Small Matters Suite
“Small Matters expresses my fascination with small, often overlooked creatures, my admiration for the resilience and patience they display, and for their beauty and variety. The hand in these works is my own, they celebrate my personal connection to nature and the possibility of intimacy with the natural word. In this suite (and also in Time and the Bell) the halos are comprised of insects, thereby functioning both as form and content.”

Time and the Bell Suite
“here, I am
In a culture steeped in self-promotion and virtual presence, “here, I am“ is a paradoxical assertion of humility. It acknowledges the importance, for me, of closeness to nature, as a place to maintain a truer sense of self. The encircling mayflies are a salve, and also a caution to remember the value of the physical world.

now, or now
The time paradox inherent in the words “now, or now” refers to the challenge of quieting the mind during meditation practice, when our consciousness of time passing, second by second, makes the possibility of fully inhabiting time more elusive, or as T.S. Eliot says so concisely “to be conscious is not to be in time” (Four Quartets, Burnt Norton II). But “now, or now” also refers to time on a big scale, and the words encircled by short-lived mayflies can also be read as an environmental imperative, as a call to action.

I grow old... I grow...
These five embossed words and their ellipses are from line 120 of T.S. Eliot’s poem, The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock. In its original form the phrase repeats, in my piece I have omitted the last word, countering the poem’s existential dread and fear of a wasted life with a hopeful association between old age and personal growth.”

Apotheosis Suite
“In Apotheosis I adapt religious symbolic language again to a secular purpose, using the halo form to exult natural organisms to a status historically reserved for the miraculous. Microscopic organisms, snails, and the complex, unfathomable octopus comfortably inhabit this miraculous space, exploring and traversing its geometric form.”

Memento Suite
“The last suite, Memento, considers the intimacy of touch and honors small, everyday interactions with the physical world. In formalized gestures three objects—potato peeler, flower, and awl—are held aloft as things of consequence, dignifying the small tasks and experiences they represent.

The process for this edition begins and ends with the hand. It started with line drawings of my own hand and of natural organisms from which I generated custom 3-D printed forms. These forms were used to emboss handmade papers pigmented in cream, blue, mushroom, and pink. I then manipulated the reverse of the embossed areas by hand, intensifying their definition and expression, and finally, I gilded the raised surfaces with gold leaf in hues ranging from 12 to 24 karats.”

About Paper Variables

Celebrate the possibilities! The Paper Variables series are unique collectable works in a limited edition. Each piece is handmade in our studios, and artists love the chance to experiment with different colors and additions to make each piece distinctive. For collectors, it’s an opportunity to acquire works by well known artists at an attractive price. Signed and numbered by the artist.