Love heals - single sheet book

©2020 Barry Smith - Love heals - a small pocket sized book (10.5cm high and 7.5cm wide) - photos of my artist's proof

I have been working on a single page unbound book using a poem (..love heals..) written by our American artist friend Mary-Jane Dodd. Mary-Jane gave me permission to use this poem from her publication called Offerings.

.. love heals..

upon my last breath
may I know fully
that I have given all
my heart could give.

that the chips
and cracks 
incurred along the way

served not to weaken it
but allowed the light
to enter
(and exit)

and made it all
the stronger.

The book has been printed using Deckled Edge Press' 1890 Lightning Jobber press. The book is printed with Times New Roman lead type (14pt); and was printed on single sheets of synthetic vellum and a fine paper (MAP). On the back of the sheets I have printed an image of one of my cracked and repaired bowls to reflect some of the imagery of the poem.

©2020 Barry Smith

©2020 Barry Smith

©2020 Barry Smith - Open at the centre pages 

©2020 Barry Smith - Front of single sheet - letterpress printed - cut and folded

©2020 Barry Smith - A trial image of the bowl on the back of the single sheet - beautiful image but a little too dark and used a lot of ink

©2020 Barry Smith - Various prints of the vessel - more subdued; and a mix of sepia and toned down black and silver-gold; and printed full sheet and half sheet.

From the vellum prints and the MAP paper printed I hope to select two limited editions: 5 vellum books; and 15 MAP paper books.