Tina Hudak
Takoma Park, MD
https://abluebunny.wordpress.com

The Seashell Thief
2024
Mixed media
97.5′′ x 4.5′′ x 4″

Artist Statement

Early in my serendipitous path through art, I was trained in the Washington, D.C. area as a calligrapher, which I did for a living before computers replaced hand-lettering in ways that garner a steady wage. This led to a love to type design and an appreciation for its roots. From there, I segued to handpapermaking and then, book arts. Of course it is the love of the letter, itself, and words that form them which is at the root of the majority of my pieces. This one is no different despite its variation in form.

Upon a recent visit to the Whitney Museum I inadvertently came across a Joseph Cornell assemblage which led oddly enough, to visit the National Gallery of Art’s recent acquisitions which included several more of his works. It was a gift to me, along with a fellow artist handing over several of her valued Cuban cigar boxes.

The Seashell Thief represents all that I love in many ways. With artistic style, it includes typeface through digital printing, blind letterpress using color only, small book form bound simply, drawings using pastels and pencil, collage. Additionally, it incorporates “found objects’ from my personal collections from feathers, shells, abandoned beads, and even the tiny porcelain mermaid from the Red Rose Tea Collections of the past. Then, there are the words. This is at the center of this small world where I have used phrases from my poem broken into bits for the viewer to explore and find a personal relationship.

I love working small as it is more intimate and personal. It is this that attracts me to the book form. Thus, my hope is that the viewer holds the box as one would a book, peeking about its contents upon discovery of something new to inspire.