Extra Pulp: Exchange Portfolio

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Detail of my piece for the portfolio. Inkjet prints embedded between linen and abaca handmade paper with blow-out.
I was selected to participate in the papermaking exchange portfolio called Extra Pulp, organized by Sammi McLean.

The following is the exhibition information for the exchange's first debut at IS Projects in Fort Lauderdale, FL:

A paper-forward portfolio exchange
On View: November 2019 - January 2020
Organized by Sammi McLean
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While paper is the base for a majority of fine art prints, it is often overlooked in the conversation of contemporary printmaking. In an effort to expand and explore the relevance of paper in contemporary art, IS Projects has organized Extra Pulp; an exchange portfolio featuring handmade paper works by 20 prominent paper makers from across the east coast, which utilize paper as its own form of expression.

The included artists work experimentally within paper through painting with pulp, watermarks, inclusions and treating paper as an interactive object. While traditional methods of printmaking will be present, they are minimal and secondary to the handmade paper component, thus making pulp the primary focus for image creation. Whether recreating sacred spaces through ritualistic, hand-cut patterns, or using the surface treatment of pulp as a means to investigate emotional damage and repair to the body, each artist’s relationship to pulp breaks new ground in this exciting exchange.

Featuring works by: Anna Benjamin, Jazmine Catasus, Nicole Donnelly, Sue Carrie Drummond, Tatiana Ginsberg, Lisa Haque, Karen Hardy, Kyle Holland, Lucy Holtsnieder, Hong Hong, Amy Jacobs, Jeanne Jaffe, Sarah Rose Lejeune, Cara Lynch, Akemi Martin, Saul Melman, Ingrid Schindall, Beth Sheehan, Sarika Sugla and Anna Tararova

Photographs courtesy of IS Projects.

Psych Land

Psych Land was installed at the FAR Gallery in Fort Lauderdale, FL from September 28 to December 10, 2019.
Psych Land travelled to the Hall Gallery in the Windgate Visual Arts Center at Millsaps College in Jackson, MS from January 13 to February 14, 2020.
I had the opportunity to organize and travel an exhibition of works by myself, Kyle Holland, and Ingrid Schindall. The text for the show reads:
“It is in our stories that we locate places most powerfully.” - Kent C. Ryden

​Psych Land features the work of Kyle Holland, Ingrid Schindall, and Beth Sheehan, all of whom use printmaking, papermaking, and book arts to explore ideas of place and personal narrative. A space becomes a place when imbued with memory and experience. It is often through place that we interpret ourselves and relate to others. Within the long history of art, physical landscape has frequently been used to express the psychological landscape of an era, culture, or individual—maybe most obviously seen in the example of Van Gogh’s descent into madness. The works in this exhibition start to unpack relationships between a sense of place and identity through the lens of the psyche.

Kyle Holland’s work blends physical landscape and psychological landscape as the ideas of hegemonic masculinity become a threat to self. Holland’s Southern upbringing largely influences his work with imagery pulled from hunting culture and the expectation that perfect masculinity is defined by risk, effortless strength, confidence, and superiority. Holland explores his struggle fitting into this rigid definition of manliness through unsettling, barren landscapes that fail to camouflage a vulnerable deer-like figure.

Ingrid Schindall’s work and practice often call to the oceans of her Florida upbringing. Drawing on her past, the artist’s work offers a look into thought and memory, delivered in a way that is reminiscent of meandering contemplation or the ebb and flow of ocean tides. Particularly within Schindall’s artist books there is a distinctly cerebral experience as text and image flow effortlessly between action and reflection. The scene is set by tactility and earthy visuals, only interrupted by the waves of thought that dissolve the present for a moment. Often within the process of making, Schindall allows headspace and physical space to join further. In one instance, even pulling paper in ocean water so the salt and sand become part of the pages.

