Item Details
Crucible.
Portland, OR: Timothy Ely, 1992. Unique. Hardcover. This work, from rather early in Ely's career, has been in his ex-wife's private collection until now. As with much of Ely's work, it is comprised of various techniques (print, mss, paint, collage, etc.) and exquisitely bound. Smaller in hand than much of his work, it embodies an interesting, experimental expression of his work.
"I was experimenting with fusion [dry mount] techniques and so made this small book and gifted it to [then wife] Ruth.
I had a lot of alchemical source images around, transferred them onto tissue and fused them with a bit of over drawing." [artist statement]
Timothy C. Ely is a renowned and enigmatic figure in the book world. His one-of-a-kind manuscript books combine elaborate and often mysterious painted and drawn folios contained within finely crafted bindings, most of which are original designs or variations on traditional binding techniques. Each book carries layers of both materials and meaning. Each drawing and element elicit revelations, personal to each viewer.
“For the last forty years, his books and other works have sprung from a central core of concepts, owing to a fascination with obscure or seemingly incomprehensible forms inspired by science and other projections from the history of the human imagination. This spectrum of inspiration includes such things as fractured and whole grids, cypher systems, landforms and landscapes as viewed from a satellite, and the archeological overlay of some of these sites, especially those containing libraries. Originally, the atlas format provided a platform for the rendering of his complex maps, which gradually gave way to an expanded psychological viewpoint of a larger universal scheme.
Much of Ely’s work is richly annotated with his own glyphs he calls “cribriform.” While they are made up of a finite set of marks, they take on many different “meanings” depending on the tool with which they are drawn. He has written and spoken often about the roots and evolution of these drawings. Gestural in their formation, these trailings evoke a sense of language and meaningful discourse. Though suggestive, they never yield up a firm translation.” [A. Schoolman]. Fine in Very Good+ Archival Box. Tight, bright, and unmarred; archival box shows light shelf/edge wear, light even toning. Quarterbound, leather spine, painted wooden boards with inlayed and onlayed elements, painted pastedowns and endpages. np (10pp plus endpages and blanks). Illus. (colored plates). Signed by the artist. Item #9857
Price: $9,500.00