"Angora Cat" by Norbertine von Bresslern-Roth

She is perched on a grey wave of fabric. Her feather duster tail follows the arch of a bulging pillow. Tufts of fur the color of vanilla ice cream lazily lean in this and that direction, resembling overgrown grass. Her pale form stands out from the dark corner like bio-luminescent sea urchin.

Something has caught her attention. The eyes of the predator are sharp, focused. Do not let this luxurious coat fool or distract you. She is more than fluff.

Invitation to Ritual

Here's the info for the exhibition Ritual, for which I created three single sheet books: Scarlett, In My Yard, and Four Cats. Check out the online catalog for the show to see all the submissions by clicking here. 

110 CHURCH gallery invites you to retreat from the cold into our gallery, transformed into a reading room. Be surrounded by stories, engulfed by pages, dazzled by over two hundred books. Books on shelves. Books on tables. Books hanging. Walls covered with books on display. Take books down, curl up and read. Fall in love with a book, buy it, and take it home.

Each of these books has been constructed from a single-sheet surface that is no larger than 11 x 17 inches. Over one hundred artists submitted books, addressing the theme: ritual.

RiTUAL. A ceremonial act ~ Rites used in the course of worship ~ The performance of ceremonial acts ~ The prescribed form of conducting the ceremony ~ A method of procedure that is followed without variation ~ performance with gestures, words, and objects, often in a sequestered place.

Pricing: $20, $75, $250 or free.

ARTIST RECEPTION
Saturday, December 14, 2013
3 - 6 pm

EXHIBITION
Friday, December 6, 2013 through
Saturday, January 25, 2014

FIRST FRIDAYS
Friday, December 6, 2013
Friday, January 3, 2014
5 - 8 pm

"Last Leaves of Autumn" by Viza Arlington

Image posted with the permission of the artist. Click here for links to Viza Arlington's blog and Etsy store.

Someone says the word winter, and we think of snow. But snow - oh lovely snow, bright, airy, and playful! - is not a constant presence everywhere there is winter. Often it's just cold and dry and bleak. The trees stand naked, and I desire to run out to the discount store to buy them some fleece blankets, or if I'm truly devoted, knit them sweaters. On such winter days I yearn for nature's dazzling cover of snow.

A month ago, to look at trees was to be enthralled by a towering spectacle of color. Now, as autumn wanes, I watch the trees strip down, day by day a little more exposed. Some are already leafless, scrawny, and embittered by their shame. Beside them stand the hopeless diehards. Their spattering of cheery reds and other warm hues against an ice-blue sky are like the last bite of the most moist, rich, and fragrant chocolate cake I've ever enjoyed. Savor it, pay the bill, then walk away.

Four Cats (Finished Book)

 Here is the third, finished book  to  submit it to Ritual. The entire sheet of paper is 11" x 17" making each page when folded 4.25" x 5.5". Each printed image is 3" x 4". They are all white line woodcuts which means the lines were carved in a wood block and then each raised shape was painted with watercolors. I printed each by spritzing the entire painted block with water and then rubbing it onto the paper with a wooden spoon. It took approximately 10 hours to draw and carve all eight images, and another 3 and a half hours to print a single book. 

The first photo here is the front and back covers. Next are the following three double-page spreads. And the last photograph is of the entire single sheet of paper unfolded. 

The subject for this book is in fact my four pet cats, Aubrey, Horatio, Sasquatch, and Kubaba, and all of the drawings are from photographs I took of them around the house. 

Together, apart...

begging, glaring...

peeking, crouching.

"Feeding Time" (proof)

This is a proof of the back cover of the third and final single sheet book  I plan to  submit it to the exhibition Ritual. The image is 3" x 4" and a white line woodcut. This means that the lines are carved out of the block and then I paint in all the raised areas with watercolors. (The second photo is of the block after I printed from it.) Traditionally white line woodcuts are printed shape by shape. But that process is impractical for the printing of this book, so I'm trying another method which I read about on this post of printmaker Viza Arlington's blog. It involves painting the whole block first and letting it dry, then spraying it with a mist of water to reconstitute the paint for printing. Arlington used a press in her post (she was doing a large edition for a fundraiser), but since I'm only doing one-offs and small editions and I don't have a press in my studio, I'm using wooden spoons and elbow grease to print these kitties. 

In My Yard (Finished Book)

I finished the second of three single-sheet, 8-page books which I plan to  submit it to the exhibition Ritual. 

The whole sheet of paper measures 11" x 15", so when it is folded each page measures 3.75" x 5.5". It is printed on 120 lb watercolor paper. Each image is printed from a carved wood block with oil-based black ink and then hand colored with watercolors (see below for what it looks like before being colored.) It took me 2 hours to print 2 books and another 2 hours to hand paint one of those books. 

In My Yard is also for sale on my Etsy store for $75. (Same price it will be at the exhibit.) 

In My Yard: "Ladybug"

Woodcut
Black ink with hand coloring with watercolors
3" x 4" (image)
For sale here. 

This is the seventh in a series for a single sheet handmade book called In My Yard. This book will be submitted to the exhibition Ritual taking place in December in Philadelphia. 

My four-year-old daughter stopped to point out a little ladybug on a pumpkin on our porch this past October. I love the combination of the warm colors of autumn in this image. Again I played with the scale a bit to make it work, increasing the size of the ladybug. This will be the cover for the book; I deliberately left room at the bottom for the title.