for some of the work to leave that home and enter another – An Encyclopedia of Everything – I mean – take
Utopology and What we know of it – what is an encyclopedia without that knowledge?

I used one of the old Japanese book covers Marie has sent me from Book Town – which always sounds like a place in dreams, to cover this specialized knowledge.

As far as I can tell, Utopology has a lot to do with Harry and “aiting for an interesting orm umor, or omething imilar”. This is because “his heap uddy aviar with one of hat ishy cean aste”.

The Words Encaged came with the following note:
A book about “words not said, words that have to stay entrapped, irrevocably encaged (hence the pages that do not open completely, and the transparent sheets as unbreakable windows to the mind…”

I cant add anything here, except how much I value our exchanges. Marie, those were the days ☺.

Some books just take your breath away. They are beautifully crafted, thought provoking, and leave one with a sense of having experienced something worthwhile. Such is the book Christopher sent. In dealing with ‘Nothing’, Christopher has made everything of it.

The covers are made from air-dried clay.

The binding is sumptuous. It consists of an accordion fold panel (the outer widest folds form the inner cover pages). Into the folds and valleys the text pages have been pamphlet stitched.

Various quotes – some well known and others not so, fill the pages – “I have nothing to say and I am saying it and that is poetry as I needed it” – John Cage. Turning the page (see above) reveals a genuine “second draft which has been identified as the second to last bar on the third page by the eminent Viennese scholar and John Cage expert, Dr Pieter Schwab in 2003. It is of course, very similar to the published work but contains subtle differences in the tempo”. (The foot note reads that this section is on loan from the collection of the St Petersburg State Conservatory).

Elvis is not forgotten – nor his love of donuts – cakes with nothing in the middle. “ I love to talk about nothing; it’s the only thing I know anything about” – Oscar Wilde. “A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money” – W C Fields.

MAN! Christopher! – You do book artists proud ☺