7-18-2021
Thoughts on history, books, “Stories Telling”
My mother worked for Silver Burdett, LW Singer and then finally Random House Publishing, in NYC, back when I was a small girl. She’d bring home first editions and manuscripts of books submitted for review, and we’d both read them together and send along our thoughts back to the editors.
I remember a huge pile of books on all subjects in a closet in my room, I’d stack them and alphabetize them and organize them into categories and shapes for fun.
Years later, I remember loving reading and hearing about history and Art History specifically, as a touchstone between the written word and the visual medium, both telling a story of observation and point of view. Sometimes very different narratives. Always inspirational. Story telling has taken many forms for me, growing up listening to family stories, stories of history and perseverance, of problems and solutions, of past simpleness compared to the technologies available today. I’ve always loved hearing these stories, closing my eyes and listening, seeing back as to what I interpret the storyteller is recollecting, making my own visual connections to what I’m listening to.
Weaving and interpreting from a visual stimulus and finding and using its inspiration as an artist in any medium takes many frames, many thoughts, much work and process. I’ve been discovering journals in antique stores and have collected many, mostly for the unique and beautiful and culturally historical illustrations, but upon deeper reflection, now the words themselves need my remark. Even the book publishing companies comes into view, as they claimed their chosen authors words and printed them for their own distribution. Most of these printing companies probably are not in operation today, their companies shifted and modified by the current and changing interests and needs of our time. But they still smell and feel like an important way to connect with cultures and traditions of our past, and I love to leaf through them and find interesting ads or illustrations of women and men, changing relationships and rights over the last century. I am in awe of how far we’ve come and am grateful for the opportunity to read and see and understand our past, how its shaped us and given us points to push off from, traditions to hold dear and remember, as we move forward in our modern lives.
I’m inspired to share some of the words I find in these journals, handwritten notes gifting books and post cards from the 1900’s, simple cursive writing of bygone days and style. Illustrations telling of a culture changed so much by new freedoms and new opportunities.
The feelings derived from these journals is the inspiration in my current series I’m titling “Stories Telling” as I’m combining art and process and mixed media into a visual dialogue, sharing my feelings of value and gratitude for the words printed over a hundred years ago. Storytelling with current and past media combined, just like we are as well a combination of all that came before together with the now and what comes next.
Cheri Vilona
2021