Artist Statement
Debbie Shannon
Marbling is a magical art form. Colors float on water and can be picked up by a single piece of paper. Of course, there’s the science of the alum and the oxgall and the effect a drop of egg white mixed into the paint can have. There’s experimenting with the paper and the pigments and a whole range of variables. But when it comes right down to it, it’s magic. I can do the “same” thing over and over and only one sheet will elicit a smile or a gasp of delight. It’s as if I’m just helping some greater force to make a mystical image appear.
I’ve loved and collected buttons and beads for a very long time. For this recent work, I used my marbled papers combined with beads, buttons, glass vials and small treasures (vintage and new).
Some marbled paper was designed specifically for the piece and the story I wanted it to tell. In other cases, I used previously commissioned work for Larkspur Press special edition book covers. Thirteen works are dedicated to the respective authors of the books for which I made covers.
It’s been a journey to think about color and the role it’s played in my life and my artwork. We’re surrounded by color. Experimenting with paints on a marbling bath and then finding the perfect buttons and just the right beads to use in a piece is a time-consuming and playful endeavor. We live in a chaotic and challenging world where serious play can be a way to stay sane. It is for me.
