HOURS presented at the New York Art Book Fair

Using the medieval book of hours as a point of departure, Hours explores ideas of memory and time, ritual and alchemy. I devised a chemical process for the project, working directly on twenty-four offset printing plates that were used to print the pages of the book. On press, the treated plates accepted ink in surprising ways, creating analog images that "developed" through the process of printing. The images, printed in twenty-four shades of dark blue ink, are reminiscent of water and waves, rivulets and eddies, primordial creation and geological erosion. Each plate was used to print a press sheet, which was then folded down to create a sixteen-page signature in the finished book. Motifs repeat rhythmically across the spreads, and fingerprints and fold marks echo the ritualistic repetitions of the book's creation. The book is scaled for intimate interaction, with a multitude of bookmark ribbons that add to the composition in ways that change with every viewing.

Published by Container Corps and presented at the New York Art Book Fair, September 26-28, 2014.

384 pages
4.5 by 6 inches
Numbered edition of 150
Printed offset in 24 shades of blue, smyth sewn hardbound
 
My participation in the fair was supported in part by a Career Opportunity Grant from the Oregon Arts Commission.

Hours

Images of a book-in-progress, to be released this fall at the NY Art Book Fair, published by Container Corps. The book, Hours, comprises twenty-four signatures (shown collated in the image above), offset printed in a spectrum of hand-mixed blues. Images were prepared using a direct application of a toner-based fluid onto offset printing plates (one shown in second image above, after printing).

Recurrent Work / Book

Images of Heather Watkins – Recurrent Work, recently published in conjunction with my one-person exhibition at The Art Gym at Marylhurst University. The book features two exquisite texts – a spatialized poem, and an essay – by Stephanie Snyder, Director and Curator of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery, Reed College, Portland, Oregon. The book's design, beautifully executed by Adam McIsaac / Sibley House, includes over one hundred work examples, with emphasis on ink- and fiber-based works created over the past five years.

The book is available for purchase ($20) through The Art Gym, by emailing bshell@marylhurst.edu. A lo-res downloadable pdf of the book is available here.

This publication was made possible through the help and generosity of Jane Beebe of PDX Contemporary Art in Portland, Oregon; the Harold & Arlene Schnitzer CARE Foundation and Linda Hutchins and John Montague, contributors to The Art Gym Publication Fund; and collectors and art advocates Dorothy Lemelson, Sarah and Andrew Meigs, Mary Caulkins, Thomas Cody, Anne and James Crumpacker, Mary and Spencer Dick, JoAnn Gonzales Hickey, Deneen King, Carol Smith-Larson, David Lessoff, Sarah Dougher and Nathan Overmeyer, Travers Hill Polak, the Shipley Family, Jonathan Snyder, Andrea and Jon Walker, Nell Warren and Greg Misarti, and anonymous donors.

Recurrent Work at The Art Gym

Installation views of the exhibition Heather Watkins – Recurrent Work, on view at The Art Gym at Marylhurst University, Marylhurst, Oregon, February 24-April 2, 2014.

The exhibition was curated by Terri M. Hopkins, director and curator emerita of The Art Gym. In conjunction with the exhibition, The Art Gym has published Heather Watkins – Recurrent Work, a book featuring an in-depth essay and poetic text by Stephanie Snyder, Curator and Director of the Douglas F. Cooley Memorial Art Gallery at Reed College, and was designed by Adam McIsaac/Sibley House.

For more information about the exhibition and the book, please visit this link: http://www.marylhurst.edu/arts-and-events/art-gym/art-gym-exhibitions/current-exhibition.html