23 Sandy Gallery is pleased to present this limited edition hand bound book by an artist who is often credited with sparking the modern day explosion of interest in the field of book arts. This spark was lit back in 1995 when her seminal book, Cover to Cover, was first published. Shereen's work is the reason many artists are active in the field still today. She inspired a generation of artists with her own collectible limited editions and her accessible, commercially published book with easy-to-follow instructions on how to make books as art. The Day I Became Me is a limited edition artist book, one of the last available titles by a remarkable artist who left us much, much too early and is dearly missed. Shereen LaPlantz was an incredible researcher and scholar. She was a voracious reader and had a curiosity about life, humanity, events, dragons, objects and things in general. Shereen and her husband, David, used to frequent their favorite Japanese Restaurant, the Samurai Restaurant in Eureka, CA. Every March, to commemorate Japanese Girl's Day or Doll Day, the owner would create a visually intriguing display from her collection of antique Hina Dolls. Shereen was always fascinated by the dolls and their display. Eventually, she decided to do an artists' book on Japanese Hina dolls. She began by researching Hina dolls and then photographed all of the dolls displayed at the Japanese restaurant. From all of this visual imagery and her extensive research, Shereen designed and developed this incredible Artists’ book. David tells us that he has always felt that Hina Dolls book was one of Shereen's most imaginative and visually powerful creations along with the her Jewish Wedding Rings Book. In describing the Shereen's Hina Doll Book, David explained, "Once the elegant, tall paper image is untied and allowed to expand the Hina Dolls book springs to life with a commanding, visual storytelling presence (much like the maker) and a slip out compartment that contains the coolest looking book Shereen ever created! The power of Shereen's Japanese Girls Day celebration dolls tells an enchanting tale for women of any age or ethnicity. The dolls tell a story, the story is magical and the reader's heart can't help but be filled with joy and majesty."