For book artist Alice Simpson, telling a story integrates her lifelong passion for dance with her background in graphic design. ”Born and raised in New York City, Simpson attended the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York where she studied fashion illustration. For more than 30 years, she worked as a graphic designer and fashion illustrator for various high-end cosmetic companies, such as Revlon and Estee Lauder. Her creative work appeared in national beauty magazines, including ‘Cosmopolitan,’ ‘Glamour’ and ‘Vogue.’ ”In the1980s, Simpson made the cross-country move to California to work at Redken Laboratories in the Los Angeles area. While there, she worked on advertising campaigns, packaging displays and promotional materials for beauty moguls Max Factor and Vidal Sassoon. ”In 1992, after Simpson moved back to New York, a friend invited her to the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine. ‘That experience really changed my life,’ Simpson says. Since then, she has been accepted to the prestigious school every year. ”It was at Haystack where Simpson first began creating artist, or handmade, books. ‘It was the first time in a long time that I had finally done my own creative work,’ she says. ‘It was exciting to discover what I was capable of doing when it wasn’t for a client.’ ”After discovering her love and knack for creating artist books, Simpson opted to remain in New York and make the transition from graphic artist to artist book creator. ‘With graphics, everything has to be very pristine and perfect,’ she says. ‘Artist books can be imperfect. They’re also sculptural, as well as being books, so they have more of a dimension than graphics.’ ”Simpson’s artists books combine both creative illustrations with words (stories, poems or quotes). ‘As I became more comfortable with making the books, I began discovering that I could write.’ ”At one point, Simpson went through ‘a peach phase,’ where all her artist books were based on the fuzzy fruit. The vast majority of Simpson’s books, however, incorporate the theme of dance. She attributes her love of dance to her father, who was a vaudeville dancer. ‘There was always music and dancing in my house.’ ”Simpson, who targets her books for adults, writes about various types of dances, including tango, rumba and waltz. She has even created a book based on the hit movie, ‘Dirty Dancing.’ ‘I just love the way couples configure themselves in different contemporary dances,’ she says. ”Simpson says her favorite book is usually the one she’s just finished. She compares her work to her favorite author, Charles Dickens, since many of her books are caricatures like his books were. ”Artist books, Simpson explains, are very delicate. The problem is they can’t really be handled since the oils in people’s hands can soak into the handmade papers. ‘As a result, they have to be shown under glass or must be [handled] with cotton gloves,’ she says. ‘They must also be protected from light so they won’t fade.’ ”Many of Simpson’s books fall under a ‘unique’ or ‘one-of-a-kind’ category. These books are hand-painted and likely feature calligraphy-style writing. Her other category of books are ‘limited editions,’ printed on a letter press or a computer. ”To create her 12-page, handmade books’which can take anywhere from one day to several months’Simpson uses countless tools and supplies, including handmade paper, water color, ink, acrylic and paints. In an era where many designs and artwork are computer-produced, Simpson says she only turns to the computer to generate type or to print. ”One of Simpson’s most successful books is entitled ‘Tango Bar,’ which took nearly two years to produce. The tunnel, or accordion-style, book features a man and a woman in various tango dance positions and utilizes a vibrant array of colors on each page. In addition to designing, coloring and printing each book, Simpson created a handmade box for each one (which themselves have become collector’s items). ”To date, Simpson has crafted almost 40 handmade books, which range in price from $45 to $4,000, depending on the collection. She says her business background has played a vital role in helping her market her books. ‘I do see my work as a business.”’ ”Simpson’s artist book collections are featured in the renowned collections of the Lincoln Center Library for the Performing Arts in New York City, Yale’s Art of the Book Collection, the Victoria and Albert National Art Library in London and many other private and public rare book collections. ”Talent seems to run in the family. Simpson’s son, Mike, of Pasadena, is a record producer for Dust Brothers. A three-time Grammy winner, he has worked with A-list musicians such as the Beastie Boys, Carlos Santana, The Rolling Stones and Beck. He also worked on the music for the movie, ‘The Fight Club.’ ”Currently, Simpson is visiting Pacific Palisades and will teach a two-day creative writing and book arts workshop on September 17-18. The workshop is for members of Journey Beyond Business, an organization comprised of highly successful business people. Participants will create one-of-a-kind artist books based on a photograph of someone special to them. ”Over the past two years, Simpson has explored her interest in working with clay. She’s even created a hip-hop series from clay and has just finished a hip-hop book. Her upcoming exhibition in New York, called ‘Urban Motion,’ will feature works from her hip-hop series. ”Simpson says she’s thankful to have such a special gift and be able to share it with others. ‘I feel very fortunate. It’s very special to do what you love.’ (Editor’s Note: Jolene Hull, a native of Iowa, is finishing her journalism degree at Iowa State University by performing a 12-week internship at the Palisadian-Post).
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
