Covered

Covered (2019). Natural dyes and inkjet print on handmade paper, thread. 7.5 x 7.45 x 0.5′ closed, 11 pages, variable edition of 10. Collections of Oberlin, Indiana University Wells Library, Iowa State University Parks Library, Los Angeles Public Library, UNC Greensboro Library, Cynthia Sears Collection, private collections.

I wrote and drew Covered after someone noted that a great many surfaces in my home were covered in some kind of way. I live alone and was completely unconscious of this tendency, though sometimes in the past I had noted how my mother used textiles to cover the piano or the air conditioner wall unit.

When I looked at my home with fresh eyes, I was amazed by what I had done. This book is not an exhaustive catalog of all the covers and their purposes, but a window into the objects I chose to place in my home and the stories behind them. Colors and patterns are described but mostly left to the imagination in the accompanying illustrations. From time to time, real color appears as tipped-in handmade paper that I dyed with plant materials. The way I clothe my furniture and belongings is not much different from how I get dressed. Even the covers of the book are coated in persimmon juice: a protective coating rather than a dye that protects from moisture, insects, and dust. Though the edition is variable, each version is made from paper mulberry fibers that I hand processed and pulled in my hanji vat (which itself is a box covered with pond liner to act as waterproofing. From a distance, it looks like black draping).