Beth Sheehan’s use of place and personal narrative finds a voice in nostalgia. The artist lacks the ability to retain episodic memory and has thus become obsessed with archiving and altering the fragmented versions of her past. Often appropriating strangers’ family photos as well as her own, Sheehan blurs the line between remembrance and resemblance. She refers to this feeling of familiarity for somewhere you’ve never been as “borrowed nostalgia.” By allowing herself and the viewer to question the “truth” of the memories she presents in her work, Sheehan suggests that truth might not be as important as perceived reality.

Between Tenses: Exchange Portfolio for SGCI, 2019
I proposed and was selected to organize an exchange portfolio for the 2019 Southern Graphics Council International conference. 

The prompt for the portfolio read:
The Between Tenses portfolio explores ideas of time and memory as connection to human experience and personal narrative. Memories are integral to a sense of self and how we relate to others. Through printmaking, participants are encouraged to investigate the influences of the past (personal or public) on the present and future. How does the perception of the past alter current experiences? How does time change experience? What is lost from our narratives with the malleability of memory? And what does that mean for us or the way we relate to the world?

“The individual events of your life will be transmuted into another substance called memory and in the mechanism something will be lost and you will never be able to reverse it, you will never again have the original moment back in its uncategorized, preprocessed state.” - Charles Yu

Participants each produced an edition of prints using two or more printing techniques where the primary printing technique is a more traditional, hand-pulled technique. The interaction between printing techniques acts as an additional framework for the conceptual play between past and present or present and future.

Participants include:
Shannon Bourne, Christa Carleton, Anastasia DeVol, Sue Carrie Drummond, Judith Gammons, Roni Gross, Serena Hocharoen, Emily Orzech, Diana Palermo, Kelsey Reiman, Ingrid Schindall, Jesse Shaw, Beth Sheehan, Hester Stinnett, Ani Volkan, and Lisa Wicka

Bookforms, 2019

I wrote a chapter in a how-to book about bookbinding and book arts!

Rockport Publishers teamed up with The Center for Book Arts to compile and publish this book about bookmaking and they asked me to write the chapter on Artist's Books.

The following is excerpted from my section of the book:

Artist books are a unique intersection between the worlds of fine art and bookmaking. They can be almost anything, from altered books to fine bindings, large sculptural objects to miniature books, scrolls to codices, and so much more. To me, every aspect of an artist book should be well considered and the book thought of as an art object. The binding should enhance viewers’ experience as they explore the content and ideas within the book. An artist book should ideally have a reason to be bound in a particular way, either conceptually or formally. For example, if the imagery in an artist book is one long landscape, the artist might choose an accordion structure so that the entire book can be unfolded and seen at once.

Exposed Strata

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My piece for the portfolio.
I was accepted as a participant in the themed portfolio titled Exposed Strata, organized by Sue Carrie Drummond for the 2018 Southern Graphics Council International printmaking conference in Las Vegas, NV.

Abstract:
When we contemplate landscapes, we consider not only the scenery at which we are gazing, but also the layers that exist below our feet. We imagine the way in which the land has eroded and been reconstructed over time. Using that framework, this portfolio will examine the body and psyche as landscape, one in which the terrain alters in accordance and often as a direct result of experiences that are transformative. Whether as catastrophic as an earthquake or as minimal as a heavy rainfall, we have all encountered events that alter our personal landscape and dictate how we move forward. How are these events hidden by the passage of time or are they excavated and exposed? Participants will consider how their identity, memory, or community have been altered by the layers of their history and contemplate how that history continues to impact their present personal topography.

Using at least two different printmaking methods, contributors will examine the dialogue between past and the present narratives in one single image.

Participants include:
Stephanie Alaniz, Dustyn Bork, Elizabeth Castaldo, Sue Carrie Drummond, Leslie Friedman, Karen Hardy, Rachelle Hill, Dana Lemoine, Nichole Maury, Ross Joseph Mazzupappa, Emily Orzech, Beth Sheehan, Kevin Shook, Maria Welch, Catherine Wild, Tammy Wolfsey, and Erin Zona

The In Between: Book and Body
I curated an exhibition of the work of four amazing women! The exhibition was on view at IS Projects in Fort Lauderdale, FL from November 8 - December 22, 2018. The opening reception and curator's talk occurred on November 10th, 2018.

