Art of the Book
There is hope in the turn of a page or unroll of a scroll. And spaces where all my artful endeavors connect: designing, writing, illustrating, printing, and art-object-making. My books are meant to be intimate, interactive spaces that inspire contemplation and conversation.
Nursery: The River that Flows Both Ways
This book is a reflection on the deeper, unseen stories beneath the surface of the Hudson River Estuary. It aims to convey how essential the bond used to be between humans and their watershed and how insidiously this relationship has deteriorated with the rise of industrial capitalism and a systemic hunger for ‘more.’ Above all, it is a celebration of an ecological way of knowing our place which might guide us forward, a way which centers on reciprocity and kinship.
Closed: 5 x 7 x .5 inches
Open: 50 inches x 7
Mountain Spirit
This pop-up diorama book pays homage to the ancestral homeland of the Shoshone tribes in the Mountain West region of the United States. The text features an excerpt from The Land of Little Rain, by Mary Hunter Austin, published in 1903. She was a poet, nature writer,and fierce advocate for Native American rights. Also included are words attributed to Chief Washakie, the Shoshone hero who fought for justice and peace in the mid-19th century. The book is digitally printed, hand-cut, and contained in a hand-painted acrylic-on-cotton replica of a parfleche, which was a painted rawhide saddlebag used to carry personal belongings.
Contained size: 8 x 5 x 1 inches
Special and open editions available
Old Stump
I have a thing about tree stumps. To me, they are beautiful and never dead. They tell me stories. This mixed media poem-sculpture-book is an ode to them and their ever-unraveling story of life. The book is made with mixed papers, tree sketches, cloth, acrylic paint, and scraps of old letters I wrote many years ago. Embedded in the ‘roots’ are coffee bag twist ties, which allow the stump to be coaxed into various positions for an interactive, visceral way of experiencing the work. It comes with a handful of Dawn redwood cones, old stones, and a 100% organic cotton bandana hand-dyed with natural indigo, weld, and madder.
Approximate display diameter of stump and roots: 8 inches
unique edition
On the Fence
A torn state of mind is easy to find but hard to navigate. It is also hard to recognize and maintain personal and creative boundaries. But oh so important. My poem and book grew from all this. The book and box is made with handmade kozo paper, old journal scraps, acrylic medium, wine bottle sleeves, and thread.
3 x 3 inches folded, 2 inches deep
unique edition
What Rings True
This playful book and poem celebrates the mystery of science and the truth of a shared experience of beauty: a rainbow-haloed moon. The format was inspired by one of my favorite old tools, a zig-zag metal ruler. The pages are held together with plastic rivets made using plastic Q-tips and a hot iron. The artwork was created using Adobe Photoshop, printed on Brilliant Supreme Lustre paper with Epson Claria ink with my home Epson Artisan printer, backed with handmade kozo paper.
Each ‘page’ segment is about 7 inches wide. The completed halo circle measures about 13 inches diameter. Limited edition of 8, available while they last on my shop.
Quiver
This introspective book mimics a quiver of arrows. It presents a poem which serves as a self-protective, prayerful reminder to listen to the language of my body and act with compassion towards it. Each arrow points a different way.
The arrows (pages) are made from basswood, mixed papers, ink, and acrylic paint, bound with sinew wax thread. The quiver is made with cork fabric, pigskin, leather lace, hemp thread, and acrylic beads.
Contained size including quiver: 5 x 12.5 x 1.5 inches, unique edition
Phoenix Wings
This is a coptic-bound gratitude journal for 396 days of entries beginning December 1, 2021, and soaring through all of 2022. The making and using of this book was and is a gift of self-care, a reminder that amidst all the chaos, grief, and burning fears of the world we must lift ourselves and each other up and find our phoenix wings. Made with gratitude to Adobe Photoshop, my Epson Claria inks and textured printing paper, some wrinkly old craft packing paper, kozo paper, and some very cool cord and ribbon.
5 x 7 x 1 inches, unique edition
Life
This book honors words from a song called ‘Sitting’ by Cat Stevens, now known as Yusuf, and it features digital art by Philip Viola (my life partner), who often wrote this phrase on the blackboard at the beginning of his college business classes, inviting his students to ‘open up’ and consider its meaning. The phrase speaks of the here and now—the possibilities of the present. It speaks to finding strength in sitting with all that is there, in your grasp.
