The Reach for Enlightenment, 2025 (Original)

Original pen drawing framed in altered book with magnifying glass bookmark The Reach for Enlightment, 2025 This piece transforms Voltaire’s Candide into a sculptural narrative. Carved into the book’s spine, a small niche cradles a hanging bookmark adorned with a pen and ink drawing. The drawing depicts a boy on a step ladder, stretching toward a red book—the only splash of color, mirroring the crimson tone of the Candide volume itself. Above, a black cat perches on the bookshelf, gazing down with silent curiosity. The artwork reflects the novel’s sharp satire on optimism and humanity’s relentless pursuit of truth. The red book symbolizes knowledge—tempting yet almost out of reach—while the watchful cat hints at the mysteries and doubts that shadow such quests. Bookbound Miniature Series Each piece in the Bookbound Miniature Series is a meticulously crafted fusion of literature and fine art, transforming the pages of books into immersive worlds of miniature storytelling. Embedded withi