Technical data for Widening Circles.
Widening Circes is printed in an edition of ten, with two artist proofs. The accordion style book has 26 individual pages hinged with black Kozo paper to make 13 spreads. Each print is mounted to 350gsm Colorplan Ivory paper using 3M mounting adhesive. Print edges are individually hand colored with India Ink. The single tray portfolio is covered in Black Euro Buckram. The cover and left spine piece of the portfolio are covered in red goatskin from Pergamena Tannery and foil stamped in red.
Dimensions variable. Plate size: 10 1/2″ x 15″
Edition: Printed in an edition of 10 designated with arabic numerals and two artist proofs.
Photographic Prints: photographs printed by by Noah and Kris Lang of Electric Works.
Book design: Dana Smith.
Book Binding: John DeMerritt, John DeMerritt Book Design
Letterpress and Typography: Dina Pollack.
Purchase: contact Terry for more information or to purchase.
Over the past 20 years in my fine artist books, my artistic focus has been on the majesty of birds and their complex role in the natural world. Honoring these glorious creatures, I have portrayed the beauty of light, as in studies of the great egret, snowy owl, and gannet. This book, published in 2020, Widening Circles, explores a new subject for me—an aspect of darkness. Ferocious hawks in the wild become the symbol of the predatory instincts in both man and nature, while domesticated hawks are masked and leashed.
Written over 100 years ago, in a time of extreme duress, the text from a poem by Rilke is embossed in a deep, deep black photographic paper. You have to really lean into the text to read it, to find the message of hope that counterbalances any violence implied in both the hawk on the hunt and the hawk in captivity.
The cover of the volume is hand dyed in red ink, the color of blood. The volume is housed in a leather box, like a hawk in captivity.
Thus, the bloodlust of a hawk on the hunt is contrasted with the subdued hawks in their protective gear. I believe this tension between freedom and restriction, between violence and peace, is a reality we face in our world today. But we can also turn to Rilke’s words of faith and hope as we face each new day.
As is stated in Widening Circles, I believe the sublime gift of nature is witnessing the cycles of life and death and renewal. It shows us we as artists can transcend destruction through creativity…even in an age of societal and environmental assault.