Preview
Description
Artist Statement:
As a driven ceramics student, I began my first bookbinding class this year by asking myself, “how could I combine my love for clay with book arts?” The answer appeared as I came across accordion-style books in the UCF Library Special Collections. As I peered upon those books, my thoughts suddenly imagined the slinky dog toy, and that image sparked a eureka moment. What if a book could take a similar shape, something sculptural and crafted from clay? These ideas unfolded into Book of Breviceps, a personal exploration of material and form with reverence to one of my favorite frog species. For this book, my journey began with the idea of a horizontal, egg-shaped jar that would clasp together using beaded wax thread. The binding was entirely hand-built using coil and pinch techniques, coated with red and black iron oxide washes, and glaze fired in the UCF Ceramics salt kiln. I then pieced that together with moss sheets and (very carefully) handwritten, illustrated pages. This book acts as an light introduction to the wonderful Breviceps Fuscus, and aims to feel like a warm meeting with a peculiar, little neighbor.
Type
Image
Department
Special Collections & University Archives
Recommended Citation
Harton, Kathleen, "Book of Breviceps Fascus" (2025). UCF Student Book Arts Competition Winners. Image 32.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/bookartswinners/32