Mary-Ellen Campbell – Rust 2

Artist Statement

Rust as a metaphor for aging.

Book text:
Coarse, pitted spikes, cables,
chains welded, water-logged,
changing, deteriorating, weakened
pulled from the sea barnacle-bound.
Iron-red burnt sienna patina,
intricate textures exposed,
torn joints, corroded bones,
oxidized, ossified, brittle break,
out of practice forgotten steps
the stage no longer welcomes.
Materials & Technique

Double pamphlet stitch binding with copper wire. Rusted found object covers. Rusted Reeves BFK text paper and vellum. Printed digital art and text.

About Mary-Ellen Campbell

Mary-Ellen Campbell, holding advanced art degrees from Michigan State University and Pratt Institute, NY, has been a professor of art for 34 years. She taught book arts workshops abroad and across the United States at San Francisco Center for the Book, Mendocino Art Center, CA, Sitka, OR and other art centers. She has had more than 16 solo and 85 group shows including her mixed media art books. Her 12 art residencies, where she made numerous books about place, include New Zealand, Australia, Finland, Costa Rica, Turkey, Kenya and various states.