Lust for Letters : Jill Berry Blog

Lust for Letters

Posted on March 4, 2010 - Filed Under 2010 Workshops, About me, Creative Exercises

I love inventing alphabets. Quirky hobby, I know, but it is fun. This is a page in my journal of Mexico Letters, which were inspired by a book I have on Pre-Hispanic Stamp Designs.

This one was inspired by the work of Joan Miró. I did this in a workshop that I was not enjoying very much, and I had to get inventive to keep myself happy there. I made a book I called “Faded Lust” about falling out of love. In this case, I was trying to divorce the two artists inside me that fight.

Of course there is a story behind this. Years ago I attended graduate school in Florence, Italy. My art teachers’ name was Guiseppe Gattuso, and we worked in his studio. At the beginning of the year he said to me “Lei è due artisti lottando” (or something like that) which translates to “You are two artist fighting”. I had the graphic designer (Chwast) and the painter (Monet) who could not reconcile their style. At the end of the year Senior Gattuso said to me, “Ora lei è tre” or, in English, “Now you are three”. Three artists inside me who just can’t bond.

So, when two of the three showed up at this workshop, I decided to divorce them (their friends never supported their union to begin with), and I made this book. It sold in Chicago the first night of a show, and I was so not expecting that to happen. I had not photographed it, but for this one page.

Have to say it worked, in a funny way. Ah, the magic of art making!