Ellen Knudson, “Made Up”


Cover of book (drumleaf) and clamshell enclosure. Foil-stamped title on spine and window cut-out on clamshell box.


Interior page displayed with interior of clamshell enclosure. Linoleum print of the Anger cell.


Detail of three linoleum prints from the book: Anger, Curiosity, and Failure.


Image of the fold-out sections of the book, featuring one of the large linoleum prints. (Shown here: Fear)


Overview of the open book, without the open foldouts displayed.

Ellen Knudson
Gainesville, Florida
ellen@crookedletterpress.com

Made Up
2015
Letterpress printing, multi-block and reduction linoleum prints
edition of 50
20 pages
12 x 12 x 1″ open
12 x 6 x 1″ closed

Artist Statement

The work produced by crooked letterpress is the synthesis of images and words in the form of letterpress printed handmade books and printed matter.

In all of the work produced by the crooked letterpress, a visual environment is created in which the reader/viewer is an active participant; the typography is to be viewed, the imagery to be read, and vice versa. The choices of text, imagery, materials, and binding structure are made entirely in support of the environment of the printed piece.

I’m interested in the distillation of a subject using typography and image within the book form. Reading is a sequential and time-based process. My interest in the book lies in the opportunity to guide a reader’s progression through the visual organization of text and image. I also revel in the craft of book art: the exploration of materials, and the effort to strike a balance between artistic and practical choices. Those processes involve intimacy and acute observation. That is ultimately what my work is about.