Fine Arts, Senior
Like the other complete books Craig has made, Feels is an exercise in complete artistic control. He writes, "The ultimate goal is to create a book that demonstrates a creative concept with original content and a standard of craftsmanship that all come together to make a comprehensive whole. The importance of Feels is not the complete realization of that goal, but the exercise of it. More specifically, Feels is a book about tactility and emotion in a visual and physical language."
This work was inspired by William Blake's Songs of Innocence.
The facsimile illustration shows the title-page of William Blake's Songs of Innocence. This can be considered one of the first artist's books having been authored, illustrated, and produced by Blake. "Illuminated printing," a relief etching method Blake developed allowed him to not only simplify production by directly drawing on the plate, but also keep all facets of creation and production together. The acid would then eat away the unpainted surface, leaving the design in relief and ready for inking and printing. As Blake did not use type for the text of this work, this meant that he needed to write his text backwards, a skill essential for engravers and printers. After printing, the illustrations were hand-painted by Blake and his wife, Catherine. Syracuse University's copy, created in 1789, is one of 33 known to exist.