Together with graphic designer Mikel Orfanos, artist Heidi Howard published her first monograph this autumn: “Colours make us do vibrant deeds!” features dozens of portraits and murals that the New York artist has conjured up with her experimental brush over the past decade. Buroform had the honour of printing the book in a limited edition. It was a commission to cherish, as the innovative design translated into a number of particularly interesting printing choices.
For more than twenty years, Heidi Howard has been studying visual culture, with a focus on topics such as fashion, architecture and art. A recurring theme is the often fraught relationship between people and the organic, natural and feminine. In 2004, she read Edith Wharton’s The House of Mirth. She was fascinated by the way the author documented society and architecture from a feminist perspective. The book challenges the decorative image of women and establishes a narrative connection between their inner experiences and their visual perception of spaces. A concept that gradually found its way into Howard’s own work. Two decades ago, Howard began painting portraits of family and friends. The artworks are much more than artistic representations of faces. They serve as windows into the minds of the subjects, with the paint applications reflecting specific images, energies, tastes and smells that emerge during the painting process. Howard often places her subject against a saturated decorative background, characterised by abstract patterns and vibrant colours. This dynamic, colourful and uninhibited tone has become a constant in her work. Since 2018, Howard has also focused on larger-scale projects, such as a mural about her mother’s family in the lobby of the Queens Museum. Or “Exchange Place Portraits”, a series of portraits of women from the Jersey City community that she had printed on lamppost banners in local neighbourhoods. Colours make us do vibrant deeds! now brings this and other work together in a new monumental project. A beautifully designed monograph that is as much a catalogue as it is an odyssey into Howard’s adventurous life and work. The fact that the design was created by Dutchman Mikel Orfanos was as coincidental as it was a conscious choice.
Heidi: “In 2018, Mikel visited W139, where I was exhibiting at the time. After his visit, he emailed me to say how much he had appreciated my paintings. Since then, we have kept in touch and often exchanged ideas on topics such as art and literature. In 2021, Mikel finally asked me to collaborate on a book. Of course, I said “yes”. I love artists’ books myself and have dreamed of publishing a monograph of my own since I was a teenager.”
Mikel: “Heidi and I clicked from the very first contact. We have the same taste and share a love of literature and poetry. That fascination with text is clearly reflected in the narrative character of her work and, consequently, in our book. We spent hours talking and exchanging ideas beforehand. About authors and books we love, about printing techniques, binding methods and paper types… about everything. We quickly decided that Heidi’s art and life are so closely connected that the book had to be comprehensive. It would be a kind of odyssey through how she had experienced the past ten to twenty years. That’s how we came up with the idea of using semi-transparent paper and adding handwritten notes. But also to include essays by authors who give their own perspective on Heidi’s work.
Heidi: “Do you know what’s great? The entire composition and design of the book make me look at my own work in a different way. I think a lot about who the people I portray are and what their connection to the world is. At the same time, my own interests have evolved over time, sometimes without me even realising it. The book focuses on my work from the past ten years. During that period, I moved house or studio at least once a year. I think Mikel has succeeded in showing how my work and views both change and remain the same in those changing environments.”
Heidi: ‘Mikel is very passionate about innovation and details. He really takes his time with things. It was great to work with someone who puts his passion first. Ultimately, that was the goal: we wanted to work without limitations and simply create the most exciting and best possible product. I am convinced that this approach is the main reason why we were able to create such an original book.’
Mikel: “I really enjoy working on monographs and catalogues, and I always try to give them my own twist. I have always been surprised by the tunnel vision surrounding the design process in the cultural sector. How can you align content and design in such a way that something innovative is created, both technically and aesthetically? Colour spectrum, paper choice, binding method, those things interest me.”
Heidi: ‘I wanted the book to feel generous, so that it would be easy to hold and read. In 2006, when I was studying in Venice, I made a book about the city. During a group critique, my friend Mark Warren described opening the book as unwrapping a gift. I wanted to achieve that same feeling here. Colour also plays an important role. When I lived in Amsterdam, I noticed that many people in the art world like to wear black. I had a hard time with that. Not because I don’t like the colour, but because I find it sad to cover my body completely in black. Seeing lots of colours brings me joy. That’s why the book is organised according to a colour spectrum. The side looks a bit like a rainbow.
Mikel: “That’s right. There is no page numbering, but a photograph or painting has been chosen for each shade. In other words, the colours determine the order of the images and themes in the book. I also wanted to work with paper that was as thin as possible. The book has 424 pages, so it really couldn’t feel too thick. I also think the binding method is essential. Many books are difficult to leaf through. In the end, we opted for a Swiss binding and worked with different sections so that you can clearly see the transition between images. But the monograph is also full of details that not everyone will notice. For example, there are subtle references to Heidi’s Jewish background, and we give writers a voice where you might not expect it. We did everything we could to eliminate the obvious and think outside the box.
Heidi: ‘I’ll let Mikel tell you that. He decided to have the book printed by you.’ (winks)
Mikel: “I happened to see your name in the colophon of a book. I thought it was beautifully printed, so I got in touch. From the very first conversation, I was pleasantly surprised. Everything was clear right away about how it would all work, and they really thought things through with an emphasis on quality. That gave me a lot of satisfaction. And I have to admit: the end result exceeded all expectations, and we’re really grateful to Buroform for that.”
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