Check out Lauren Bishop’s Artwork

Today we’d like to introduce you to Lauren Bishop.

Lauren, we’d love to hear your story and how you got to where you are today both personally and as an artist.
I’m a photographer, book artist, and plant lady. I’m a staff photographer at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by day and a bookbinder/book artist on nights and weekends. I’ve always had a passion for life’s intricate details and finding beauty in the mundane. I earned a BFA in Photography from Kennesaw State University and as a by-product, discovered my love for the book as a sculptural, communicative art form.

We’d love to hear more about your art. What do you do and why and what do you hope others will take away from your work?
In a book operation recently coined ‘Opaline Book Press’, I make one-of-a-kind artists’ books as well as handmade blank journals. My artists’ books incorporate my own images as well as found / family images to probe concepts such as the subjectivity and fragility of memory, history, and family ties. I am very drawn to sculptural book formats such as the flag book and the tunnel book — they have such a unique way of communicating that breaks the barriers of what is conventionally thought of as a ‘book’. In making journals, I concentrate on a binding dating back to the 2nd century AD called the Coptic binding. The binding is constructed with one single waxed linen thread that is sewn throughout the book’s covers and pages. Beautiful, strong, and flexible, this binding creates a definite rhythm down the spine and is extremely meditative to create. I make hardcover journals with gorgeous marbled papers as well as journals with seashells as covers — working with these materials is so inspiring because it makes each book completely unique.

Have things improved for artists? What should cities do to empower artists?
I think that in this day and age, connections that artists can make online can prove life-changing. Case in point: one of my artists’ books entitled ‘Capsule’ was collected by Colorado College’s Tutt Library Special Collections after the curator stumbled upon the images I posted of it on Tumblr. Etsy is a wonderful way to sell my bookbinding work while balancing the other aspects of my life. Most of all, Instagram has proven to be infinitely inspiring in terms of the book arts community present there — it is also such a wonderful place to get my work seen. Atlanta has a wonderful and thriving artist community — there are opportunities around every corner if you can only make the time for them!

Do you have any events or exhibitions coming up? Where would one go to see more of your work? How can people support you and your artwork?
My artists’ books can be seen on my website under ‘Books’ — www.laurenabishop.com.

For handmade journals as well as the occasional artist’s book, check out my Instagram — @opalinebookpress.

To support my work, check out my Opaline Book Press Etsy shop for one-of-a-kind handmade journals — www.etsy.com/shop/opalinebookpress

I am hoping to start exhibiting artists’ books more frequently in the future, so keep your eyes peeled!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.opalinebookpress.etsy.com
• Email: opalinebookpress@gmail.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/opalinebookpress
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/opalinebookpress
• Other: www.laurenabishop.com

Image Credit:
Photo of artist – Maury Gortemiller; Photo of 2 shell books in hands – Maury Gortemiller; All other photos – Lauren Bishop

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