A Book About Death - Memento

A Book About Death - Memento
Willo North Gallery, Phoenix, AZ opening May 6th


My first entry (postcard) graphite on tracing paper.

I actually witnessed a crow trying to fly with a chicken bone on the front lawn of my son's house. It scared me... so I drew it... it always reminds me of death. (feather memento)

My second entry, (postcard) copy of a lithograph

I made this several years ago in response to a Walt Whitman poem "A Clear Midnight" (my favorite) it's a little more gentle but again dealing with death "away from books... the day done... night, sleep, death, the stars..." (Whitman poem memento)

Phoenix based artist Patricia Sahertian has organized an A Book About Death - Memento (ABAD) exhibit for May 2011. Following the tradition that started with the original ABAD show at the Emily Harvey Gallery in NYC 2009. The Phoenix show asks for a small memento to be sent along with the postcard art giving the exhibit a unique twist on the original format.

I have contributed to the ABAD shows at MOMA Wales, Long Island and now Phoenix. Go to the website for the current entries in the Phoenix ABAD show. And for information about shows past, present and upcoming you can look at the ABAD archives.

Artists from around the world contribute original art in postcard form to be displayed and then kept together permanently as an unbound artist book. Everything is documented and exhibited online as well as in a gallery. VERY INTERESTING TO SEE HOW ARTISTS SEE OR FEEL DEATH. All shows have an open call for all artists. This concept, expanding internationally, has taken place in many locations in the USA: South Carolina, Texas, Omaha and Long Island, as well as Brazil, Italy and Wales.

Book Buttons and Trenches

GREAT NEWS....."In The Trenches" the book collaboration with myself and Pat Sahertian is finally completed... all 3 volumes and one will be shown at:
The Gallery at Paper Mill Village
"Atlanta Mixed Media/Collage Exhibit"
March 5th- March 26th 2010

We spent an enormous amount of time in preparing this dedication to all those buried in a potters field - everywhere- those that go unnamed and unremembered. We traveled from Phoenix to Bluffton SC and Bluffton to Phoenix - experimented with many different pulps to get the paper for the pages and covers right - spent hours and many back and forth emails, video's and mailings to get our images right and then join all together. Two artists (originally from NY ) now in the South and the West with different ideas and techniques came surprisingly close to one uniform piece of work in this unique handmade book. (can be viewed on YouTube)

"In The Trenches" is specifically about Hart Island New York and the conditions that have existed for more then 100 years. The subject of this book is our reaction to a web site we came upon a year ago... "The Hart Island Project" with Melinda Hunt ... please refer to her web site for detailed information. However, the sentiments apply to all potter's fields. It's a tough subject.

We are very excited to have the opportunity to show this book ! Yea!

So exciting !!!!... I've found a way to make buttons from books.... and usable buttons at that ! To be used for closures, decorations, jewelry...... sweaters, vests - anything!!!! I'm just going to call them BOOK BUTTONS ... divided into... poetry, mystery, prayer, historical... math equations, music - different languages - just about anything printed in a book. This a very new project and seems like this will consume about every waking moment for awhile. I'm still making buttons from my hand made plant fiber papers - banana skins being the best so far.

I guess I can always find shark teeth along the beach in the fall !!!

What do you think ? Cute? Interesting... email me !