about
the art of eileen arnow-levine…
Welcome to arnowart.com, a portfolio of the artists books that I have written, illustrated, self published and in some cases hand bound. Each book has its own page with a detailed description and one or more photos. The pages are listed in reverse chronological order, listing my most recent books first. Over the years, I have expanded the scope of my creative activities, so I have also included illustrated notecards and limited editions of handmade boxes to my website.
I recently completed my newest artists' book Stranded On The Road. It has a more linear storyline than some of my previous books and is like a mini-graphic novel. When initially writing the story, I had just begun making songs in GarageBand. While developing the story, I decided to also make songs for specific scenes of the book. I now have both the chapbook and the CD soundtrack available to purchase. In addition, I created a handmade accordion book edition of 20 of Stranded On The Road, which is also available to purchase through Etsy. Links to each item on the Stranded On The Road page.
My process of creating a book often encompasses a number of years. I begin with images and ideas that I turn into rough storyboards. Often they start out as thumbnail sketches. Then I go larger as the ideas and imagery begin to seem plausible. For Stranded On The Road I used drybrush India ink to create gestural drawings as my storyboards. Then I turned those rough ideas and images into detailed pencil drawing layouts. When all of the pencil drawing layouts were completed I inked them with rapidograph pens. The final process was scanning and importing them into a layout created in InDesign. Then it went off to the printer where it was digitally printed. I have put this kind of care and attention to detail into all of my books. I hope that comes across as you scroll through my site.
I began creating satirical artists' books that focus on death in 1987. My early books were a part of the "Zine Scene" of the 1980's. Over time I delved into making books that stand on the edge of being short graphic novels and fine art. All of them have been in exhibitions and are part of collections worldwide. An early interest in children's books made a lasting impression on how I perceive and represent the world. In creating my artists books, I try to emulate the look and feel of children’s books while also tackling issues that have to do with the human condition. My subject matter tends to be on the dark side, often dealing with death or life's cruelties. I enjoy the contrast between black and white, beauty and ugliness, sadness and humor and use dualism as a means to find balance within my work.
The majority of my work is for sale, unless noted otherwise, and can be ordered through my Etsy store or by contacting me directly via email or snail mail. My Etsy store accepts VISA, MasterCard, AMEX, Discover, Etsy Gift Cards and PayPal and ships worldwide. To enter My Etsy store go to my store/contact page and click on any item on the MINI Preview of my Etsy store or click on any of the Etsy logos throughout my website. I also have rotating collections of my work available in the Creative Gallery at Wit and Whim in Port Washington, NY. You can follow me on Instagram: arnowart and friend or follow me on Facebook: Eileen Arnow-Levine.
You can also view a video of me creating The Bunnies Knew Better handmade edition of 20 artists books in my studio on my website and on YouTube. The video footage was shot by my husband Jim Levine and edited by The House of Pomegranates with music by The Sitwells.
I would like to thank my husband, friends and family for all their encouragement and advice.
I hope you enjoy!
Eileen Arnow-Levine