Roman Faces (a tiny book)

The assembly line for an edition of 25 tiny books.

After visiting the Metropolitan Museum of Art last week, I went through my sketchbooks and realized how many faces I draw in museums. I filled a dozen pages when I was in Rome, mostly at the Vatican and the Musei Capitolini (see the original post here). So I decided to make a tiny book. Actually I decided to make an edition of 25 tiny books.

Some page selections from Roman Faces

I played around with several different ideas, but I really wanted  to lay out an entire book on an 8.5x11" page. The book would be a simple signature or pamphlet, printed double sided in black and white. I had an entire package of vintage onionskin typing paper. The paper was very light and slightly translucent. I loved the way the drawings were slightly visible on both sides, creating a deep layering effect when they were bound together.

The finished book measures 2.125 x 2.75". It is a single signature with 32 pages and a cover. It includes 30 drawings.


copyright Kate Castelli 2012

Friday Inspiration: The Renaissance Portrait

Portrait of A Young Man, Biago d'Antonio, (ca. 1470)

Last week I took a quick trip to New York City for a change of scenery and some badly needed inspiration. In my wanderings I found myself at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the exhibition called The Renaissance Portrait from Dontatello to Bellini

Portrait of a Young Woman (Ginerva de'Benci?), Lorenzo di Credi  (ca. 1575-80)

I was absolutely enthralled by the work. The Renaissance saw the birth of the individual as an idea and these works are some of the earliest examples of artists concentrating on depicting recognizable likenesses. The subjects of these portraits were real people-- and I found myself looking at the paintings, not necessarily as works of art, but as a document of a person. They were living and breathing centuries ago, and somehow their likeness survived into this new millennium. It was quietly humbling. And exquisitely beautiful.

Portrait of a Young Man with a Ring, Francesco del Cossa, (ca. 1472-74)

I have always been fascinated by portraiture and I realized that I draw from portraits in museums quite frequently in my sketchbooks.

Some sketches from the Metropolitan Museum of Art

In Time

Screenshots of Christian Marclay's mesmerizing The Clock, on view at the MFA

It is a brand new year and I am grateful to have some time off before the start of a new semester. It feels like such a luxury to pause for a little while.

What's in store for the beginning of 2012?

• My latest submission to The Sketchbook Project
• A revamped, updated, and brand spanking new website
• An exchange show between SMFA and Edinburgh College of Art
• Experimental Letterpress at the Center for Book Arts, NYC
• Lots of printmaking...

And hopefully some more frequent blog updates!