Item Details
The Question. Rilke excerpt, from Letters to a Young Poet.
Tucson, AZ: 2022. Unique. Original Wraps. "A rich series of “portraits” of Q are created with prints of various kinds, hand-coloring, collage, debossing, original painting, leaf gilding and freehand tooling. Large “display” lettering of latin words relating to questions and questioning offer and contrast to the smaller textural lettering of Rilke’s text, guiding young Kappus to “live the questions now”. Painted end sheets offer a roiling entry into and exit from the manuscript. Interleaved Japanese papers offer transitions from one thought to another.
This manuscript is of a series of original manuscript books, created over the last 10 years, presenting passages from Rilke’s “letters to a Young Poet”, and leading to the variant edition described below. The images are a parallel exploration of ways of designing and rendering the letter - in solar plate print, painting, sumi drawing, monoprint and lettering design, with hand-coloring in pencil and gouache, gold leaf, free-hand tooling, The text is hand lettered in gouache on a variety of handmade and mouldmade papers.
Introducing the volume is a passage from Rilke, advising the young Kappus, about the question of creativity. And Rilke’s words of advice and cautions, to be attentive to nature, and to “live the questions”, reflect the potential of opening mind and soul to “live everything now”, and to the power of inquiry. The hijacking of the letter Q for the darkest social and political purposes made me reconsider my work to explore this quirky and curious 17th letter of the alphabet, and the manuscripts that were leading to a variant edition, “Rescuing Q”." [artist statement]
As the effects of Q-anon shake the American psyche, politics and society and it seemed like NOW was the time to make these books. The Question is part of my focus on reclaiming Q for all the best purposes - to extol Q, as a key to Latin-rooted words of inquiry and “the search”. inspire sincere questions with an open mind, and exploring myriad answers. How does sincere questioning inspire and generate deeper conversation, and how do we initiate conversations from common ground, to enquire more deeply, consider new options, and invent solutions?
These visual explorations present some of the endless possibilities of how Q variations are distinct - colorful, or black and white, playful or more controlled , tiny or expansive - varying widely - as do human viewpoints.n the front cover revealing python. Boxed in red linen. Fine in Fine Drop-Spine Archival Box. Tight, bright, and unmarred. Painted end sheets and Cave Paper “inclusion” lead-in sheets, elegant binding a flexible leather binding of dyed kangaroo, with painted end bands, freehand tooling and an incision. fo. np [32pp]. Illus. Signed by the artist. Item #11429
Price: $7,500.00