Baltimore Sonnets

I have been in my studio for the past week working hard on a series of new artist's books. I was hoping to post them tonight, however, I didn't finish.  The project is taking so much longer than I planned.   Thanks for visiting my blog --  may you have a great day!

noun 1 . mental or moral strength to do something that frightens you and you know is difficult or dangerous "In the matter of courage we all have our limits.   There never was a hero who did not have his bounds." Mark Twain

50, 49, 48 blood boils veins  force steam through every pore in her body an electrical spike Power Outage from an Internal Heat Wave, acrylic, beads on board, 2013 47, 46, 45 too painful to blink each breath invites suffocating orange burgundy flames fire spreads to her feet 44 her knees buckle 43 she falls onto the cool concrete highway 42 speeding cars bring relief 41 40 Power Outage a second feels like eternity

Autumn colors Baltimore Leaves, Monoprint 2013, 10" x 12" I love collecting leaves during this time of year and making monoprints with them. Handmade triptych book, 2009 These prints make lovely artist's books.   detail of middle monoprint I created this artist's book in 2009 and  bound it with handmade papers. Cover of triptych book

make sure it is not  down hill, grandma said Acrylic, graphite, handmade paper on line paper,  8" x 10", 2013 to the bright eyed artist headed to 25th Street and 11th Avenue.

today.  Discarded newspaper tomorrow. Newsprint doesn't make great pulp.   It becomes too mushy and the fibers  don't bind.  However, it makes a wonderful  base for collages as well as preserving  stories from yesterday. This image is part of my on-site art installation,  Soliton ,  using newspapers.  Because the newspaper is 5 years- old, I thought it would yellow, but it hasn't.

Some days I look at my experiments and realize  not everything is going to turn out well. I try to figure out  what went wrong, what went right, what I can save, what I can't save, what I need to discard.

An Inner Experience of the World by Suzanne Coley Derived from two latin words linum (“flax”) and oleum (“oil”) linoleum was invented as a floor covering in 1860 by English rubber manufacturer, Frederick Walton.   Around 1882 linoleum was manufactured in Germany at the   Delmenhorst Linoleum   factory in Delmenhorst, a city known for its cork and jute industry.   L inseed oil from the flax plant is t he main ingredient for linoleum.  Other ingredients included resin, pulverized wood, limestone, jute and pigment. The first artists to use linoleum as a printing technique were German expressionist artists studying in Dresden.    In 1905, four architecture students, Ernst Ludwig Kirchner, Fritz Bleyl, Erich Heckle, and Karl Schmidt-Rottluff, formed the group Die Brücke (The Bridge).    They were later joined by Otto Mueller and Emil Nolde.    In search of a new mode of artistic expression and wanting to free ...

When I am working on a large series such as Monsters, I buy rolls of linoleum. The rolls are unmounted and measure 90 feet in length,   and come in widths of 12",  24 " and 36" The advantages of buying the rolls: 1.  It is much more economical to buy these rolls, than individual pieces (it gets expensive when you  have a series of more than 50 images). 2.  You can cut these rolls into unique shapes and sizes.  (the precut ones come in standard sizes and shapes) 3.  They can be easily stored by rolling them back up  after cutting the desired amount.

This is the second video in which I take words and images from the pages of my artist's book and create "moving images." About this on-going project: This avant-garde series of illustrated books and printed media, combining poetry and imagery, is inspired by Futurist artist's books from the early 1900s.  Creating "moving images" from the pages of my original artist's books allows exploration of the sonic values of vowels and voice through the use of modern technology. Words-Image-Sounds become new forms of "ZAUM." sc

handmade paper from discarded books, Suzanne Coley Still working on experiments with handmade paper. I've been using discarded books and seeing how they hold up.  So far the new papers are strong and can withstand various printmaking techniques. I am going to get a scanner so I can post more images of these handmade papers. Right now it is difficult to show the intricate details.

When I am not making books and  works on paper,  I like to paint large canvases.  I try to experiment in ways I am not able to do with smaller works.  In the end, I use some of these techniques on the covers of my large books.

When I don't have access to  letterpress machines, I use one of my vintage typewriters to create text in my handmade books. I love typewriter fonts.  The "O" on this machine is a little funky and sticks. The jet black ink makes the best imprints on handmade papers.

Works on Paper I created a small series while in NYC. I was inspired by the  vibrant signs.

During my recent visit to NYC  I stayed at my friend's apartment in Chinatown.   As I walked around town, I was so inspired by the medicine shops.

Installation Art of my artist's book  Soliton I want to explore how meaning (poetry and images in my artist's books) change when I use them in other artistic mediums. What does this change look like? I have done onsite exhibitions and  art installations in  NYC. This is the first  in Baltimore.