FRANKENSTEIN'S WOMEN - frontispiece in progress

As promised, here is the recently completed block for the frontispiece to our imminent artist book, Frankenstein’s Women, followed by a series of earlier views that chart its progress.

The lino is considerably newer than the block on which the cover art was carved (see previous post). That had had time to harden a little and was far less inclined to crumble during carving. By comparison, this lino was far too soft and the areas that involved fine cutting, particularly the two lines of text at the base of the image, were inclined to chip away.

A handful of Frankenstein’s Women will be selectively hand-coloured in red - for example, the decorative comb and droplet on the necklace featured in the cover art and the earrings and upper text in this work.

The ten linocuts that make up the suite will be paired with texts by my ‘collaborator’ Mary Shelley, all of them chosen from her gothic novel, Frankenstein, first published on 1 January 1818 and every bit as relevant today.

Cover art for FRANKENSTEIN'S WOMEN

During the past week I've been working on the final two lino blocks for Frankenstein's Women, an artist book that has been under development since last year. The project, which focuses on the women in Mary Shelley's gothic novel, Frankenstein, had its genesis during a residency at Melbourne Athenaeum Library for Melbourne Rare Book Week 2018.

Directly below are a series of progress views of the cover art, followed by two details of the work. Cutting the lettering was a particular challenge.

Selected progress views of the block for the frontispiece to Frankenstein's Women will be published in our next post.

The Monster's Bride

Progress view 1: The Bride linoleum block in late 2018

Featured in this post are selected progress views of The Bride, the eighth of eight 'non-portrait' linocuts created for Frankenstein's Women, an artist book based on the peripheral female characters in Mary Shelley's novel, Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. I developed the series during 2018, the 200th anniversary of its publication, predominantly during a residency at Melbourne Athenaeum Library. (See previous post).

In recent weeks, the project was put to one side as I turned my focus to a new body of paintings. The temporary pause gave me time to rethink part of the drawing and introduce a crucial element, namely, a ribbon choker. In the finished work, this will be red, a colour associated with the French Revolution. Red was also the colour of chokers worn by women who had narrowly escaped the guillotine, as well as a mark of sympathy for its victims. Mary Shelley and her husband Percy closely studied every aspect of the revolution and there are several references to it in Frankenstein. 

In Shelley's novel, at the behest of his 'monster,' Frankenstein creates a bride, but, at the very point of bestowing life, destroys her. Like the downtrodden French revolutionaries, Shelley's monster demonstrates the dehumanising effects of ill-treatment and neglect.

For further reading, visit my Art Blog HERE.

Progress view 2

Progress view 3, with cutting completed and repositioned choker

Work on the title page has begun and the design for the colophon is also in development.

Frankenstein's Women will be exhibited in a solo show at HipCat Printery Gallery, opening on 12 October, 2019.

Preparations for Melbourne Athenaeum Library Residency

Work in progress, pigmented drawing ink and gesso on lino block, 20 x 15 cm

Pictured above: a lino block drawn up and ready for carving, the first of several planned for two artist’s books influenced by female characters in the Gothic Novel - in particular, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus. Both of these hugely influential works have bicentennials in 2018 (it’s the 200th anniversary of Brontë’s birth and the publication of  Shelley’s novel).

The linocuts will be developed during my residency at Melbourne Athenaeum Library from 21 June, in conjunction with Melbourne Rare Book Week, which runs from 29 June - 8 July.

Full details of both events will be posted nearer the time.