August 20, 2019

A LIFE MADE BY HAND

A Life Made By Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa by Andrea D'Aquino is a biography of lesser-known wire sculptor Ruth Asawa.


Ruth always loved making things with her hands, from her early childhood days working on the farm to making shapes by folding paper over and over again. After studying various forms of studio and performance art in college, it was a trip to Mexico that provided Ruth with the inspiration she needed to create the body of her life's work: weaving wire itself. And Ruth would spend the rest of her life weaving wire to create massive, gravity-defying sculptures that would be exhibited all around the world.


D'Aquino created the illustrations by collaging charcoal and colored pencil drawings with hand-painted and monoprinted papers. The colors are all set in earth tones, hearkening back to Ruth's upbringing on the farm and the influence of nature on her work. Just like Ruth's hands, the illustrations are also busy, collaged together but always full of space to allow readers to reflect on the events of Ruth's life.


A Life Made By Hand: The Story of Ruth Asawa publishes from Princeton Architectural Press on September 3, 2019.



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