Jan Davis: Siganto Fellow at State Library of Queensland, 2015.

Artist and guest blogger Normana Wight reviews two artist's books from the collection by the current Siganto Fellow Jan Davis.

I’d like to approach the work of Jan Davis from a different angle.
You have already seen a couple of recent blogs from Jan, in which she writes about some of her aims and ambitions for her time here at the library; especially to have access to its magnificent collection of historic material pertaining to this part of the country.
Jan has already explained it all very well in her blogs.
In the two books I have chosen to ‘enrich’ your DAVIS experience, one can sense a few characteristic developments:
*A subject – topic
* Collection of data (research- reading)
* Background
*Process – methodical but creative thinking
* More process – recent up-to-date technology which the artist likes to use; counterbalanced with ancient and classical technology; for example paper, watercolour.
The results are a meeting of data and imagination; an evolution from one thing into another.

Example 1. SOLOMON

And so-on through the spelling of Solomon, until there is a little portable library of information about the area, its settlement and industry; presented in the form of a creative adventure. A series of fabulous ‘artist’ books (art works).
All in the vivid digital technology of 1995; Apple Macintosh and the finest digital printing available. The binding and construction of the books  reflects the technology of ancient times; digital plus hand made.

Example 2. ‘Democracy Counts’

Tongue-in-cheek, but tellingly real.