This book measures 6 inches wide by 4.5 inches tall.
King of the Castle
This book explores the implications of upholding or rejecting the rule of law and the Constitution—the lifeblood of democracy. It pays homage to the foundational work sheltered within the walls of the U.S. Capitol building. It includes both words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the House Article of Impeachment against former president Donald Trump surrounded by hand-cut holes. The inside covers feature the Preamble of the Constitution.
3.5 x 9.25 inches closed, various display sizes,
open edition
What the Sea Has Seen
This book is a graphic synthesis of a self-guided study of chattel slavery and the Atlantic slave trade. It is an interactive timeline that displays total numbers of enslaved Africans embarked on ships. Each removable vessel card contains key historical details for a 50-year period. The accordion pocket structure is made with responsibly-sourced, organic cotton and natural indigo, recognizing that the histories of both cotton and indigo production are inextricably linked to the slave trade, the growth of our global economy, and a legacy of inhumane practices that sadly continue to this day.
Closed size: 3.25 x 6 x 1.25 inches
Special edition of 4
Ten Paces
This book pays homage to the words and wisdom of Wendell Berry, and is a personal celebration of the beauty of the wild places in which my legs have carried me in 2020. It is an act of hope that, despite all the loss, pain, and fear the world has been enduring, we may still find joy in our journey on Earth, however far or near we walk. The book is constructed with mixed Japanese mulberry papers, and each footprint was cut by hand.
8 x 7 inches closed, 16 pages including covers
unique edition
On Fire
This wordless ‘lantern book’ is an ode to humans and fire. Being able to create and control fire allowed humans to evolve and explore. Fire has always been a force of both creativity and destruction, just like humans, who burn with love or fear or rage. And what human is not mesmerized by a campfire’s flickering flames, dancing in the darkness? The book is made with ink on folded paper, cut holes, kozo papers, and acrylic medium. And a ‘safe’ tea candle.
Closed, folded size: 2 x 6 x .75 inches
unique edition
Embryo
Conceived in the rise of the global Covid-19 pandemic and community quarantine lock-down, this tiny book was made with a real free-range chicken egg shell and handmade papers. Chipping away at the shell to break it in half was a challenge. Fragile material for fragile times.
Size: It’s a chicken egg 
unique edition
Seedling Blank Journals
This handmade edition of two was a gift for my two favorite poets (daughter and son-in-law), and a great excuse to teach myself coptic binding. The covers were created with handmade kozo paper, black walnut dye, and hemp string. Interior paper was made in Nepal from the bark of Daphne bush using local materials and ancient methods that protect the ecological balance of the forest.
Trim size: 4.25 x 6 inches, 42 pages
edition of 2
Dress Up!
A palm-sized book celebrating the love and talent of my maternal grandmother. Though I never met her, I know her through my mother’s stories and the exquisite, matching outfits she stitched for my mother and my mother’s favorite doll. The book is also a nod to the delightful mix-and-match format from my roots in children’s novelty-book publishing. The covers are wrapped with hand-dyed natural indigo fabric.
Trim size: 2 x 4 inches
unique edition
Just a Few Lines
This one-of-a-kind book was an 80th birthday gift for a one-of-a-kind human: my mother. It also celebrates the lost ritual of hand-written letter-writing. I selected, cut, arranged, and decorated about 80 handwritten lines from letters my mother sent to me after I went off to college. In the process of extracting samples that spanned many months of time, an essence of long-distance longing and love emerged as a single, narrative poem. The book is made with acrylic paint and collage on paper panels bound as an accordion with linen tape and ribbon. Read the full story about this project here.
Closed size: 9 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches
Open display size: 9 x 60 inches
Sanctuary Wall
The catalyst for this book was the news that the proposed southern border wall would bulldoze through the National Butterfly Center in Texas, shredding a biodiverse haven for butterflies, birds, and endangered animals. The book displays as a wall with human silhouettes and includes two hidden paintings, visible from a certain angle. The one-of-a-kind book is made with galvanized steel, wood panels, acrylic paint, mixed papers, and hemp string. Read the full story about this project here.
Closed size: 4 x 12.25 x 5 inches
Display width: 48.5 inches
Mini paper editions available while they last on my shop.