​The show The In Between: Book and Body features the work of Golnar Adili, Milcah Bassel, Sue Carrie Drummond, Ingrid Schindall, and Cynthia Nourse Thompson, all of whom use expanded book forms to examine the spaces between body, experience, and self.

Between Tenses, 2017
I made a riso book with Waterhouse Ltd., an independent publisher of artist books and multiples!

Between Tenses was printed by Waterhouse Ltd in Philadelphia, USA in 2017. The book was designed by Beth Sheehan and the forward is an excerpt from the book How to Live Safely In A Science Fictional Universe by Charles Yu. It is a limited edition of 70 copies.
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Excerpt:
"It's not ideal, obviously, but I guess it's what she wants, to live in a kind of imperfect past tense, in a state of recurrence and continuation, an ambiguous, dreamlike state, a good hour..."

Between Tenses is about hovering in between the past and present. Being consumed by attempts to clarify my past inhibits my ability to form a clear memory of the present, and so it goes. The photographs used in the book were taken throughout my childhood and then altered to simulate my present memory of the events, while the white text is the voice of my present self examining the act of recalling those fragmented moments.

Having no episodic memory of my past, I've fixated on the documentation of my life's history, mainly through childhood photographs and my own writings that strive for clear memory. My artistic process attempts to reconcile what's left of my memory and the sense of borrowed nostalgia that comes with something that feels familiar but unreachable. 

Broadside for CBA: Spring 2017

I produced this broadside for the Center for Book Arts' Broadside Reading Series for the Spring of 2017 in honor of the reading by Monica Sok. The broadside is pressure printing and letterpress printed handset type.

For this broadside, I pressure printed the first layer in a green to blue rainbow roll on the Vandercooks at the Newark Print Shop. I then printed the handset type in a deep purple at the Center for Book Arts. Due to the nature of the poem, I decided to print the text reading perpendicular to the landscape because I liked the idea of changing perspective. The viewer can see the greenery as obvious grass beneath a blue sky, but because they are forced to turn the broadside to read it, they may also start to see the greenery as leaves on tree limbs, stretching down to the water. 

Bookbinding Now: Holland/Sheehan

Bookbinding Now is a NYC-based audio podcast series addressing all aspects of the book. It was initiated and is hosted by artist and bookbinder Susan Mills.

Kyle Holland and I were interviewed by Susan Mills about our art practices and bookbinding. The episode was released on November 8, 2016. The episode can be found on the Bookbinding Now website, here or through Apple Podcasts.

Broadside for CBA: Fall 2016

Wayne Kleppe and I produced this broadside for the Center for Book Arts' Broadside Reading Series for the Fall of 2016 in honor of the reading by Evie Shockley. The broadside is handset type letterpress printed and partially dusted with gold powdered pigment.

For this collaboration, Wayne Kleppe chose the poem, set the type, and chose the paper. Because of the nature of the poem as well as the darkness of the paper, I decided to print the body text of the poem first and then dust the fresh ink in powdered gold. After dusting the body of the poem, I printed the title and colophon in a purple-black ink.

Existent Books: Spring 2016
Existent Books is a semi-annual publishing initiative which brings artists to IS Projects to experience fine art printmaking and letterpress printing. These artists then design an artist-book that is inspired by our collection of historical letterpress type and image cuts or new printmaking techniques learned at IS Projects. The goal of Existent Books is to encourage contemporary artists to contribute to the ongoing history of book arts while stimulating the evolution of the medium.

With so much of my past missing from my memory, I've become obsessed with the importance of remembrance and mementos. Being in Florida at IS Projects, I was constantly reminded of how much we rely on objects to hold our best memories. It is evident in the eclectic souvenir shops and fun tourist traps that are based on this idea, but it is also evident in so many other moments—the photo booth at FATVillage Art Walk, collecting seashells on the beach, and even being given a marble and learning of the memory the giver attributed to it. We are constantly collecting mementos that capture the beauty of a moment in time. These mementos become our monuments to the best parts of the past.

