Baltimore Sonnets

unexpected sweats in the  middle of tea with friends drips and puddles in hidden places 43, 44, 45 acrylic and gold leaf on Fabriano paper fire shoots through your skin in the freezer section at the grocery store 46, 47, 48 men                                             o                                                          p a u s e *from the biology of womanhood series, 2012 - present

dark alleys beneath broken lights which way out  one chance, no mistakes silence  night creatures seek food she heads in their direction her path out the ghetto

Oh, the patience it takes . . . 

*handmade paper with texturized wooden frame Still working on those boxes. Not sure how they are going to turn out. . .   I used the left over wood to create unique frames for  handmade papers.   *This paper was made  from a  discarded dictionary. 

I had this idea for my new  Monster Series: Create large folding boxes  that would contain  imagery and text and tell stories. Cuadro II, The Red Box These boxes would also contain my  handmade papers . Cuadro II drying  When unfolded,  the boxes would form  complete circles.  One side a beautiful design. The other side a story. Inside my handmade papers. Learning how to use machines & tools. Easier to imagine than  actually do. Making the frames for handmade papers I am learning so much about  hard woods, soft woods,  drills, tools   Black & Decker , DeWalt ,  and instruction  manuals. Cutting pine radiata for frames I have so much respect for  artists & crafters who make their final pieces look flawless!

sometimes I have ink left over after I make a  series  of prints Cerebellum 66, 2013 (ink, fabric patterns, markers, acrylic) these days I try to have  extra papers around my printing press  so that I can  make  marks and  images with all my left overs

Here are a few of my  postage stamps. It was hard to photograph the deep purple hue of the stamp. I tried to mail as many postcards with the  32 cents rate as possible because the postage stamp rates  seemed to go up by the time I was  finished printing all the cards. My Periwinkle stamps for the international postcards. These are the postcards that had the  Periwinkle stamps. Linocuts on postcards, Suzanne Coley I sprayed all the cards with Krylon's Workable Fixatif . It is acid free/archival and protects the handprinted cards as they go through the USPS machinery. Cards drying after being sprayed.  I used 3 bottles for 250 cards (front & back). GIVE AWAY: I have three postcards left.   If you are interested in receiving a card, please  post when was the last time you  mailed a postcard (or not). Do you send e-cards? I will make the final selection on July 15th...

  Until the mid 1900's  most of the images on  postage  stamps w ere created  by engravings. One of the most famous engravers  was Czeslaw Slania. Swedish Royal Family stamps engraved by Czeslaw Slania, 1995 Czeslaw Slania created over  1000 postage stamps  and was the official court engraver  for Sweden, Denmark, and Monaco. The Smithsonian National Postal Museum   has a candid photograph of  Mr. Slania working in his studio.   I was so inspired by Mr. Slania  that I created postage stamps  for each batch of  postcards. Mailing handmade postcards at the National Postal Museum.   A few more cards, ready for mailing. This sign was in the museum.

When I consider every thing that grows Holds in perfection but a little moment; Page from my Journal, 153 over 99 That this huge stage presenteth nought but shows Whereon the stars in secret influence comment; When I perceive that men as plants increase, Cheered and check'd even by the self-same sky, Vaunt in their youthful sap, at height decrease, And wear their brave state out of memory: Then the conceit of this inconstant stay Sets you most rich in youth before my sight, Where wasteful Time debateth with Decay To change your day of youth to sullied night, And all in war with Time for love of you, As he takes from you, I ingraft you new. William Shakespeare

Early in the morning on Saturday, June 8, I was walking down the National Mall in Washington, DC and noticed piles and piles and  piles  and piles of bones.   There were lots of teenagers and adults dressed in white and I asked them what was going on.  They said they were part of the  " One Million Bones "  art project.  They were very friendly and explained that the  bones were going to be spread across the massive National Mall lawn to raise awareness of the genocides and atrocities in the world today.   They said that the project was in their schools and  students helped make the bones.   The bones were made from  paper, plaster, clay and  cardboard material. As I was leaving, van loads of people dressed in white were arriving for the bone-laying ceremony and events. Later, I learned that this project is the  brainchild of artis...

The creation of lime green paper took a lot longer than I imagined. Linocut on handmade paper, June 2013 The more I experiment  with recycled papers, the less I feel I really know. A few papers look, feel, and tear  the same; however, when I break down their fibers, I discover their chemistry is different.  (I am keeping a record of these types of papers and will post at some point. ) Finding the perfect shade: Experiment with green paper   The experiments with creating green, blue,  black, and brown papers  are coming  along well.   I also printed on  a core log.  My next task is to integrate  the handmade sheets with the core logs. Notes from the Center of the Earth : First print on a  Core Log

alone searching for balance one with breath stillness creation design

Excerpts from The Geometry of Chaos multilayered silkscreened pages on vellum and Rives BFK world news suffocates citizens fear seeps into the Dow a new type of Jones black and blue with purple bruises two color silkscreen over silver relief print streets of forgotten dreams luxury cars crash into Earth's gut linocuts on transparent vellum sheets change permeates the stale air Garden of Hope

Silver Miasma , acrylic and silver on paper 48" x 36" On a Poet's lips I slept Dreaming like a love-adept In the sound his breathing kept; Nor seeks nor finds he mortal blisses But feeds on the aerial kisses Of shapes that haunt thought's wildernesses. He will watch from dawn to gloom The lake-reflected sun illume The yellow bees i' the ivy-bloom Nor heed nor see, what things they be; But from these create he can Forms more real than living man, Nurslings of immortality! One of these awakened me And I sped to succour thee. Prometheus Unbound I, Percy Shelley 

embracing the wind and all it blows your way the smell of your first orchid the bite of your first peach the sounds of your first cello the sight of your first tangled alphabet the moment you realize you exist  reality is no longer a dream

The World's Wanderers Tell me, thou star whose wings of light Speed thee in thy fiery flight, In what cavern of the night Will thy pinions close now? Tell me, moon, thou pale and grey Pilgrim of heaven's homeless way, In what depth of night or day Seekest thou repose now? Weary wind, who wanderest Like the world's rejected guest, Hast thou still some secret nest On the tree or billow?                         Percy Shelley, 1824

Grief and Joy  come circling linocut and silkscreen pages from artist's book Geometry of Chaos textured cover and matching box of Geometry of Chaos Opening pages of book.  Hand printed title and images on vellum. Printed in a limited edition of 10. Artist's book is in  front of opened matching box.

The Process Book Arts Presentation The Questions Describing what I do. Discussing how. Explaining why. The Vision Handmade book: Painting emotions

the sun came out and  I was reminded how beautiful life is hand painted negative film,  48"x36"

there was a woman of the world Artist's proof from Monster Series