Denbo Fellowship

This month I was able to spend two wonderful, productive weeks working at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center as a recipient of their Denbo Fellowship. My motivation in applying for this opportunity was a desire to unite two of my passions: papermaking and printmaking.

I designed a book project with self-imposed constraints that I hoped would keep my focus narrow enough to actually complete the piece during the short amount of time I had. I worked smaller than I normally do, and used only letterpress plates I had already made for previous projects and Pyramid's lead and wood type.

I made the paper with unbleached, overbeaten abaca, which I chose for its translucency. This allows as many as three or four sheets to be visible simultaneously when layered. I started by printing many different images and layering the sheets in various ways to create spontaneous compositions. I selected, culled, and re-arranged elements until I saw a narrative developing in the imagery, and then generated text to add to the prints.

What resulted is a journey through stages from passivity to action. The text describes a struggle to overcome a state of apathy and indecision caused by fear and regret. The finished book, titled Mis-Direct-Ion Re-Direct-Ive, is composed of twelve double-sided 4" x 11" prints, bound with a modified long stitch in a variable edition of five.

I am very grateful to all of the staff at Pyramid and to the donors who make this residency possible, and I encourage all of my artist friends to apply! I feel lucky to have been welcomed into this vibrant community again.