For this book, I turned to words as mementos and considered the effect that the passage of time has on our memories. Text taken from obituaries reflects on the greatness of one's life using words that become monoliths: beloved, devoted. This text was pressure printed as the first layer of the book. The lichen printed overtop references the blurring effect that time has on our memories, leaving only certain moments unobscured. Finally, the text letterpress printed as the last layer is my response, allowing myself to succumb to the glorification of the past and accepting the flaws of recollection.

Devoted was letterpress printed on our Vandercook SP15 from hand burned pressure plates, prepared by Beth, and handset 24 point Spire lead type. The book is printed on Colorplan 70# grey paper and a 130# Colorplan grey cover. We used the drum leaf binding technique so the book opens completely flat with no disruption of the image. It is a limited edition of 100 copies all hand signed and numbered by the artist.

Text courtesy of artist and IS Projects.

Hand Papermaking Magazine Donor Broadside: 2016

Kyle Holland and I were selected to represent the Morgan Conservatory by creating a broadside for Hand Papermaking Magazine's end-of-year campaign. All donations over $100 made to Hand Papermaking Magazine for their end-of-year campaign receive a copy of the broadside.

The piece has a pressure printed background of text written by Kyle Holland, letterpress printed text taken from a short story by Christopher Bowen, and an Impossible Project photograph taken by Beth Sheehan then inkjet printed and tipped onto each broadside.

Photo courtesy of Hand Papermaking Magazine.

Benefit Print for the Morgan Conservatory: 2016

I produced this print for the Morgan Conservatory's Annual Benefit for 2016. The print is a two-layer screen print on a variety of papers handmade at the Morgan Conservatory.

Broadside for CBA: Spring 2016

I produced this broadside for the Center for Book Arts' Broadside Reading Series for the Spring of 2016 in honor of the reading by Sueyeun Juliette Lee. The broadside is pressure printing and handset type.

The idea for this broadside was inspired by the apocalyptic feeling of the poem. I picture the reader wandering alone in an empty forest after a great disaster. The Fabritius typeface, courtesy of Purgatory Pie Press and Kyle Holland, is reminiscent of the forest with some of the letterforms resembling tiny trees and twigs. The faint imagery in the background of the piece is the body text of the poem, written in cursive and mirrored to call to the idea of an echo. It was pressure printed in a gray-green which is often the color of the sky prior to natural disasters such as tornadoes but also a color that hints at a thick smog obscuring the forest. 

Broadside for CBA: Fall 2015

I produced this broadside for the Center for Book Arts' Broadside Reading Series for the Fall of 2015 in honor of the reading by Aziza Barnes. The broadside is pressure printing and handset type.
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Reading this poem The Clouds Can't Hold Shit, I was captivated by the image of a bare mattress. For me, there's an intense nostalgia in those old mattresses—with weird floral designs printed on them just to be hidden beneath the sheets. There's a distinct mindset that accompanies laying on that beautiful naked mattress—not to sleep but to think. This poem felt so much like that mindset.

The design of the broadside came from the printed pattern of an installation by Anna Kell, photographed by Samer Fouad and made into a pressure printing plate and printed by myself at the Center for Book Arts.

Photo courtesy of the Center for Book Arts.

Broadside for CBA: Fall 2014
I produced this broadside for the Center for Book Arts' Broadside Reading Series for the Fall of 2014 in honor of the reading by Thomas Sayers Ellis & Rodrigo Toscano. This piece is their poem titled A Media Feels Your Axis. The broadside is pressure printed and handset type. The broadside was also part of the Center's 40th Anniversary Publication.

In honor of the 40th Anniversary of the Center for Book Arts, the past curators of the annual Broadside Reading Series, now in it's 15th year, were invited to write a collaborative poem. Sharon Dolin, who co-founded the Broadside Reading Series with former Center for Book Arts Executive Director Rory Golden, served as the curator for the anniversary reading series which began in the fall of 2014 and concluded in the spring of 2015. Dolin paired two past curators of the series, all of whom are poets, to create a new collaborative poem. At their readings each collaborating duo discussed the collaborative process and read their new poem along with their own poetry.

