At a glance
“I was inspired by these endpapers and began taking photos of them,” Parker said. “I gradually added three-dimensional objects that mimicked the colors and patterns, or in some cases added opposite elements to the patterns and photographed the endpapers with these additions.”
Photographer Ann Parker, of Machias, will display a collection titled “Endpapers” from Sept. 3 through Oct. 4 at Alfred State’s Hinkle Memorial Library.
According to Parker’s exhibition statement, bookmakers in the 1800s employed artists to create patterned pages for the front and back of books, which were called “endpapers.” These pages then became works of art themselves, Parker’s statement continues, as swirling multi-colored patterns and hand-drawn designs evolved from various techniques used by artists.
“I was inspired by these endpapers and began taking photos of them,” Parker said. “I gradually added three-dimensional objects that mimicked the colors and patterns, or in some cases added opposite elements to the patterns and photographed the endpapers with these additions.”
Parker said she employed photo-editing techniques and software effects to create unique designs in her endpaper displays.
“The endpapers metamorphosized into patterns that contain blocks of colors with leaves, feathers and stones; others are bursts of kaleidoscopes with such varied objects as a clock face, prism, flowers, and wood shavings,” Parker said. “Other endpapers, with their added elements, are shaped into circles, hexagons, and waves. The endpapers generate compositional energy to keep the viewer’s eye moving, while the repetition creates harmony and balance, which in turn adds structure and order.”
For exhibition purposes, the endpapers are displayed on pieces of reclaimed wood from farm implements and household items such as wagons, jelly cupboards, barn boards, and dressers. Parker said she also framed the endpapers in “floating frames” – sandwiched between two pieces of glass - so “when illuminated from the back, they glow with subdued color and light.” Some endpapers are mounted on gatorboard and imprinted on a metal plate.
The “Endpapers” exhibit will be open for viewing during normal library hours. To inquire about exhibiting your work in the Hinkle Gallery, email library@alfredstate.edu or call 607-587-4313.