Pandemic Book of Days
Belfast, ME: Jan Owen, 2020. Softcover. A timely unique book by the celebrated calligrapher, Jan Owen and signed by her. On her website she states: "I was born in New York City, grew up in Hastings-on-Hudson, New York and loved to draw and read as a child. Now I live in Belfast on the coast of Maine with long winters to write and beautiful summers. I walk to the beach to watch the sun rise and the tide come in. My day begins with brushstrokes to music, on to lettering and then to the words. My first books were long, hanging accordion fold books, large pieces that could be seen all at once and then folded away. I played string bass with a symphony orchestra for many years and the music always kept moving forward. I wanted my art to be still and include brush strokes and layers of words all visible at once. Now I like planning the pacing and arrangement of pages, words and images." Jan writes in her colophon that this is "a book I slowly worked on during this pandemic year, remembering words by Montaigne who lived during the 1500's plague. I returned to an early love of medieval cloisonné enamels to paint the faces, and what used to be a calligrapher's job, writing names." She also includes words by the poet Denise Levertov and the names of Americans dead from Covid-19 in 2020. The pages with the writings of Levertov and Montaigne are on bright green and blue papers, with the texts in gilt. The many pages recording the names of the dead Americans are written in black ink on black paper. The last five pages use Roman numerals to record the number of the dead. Produced using acrylic, gouache and pen on Kate Fairchild handmade paper. Black Cave papers were used for the book's covers and the box in which it is housed. The title is printed in gilt on the spine and cover of the box. In fine condition. Book measure 3.75 x 4.5 x .5 inches. Unpaginated. ARTB/041224. Fine. More