Art in a Box: 30 Creative Projects in Mixed-Media Assemblage

by Marlis Maehrle

Also termed 3-D collage, shadow boxes, or assemblage, this compelling art form is based on how you choose and arrange items in
a "box" (term used loosely!) to create a visual message. With 30
intriguing projects of varied complexity, this complete guide teaches techniques for
arranging, organizing, mounting, and creating narratives. The boxes use easily available items like cigar boxes, unusual packaging containers, or mint tins. The form's history is covered too, including the curiosity cabinets of Renaissance Europe, the found-object assemblage boxes created in the 20th century by Joseph Cornell, and the works artists create today. You'll find examples that teach arrangement, grouping, and assembly, and a 40-page inspirational gallery of works by expert artists.

• ISBN10: 0764358413
• ISBN13: 9780764358418
• Publish Date: 28 November 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Schiffer Publishing Ltd
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 176
• Language: English

Reviews

[annieb123]

Originally published on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Art in a Box is a technique and process guide to 3-D collage by Marlis Maehrle. Originally published in German in 2018, this English translation is due out 28th Nov 2019 from Schiffer Publishing, it's 176 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

This is a studio procedural/tutorial manual with a lot of interesting insights from a working professional artist on collage and her process for selection of materials through presentation. Since art creation is so precisely an individual process, readers may find little here which can be replicated. In fact the author says herself: "The main point of this book of instructions isn’t to invite you to merely rework any of the projects. Instead, it’s to inspire you to discover personal finds and individual
design themes".

A lot of collage is training the eye to see disparate objects as related or coordinated and curating/presenting/synthesizing them together into (hopefully) an artistic work that doesn't look like random object slung into a box unintentionally. In my case, I'm almost always fighting the drive to try to incorporate more (more MORE) items in a piece. The author has a deft touch with her creations and the pieces she has pictured are very much in the 'less is more' school of aesthetics.

This would make a good choice as a gift for working artists, maker spaces, studio or guild libraries, or just a lovely coffee table book. The photography is lush, clear, and abundant. It is emphatically -not- a crafting book. There aren't really any copy-able items.
Five stars for the above mentioned purposes, 2-3 for crafters looking for projects to reproduce.

Note: The publishing info states that the book is due out 28th Nov, but it appears to currently be available from online retailers; (so this review is being published early).

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.