Art & Invention Gallery presents the third annual “Proto Pulp — Classic Books of the Future” featuring Adrianne Waxman, Bethany Taylor, Deborah Allen, Janet Lee, Johanna Mueller, Julie Sola, Laura Baisden, Maisy Owen, Marianne Bouldin, Mark Sloniker, Molly Brooks, and Sarah Kaufman.
Art & Invention Gallery has brought together many of Nashville’s favorite artists for “Proto Pulp – Classic Books of the Future”, a one-of-a-kind group exhibit devoted to children’s books. In addition to working in a variety of media such as printmaking, drawing, painting and sculpture, each of the participating artists is also an aspiring children’s author.
“Proto Pulp” includes several completed book projects, along with artwork, designs and prototypes for future books. Though the works in the show have been created for young readers, they’re also intended to delight and inspire people of all ages.
“Proto Pulp” runs September 23, 2011 – October 23, 2011
MEET THE ARTISTS:
ADRIANNE WAXMAN: Adrianne Waxman is a folk artist who has taught classes for Cheekwood Botanical Gardens in Nashville, The Natural History Museum of New York, and the Print Center of Philadelphia.
“Power Animal” is a series of folk toys, paintings and a illustrated deck of animals to help you find your power animal. Everyone can identify with an animal. Finding the one that gives you power is an adventure!
BETHANY TAYLOR: Bethany is an aspiring children’s book author and a letterpress printer working at Hatch show Print in Nashville, Tennessee. Printmaking and the joys of motherhood inspire her to create works for children. “Life is a challenge and I attempt to try my best to make things to share with others.”
Her new book, Monsters Aren’t Scary, is inspired by her son and is a response to the fear expressed by many pre-schoolers regarding the presence of monsters. She feels that by putting monsters in the context of having a home, they remain magical, but are less scary.
DEBORAH ALLEN: Memphis-born and Nashville-raised, Deborah Allen is a multi-million selling, award-winning, twice Grammy nominated songwriter, recording artist, producer, and performer. Deborah now adds published children’s book author to her repertoire with the release of a new holiday classic, The Loneliest Christmas Tree.
The Loneliest Christmas Tree was written by Deborah Allen , and illustrated by Molly Brooks.
“The little tree was a very lonely tree. In fact, he was the loneliest Christmas tree in the forest. He watched as all of the other trees around him were taken away to become beautiful Christmas trees in happy people’s homes. Slowly, a large city grew up around him. Life as a tree in the big city wasn’t too bad, until a developer decided that the tree had to go to make way for a parking lot. He would have gotten his way, too, if not for an unlikely savior and her equally unlikely friends…”
JANET LEE: Eisner Award-winning illustrator Janet Lee lives and works in Nashville. Self-taught, she developed her layered art style after her son was born because it was portable and dried before a toddler could get his hands into it. Janet’s first work in illustration, Return of the Dapper Men, is an original graphic novel published by Archaia Studios Press. Return of the Dapper Men has received glowing reviews in USA Today, MTVGeek Guide, and was featured in the 2010 Holiday Gift Guides for Publisher’s Weekly, USA Today, and the New York Times.
During the Proto Pulp show, Janet will be showing her original illustrations from the Marvel Comics graphic novel adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma . Publication date (collected edition): October, 12, 2011
Janet’s book, The Alice In Wonderland ABC’s, which was featured at the first Proto Pulp show, is now under negotiations for publication in Summer of 2012.
JOHANNA MUELLER: Having earned a BFA in printmaking from Metropolitan State College of Denver in 2004 and an MFA from George Mason University in 2009, Johanna actively shows her work locally and nationally. While based in Denver, she has recently begun converting an Airstream trailer into a mobile print shop, which she tours across the country during summer months, stopping at galleries, boutiques, and universities. Johanna creates engravings that are technically intricate and visually intriguing. In order to develop her subject matter – a personal mythology – she draws from her own narrative as well as cultural and historical references, pattern, design, and the history of printmaking.
Creatures from the Chinese Zodiac features hand carved engravings of each of the 12 animals from the Chinese tradition. Created as a limited edition of 8 books during an artist residency at Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass, CO, each book is hand bound using the drum leaf binding method with elements of hand painting, and rubber stamp text.
JULIE SOLA: Julie Sola is a full time printmaker living in Nashville, TN who has always wanted to write and illustrate children’s books. Run Fast Milo! is her second book.RUN FAST MILO! is the story of a little dog named Milo, who everyday looks forward to going to the dog park where he gets to hear his favorite words, “RUN FAST MILO!!!”
LAURA BAISDEN: Laura Baisden is an illustrator who found her niche in letterpress printmaking. Her work often anthropomorphizes animals in nature, and she relates to the art from children’s books. Naturally, it’s time she illustrated a children’s book of her own.
In Skitter, a rambunctious raccoon impresses the forest with her wild ideas when she decides she doesn’t want to run from the old hound dog anymore. She makes a plan to teach him a lesson he’ll never forget!
MAISY OWEN: Our youngest author, Maisy Owen, has been making up stories ever since she can remember, especially stories that incorporate horses. Her horse-riding lessons are something she looks forward to every week. Illustration is also a passion – she spends countless hours drawing and painting pictures or giving her little sister art lessons. She was seven years old when she wrote and illustrated The Moonbeam Ladder.
The Moonbeam Ladder is a story of a young girl who is overlooked and underestimated. Though kind and loving she is not inclined to continue to let her selfish sisters take advantage of her, so she sets off to ultimately find her fortune and discovers love and forgiveness along the way.
MARIANNE BOULDIN & SARAH KAUFMAN: Sarah Kaufman’s paintings are dream-like images in a world of magical realism. The paintings combine deep textures and vigorous abstract grounds with finely detailed figures painted in oil to create both a beautiful surface and a mysterious narrative.
Sarah completed a BFA in painting at the University of Memphis, as well as a Master of Education. After college, she traveled around China, Europe, and Central America, teaching and painting. Sarah currently lives and works in Nashville. She has been featured in the Nashville Arts Magazine and has won numerous awards in art festivals throughout the southeast. Her paintings are in collections throughout the U.S. and the U.K.
The Tale of Bambu Mouse was written by Marianne Bouldin, and illustrated by Sarah Kaufman. This charming tale is about Bambu Mouse, who is swept up in a storm and finds herself in the middle of the city of Shanghai where she meets new friends and learns many lessons about friendship and home.
MARK SLONIKER: Mark Sloniker is a creature maker working in Nashville, Tennessee. He is a self-taught artist who believes he can do anything he doesn’t know he can’t do. He makes puppets professionally for Animax Designs while also using creatures in his own art. His artwork has taken on many forms, such as installations, cd covers, books, interior decor, apparel and toys.
At Home In Your Heart is the story about a giant who, in a moment of blind rage, eats his best friend who is a bird. The bird now lives in his belly and they both work together to overcome this tragedy.
MOLLY BROOKS: Molly Brooks is a freelance illustrator and bookbinder from Nashville, Tennessee.
This is the story of a little girl who gets kidnapped by rats after her father’s death. The Rattenkönig (a group of rats huddled together so tightly underground that they become tangled at the tail) functions as a metaphor for the grief experience and the search for connection out of absence.
PROTO PULP- Classic Books of the Future closes on October 23, 2011.
