Baltimore Sonnets

beneath the earth where souls rest the fiery haired goddess sings her midnight song 48" x 32" chromogenic film print cardinals  bellow bluebirds  weep  thesmophoriazusae

In the middle of the  journey  of our life I found myself in a dark wood where the straight way was lost. Ah! how hard a thing it is to tell what a wild, and rough, and stubborn wood this was, which the very thought  renews the fear! The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri Inferno, Canto I

When art heals . . . Sutures , Acrylic on Canvas, 2012

Masks, printmaking on handmade papers, 2013 Говорят надо проще надо чище без эмоций пусть искусство говорит пусть образы самовыражаются не надо на личности не надо за кулисы не надо  пота не надо слез не надо боли не надо жизни давай -- художественно давай -- разноцветно давай -- потише давай --покрасивее Отвечаю творю -- как творят поэты

more inspiration from Botticelli, mythology, allegories and my visits to the Uffizi Dithyramb , a page from Yellow Jazz by Suzanne Coley The goat song of life and death Origin:   Goat Song Greek   tragōidía,     equivalent   to trág   (  os   )  goat  +  ōidḗ     song  or ode

entering the great Uffizi to see Botticelli's  allegory of spring I sit on the bench azul Zephyrus blows at Flora I sit and sketch viewers come and go I sit and imagine Venus and the Graces  Italian tempera paints of 1482 I look around the ornate hall my hands sketch  memories  from another storyteller goddesses I have only read in books act iv, scene i Juno, queen of the gods fertile and feminine  summoned by magical Ariel I know what my  Jeweled Spring will look like

by Suzanne Coley Photo: Suzanne Coley       Red Chair. Eastern State Penitentiary Taking photos at Eastern State Penitentiary, PA They Say keep it simple keep it clean don't get emotional let your art do the talking let your images tell the stories don't get personal don't show behind the scenes don't show the sweat don't show the tears don't show the pain don't show life keep it artsy keep it colorful keep it calm keep it pretty I Say i do as poets do

A box of Ooks   please. A box of Ooks.   When I was director of a  New York City art program I would "serve Ooks" at  art functions instead of chocolates.   Each Ook is 2.5"(h) x 15"(w) opened. I would open a box of Ooks and instruct everyone to take one and pass it on. Everyone enjoyed receiving  a one-of-a kind b ook. Each Ook is 2.5"(h) x 2"(w) closed.   Layered with imagery and meaning, the accordion structure of the Ooks allows for the creation of  interesting designs on the  front and back.  Ooks: Texturized covers I decided to create Ooks  from all the leftover  scrap papers whenever I was commissioned  to make a Life Book or livre d'artiste . Ooks are tiny visual narratives that allow the reader to  detail page play with the engaging  accordion structured  visual poetry. Ooks! Wonderful gift...

And yet to times in hope my verse shall stand, Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand. Wm. Shakespeare Sonnet LX Hope from upcoming Monster Series

hope  : noun 1. a desire accompanied with expectation of obtaining what is desired or belief that it is obtainable hope : verb 1. to cherish a desire with expectation 2. archaic: to place confidence or trust  - usually used with in Inside Out Today I planned to write a poem about hope and hopelessness, and post a print of  a cityscape swollen with poverty. Why? One day at the homeless shelter when I was doing arts and crafts with mothers and their children, the subject of "hope"  and what  it meant came up. All the children and their moms wanted to talk about what "hope" meant to them, and they  said some interesting things. But, one 6 year-old boy  touched us all. He said, "Hope is  something you wish for but know you are never gonna get." And, he began to tell us  why hope is hopeless.

Sonnet XXVII A2L from Coco Looks Good Weary with toil, I haste me to my bed, The dear repose for limbs with travel tired, But then begins a journey in my head To work my mind, when body's work's expired; For then my thoughts (from far where I abide) Intend a zealous pilgrimage to thee, And keep my drooping eyelids open wide, Looking on darkness which the blind do see; Save that my soul's imaginary sight Presents [thy] shadow to my sightless view, Which like a jewel hung in ghastly night, Makes black night beauteous, and her old face new,   Lo thus by day my limbs, by night my mind,   For thee, and for myself, no quiet find. Wm Shakespeare

  facial expressions as powerful and  complex as words especially when  emotion  is paralyzed Linocut by Suzanne Coley There's no art  To find the mind's construction in the face Macbeth Act I, Scene iv

  Monster Series First print on  handmade paper from 100% post-consumer fibers for new series. Violet: He listened on handmade paper   I covered too much of the embedded text by accident. I wanted to leave He listened. He heard.  but all you see is He listened. He h detail of Violet: He Listened   Charbonnel black ink worked best for the handmade papers I made. (see detail image above) Charbonnel Inks  Charbonnel is an oil based ink usually used with  etchings .