Fourteen artists from the Center's community were each invited to produce a limited edition of 150 broadsides for one of the collaborative poems, of which forty copies were used to create this 40th Anniversary Publication. This publication also include several unnumbered artist proofs. Using a format conceived by Ana Cordeiro, the Center's 2015 summer interns, Jennifer Berry, Quincy Dean-Slobod, Emily Gross, Judy Gu, Matilda Ostow, and Ellis Suchmann, bound the publication under the direction of Artist Instructor-Stewards Nancy Loeber and Amber McMillan. The project was realized under the direction of Alexander Campos, Executive Director & Curator of the Center for Book Arts.

Italicized text above was taken from the Center for Book Arts website. Photos courtesy of the Center for Book Arts.

Negative Space in Handmade Paper: Picturing the Void

I was selected to participate in Hand Papermaking Magazine's 2014 exchange portfolio (Number 11), Negative Space in Handmade Paper: Picturing the Void. 

A collection of 19 compelling artworks by 22 artists, this portfolio investigates an intriguing concept: Negative Space. Selected from an impressive pool of entries by a distinguished jury (Lesley Dill, Cynthia Thompson, Paul Wong), the work as a whole encourages viewers to ponder what is omitted.

Each piece in the edition explores the void, the interval, the point where what is negative becomes positive. To create meaning in the gap between form and non-form, some pieces trust abstract imagery and geometric forms; others evoke vacancy with devices like blowing sand or swirling fish nets or cellular microscopy; while others are representational: an empty chair, a cathedral window, an obituary. A variety of paper fibers are employed with techniques such as stenciling, blow-out, embedding, watermarks, multiple couching, pulp painting, papercut, silkscreen, collage, cyanotype, etc. Whatever the method, whatever the fiber, the finished artworks emphasize what would normally be thought of as “missing.”

Italicized text above was taken from the Hand Papermaking, Inc. website. See photos of all of the pieces in the portfolio here. Portfolio is available for purchase here.

Weather Reports 2012
Kyle Holland and I applied and were selected to be part of SP Weather Station's Weather Reports 2012 exchange portfolio. 

SP Weather Station is an artist-run weather station located in Long Island City, Queens, NY. Every year, SP Weather Station organizes an exchange portfolio known as Weather Reports. In 2011, Kyle and I applied to be a part of the Weather Reports 2012 portfolio. We were among the artists chosen and we were given our first choice month: October 2012. At the end of October, we received our weather data which included the data for quite a few storms and ended with Hurricane Sandy. Because of our mutual fascination and obsession with storms, particularly tornadoes, our piece--a diptych utilizing letterpress printing, pressure printing, and suminagashi marbling--refers to the eerie warnings that can mean imminent disaster; from a swarm of birds taking flight to the subtle hints of changing colors in the sky.

The first 12 out of the edition of 30 portfolios are sent to the participants while the remaining find homes and exhibitions, thanks to Natalie Campbell and Heidi Neilson, the lovely ladies of SP Weather Station. In January 2014, the Weather Reports 2012 portfolio was exhibited along with the other Weather Reports portfolios at The Center for Book Arts. Thanks again Natalie and Heidi!

Photos courtesy of SP Weather Station.
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To see the entire portfolio and to purchase a copy, follow the link below.

Pantone Postcard Project

This was my piece for the Pantone Postcard Project, organized by Emily Martin. Each participating artist received a postcard at random from the Pantone postcard box set of 100. Upon receiving the postcard, each artist was required to alter the postcard in any way they saw fit, responding to the color they were given. The artists would then mail the post cards back to Emily Martin. Martin has organized several venues at which the postcards will be displayed and exhibited.

I was already working with the idea of visual manipulations within my own work through ornamentation reminiscent of kaleidoscopic imagery, as well as the solar orbs often visible on photographs taken in direct sunlight. When I received the Pantone color 17-1524: Desert Sand, I immediately thought of the visual manipulations that occur in the desert from the reflecting light. The result is a linocut of an ornamental form that references the sun and refracting light.

The collection of postcards has been acquired by the Library of Congress!