Friday, March 27, 2009

I'd hire me....but that might be a conflict of interest.

In case you're just tuning in, I've been making little accordion book portfolios to submit to publishers.  I've been itching for the opportunity to do some illustration work, and I thought these little handmade portfolios would be a good way to get the attention of busy, image-inundated art directors.  Plus, they've been ridiculously fun to make.  They're not perfect--the covers are a bit uneven, and I made some little mistakes here and there.  But I think that just makes them more interesting and endearing.  Like a crooked smile. And if I'm merely rationalizing my own errors to make myself feel better, that's OK too.  Because it's working.
I love the versatility of accordion books.  You can stand them up like little sculptures: 

Or unfurl them:Or just hold them in your hand and turn the pages, like a regular little booklet:
I stitched that blue thread down the side of the right-hand page to conceal an accidental extra fold in the paper.  Now it's my favorite part, and I wish I had time to add a row of stitching to every book.  Just as I write in my artist's statement,"In every painting [or book-making project, in this case] I reach a point where disaster seems imminent.  The process of rescuing the image, of turning the disaster around, yields the most exciting and surprising parts of my work."

Even if I don't hear back from any publishers, I like to think that I'm sending some good cheer out into the universe.  "Hello, stranger.  Have this little present.  I made it just for you.....Want to hire me?"

5 comments:

Cat B said...

Oh, they will, they will! These books are just so beautiful and the work they are based on is just amazing. Can't wait to see what emerges!

Chrisy said...

Just wandered over here from a collageaday..so pleased I did...your work displays beautifully in these little accordian books...those publishers are just so lucky to receiving one...let's hope the offers flood in!

Kaetlyn Wilcox said...

Thank you both for the kind words of encouragement! :)

Debby said...

I'd hire you! On the spot! These are even better than the "College Application Song" my brother recorded and sent in with each of his college applications. (Have you ever heard it? It's pretty amazing.)

Kaetlyn Wilcox said...

DebbyK,
I have NOT had the honor of hearing DannyK's "College Application Song." This must be remedied asap.

Lovies!
K