A Stamp's Silent Song what stories do  you bring? The back of one of my postcards A postage stamp can be the most stunning image on  a letter sometimes. When I began my postcard series I wanted to use my own art work for  the postage stamps. I ordered mine online from USPS website   A selection of international postage stamps I used for my handmade papers I have been collecting  postage stamps for years and I have been looking for ways to incorporate them into my art. Handmade papers with postage stamps and thread The  Smithsonian  National Postal Museum has a really nice selection of cancelled stamps  from all over  the world. They are reasonably priced!

O' Jealous wind of Zephyrus The last discus throw for Hyacinthus and Apollo by Suzanne Coley     new life     old tales                                                death                                    re-birth                   love   jealousy                         power                                           strength how one wind  can change it all

is form and color acrylic on paper and board by Suzanne Coley my mother visited me this week and I realized I could paint and draw before I could  speak a language mother tongue

Queen Shasha stepped over  the 59th street  bridge  right before getting caught in  a bureaucratic tapestry that even  Arachne couldn't weave. No kids to remove. Queen Shasha was one step ahead. The story she told  the  pretty friendly lady dressed in  a stiff blue suit at Bellevue was rehearsed and believed. Queen Shasha welcomed experimental cocktails of blues, whites, and greens. Took her mind off the unknown man with false teeth telling half truths on the corner of 5th. Bright blue spandex tights  and gold halter. Her best Mommy outfit. (excerpt of one of the poems  from my upcoming Monster Series )

s monoprint on paper by Suzanne Coley

Venusberg came to life in the most unexpected place linocut on antique opera program one Friday morning  before the sun rose, on a   New York City street two stacks of  antique Metropolitan Opera House programs and magazines were thrown in the garbage with other discarded  paper products Divas in the trash so many stories to tell so many dramas to act so many lyrics to sing this was not their  final curtain call I took a stack and another passerby  took the other

I am shy, and it was difficult to send postcards to people I admire, but had never met. This image appeared on the first postcard exquisite postcards made with love and many hours in the studio Two recipients contacted me. One, with a lovely card. The other, through e-mail. Thank you both!

Carving at the  speed of life Monster Series  unveiling  my  core   carving through the layers exposed to the world

on sundays i miss brooklyn la bodega on broadway cafe con leche  in white porcelain cups linoleum cut proof for Monster Series  on sundays broadway in  brooklyn takes you  to the williamsburg bridge suspended in air for 2.3 miles all steel, metal and dreams  trains, bikes and reality as i walk toward delancey street to the lower east side on sundays i miss . . . *poem and linocut are  works in progress for new Monster series

100% post-consumer fibers unpredictable temperamental textured handmade paper from glossy magazines leave tiny circles fossils handmade paper from glossy papers paper specimens beautiful forms

Fossils permanent traces of things  that don't exist anymore paper uncovering stories of lives once lived Handmade pulp and paper:  Front view exposing the past sheet by sheet Handmade pulp and paper. Back view mysterious molds  whisper secrets

Antique lace is so beautiful that I wanted to make paper that resembled it. The process: " Blow out " is the name of the handmade paper process I used to make these sheets of paper. When the pulp is on the mould, I placed a plastic lace doily  on top of the pulp.  Then, using a water hose, I sprayed the excess pulp off the mould leaving only the silhouette  of the lace. Sshh.... here's the secret: I kept blowing all the pulp  off the mould, leaving only bits and pieces of the silhouette. After two hours of ruining everything I touched, I finally was able to perfect the  blow out process.   The secret was controlling the  water when you spray! Photo credit: The City of Baltimore I am currently experimenting with creating translucent papers from recycled paper products.

The yellow sheets are  handmade paper I created in a papermaking class  at Dieu Donne  in New York City Telescope   ( handmade paper, linocut, collage) I didn't have enough handmade paper to cover the whole linocut, so I hand marbled the paper, cut it up and glued  the pieces in different places on a large sheet of  Somerset paper.

As a book artist and printmaker one of the best places to  display one-of-a-kind and limited edition books is the library Brooklyn Public Library gave a wonderful reception. I was invited to talk about my printmaking process and why book arts is my primary  visual medium. Book arts allows me to  write poetry, draw, illustrate, and incorporate various printmaking techniques  (silkscreen, lithography,  woodcuts, and linocuts) and paint (the covers). The finished books are complete and offer  interesting visual narratives. My exhibit had over 50 handmade books in addition to my sketches, diaries, and journals.

Exhibiting at  Brooklyn Public Library was a dream come true. BPL allowed me to design the display cabinets for my exhibition. I used 5 yards of fabric to decorate all the cabinets. New York City Winter 2011 snowy, wet, dreary outside I wanted to brighten the space with gold and red Silkscreened prints  drying in the studio I silkscreened images from my  sketchbooks and  handmade books on fabric. detail of one silkscreen scroll The images took two days  to thoroughly dry. The little books are made from left over paper from my larger books. I love making tiny accordion  visual books I call "OOKS".   I remove the B from b ooks  and call them OOKS because they are so tiny.