Bad Girls
Artist’s Book, 81/4” x 45/8” x 5/8”, Letterpress, Polymer Plates, & Silkscreen 2008-09
Guardians can protect us or they can restrict our movements and desires. Early civilizations relied heavily on guardians to do the work that no mortal could do.
The Sphinx, Sirens, and the Gorgon were mythic women who died doing their duty as guardians. Each was employed and focused on doing their jobs. They lost their lives protecting their territories. Throughout history these women were known as evil characters who tempted men and caused their downfall. Today society despises women who are man-eaters, sirens, and powerful women, who look at men and cause them to be so uncomfortable that they freeze in their tracks.
The three volume set allows each woman to tell her story from a new point of view. The three books are housed in a purse-like box. When opened the purse becomes a Greek temple with the three women depicted on the pediment. The books and box were created, printed, and constructed at the Citron Press in Waukesha, Wisconsin during 2008-9. The Books were printed on Arches paper, using letterpress for text with relief and photopolymer plates for images. The boxes were printed on Hahnemuhle paper using screen printing. There are fifty in the edition.