Quilts, wooden toys, pillow cases, and other handmade objects are items we treasure or hate. They are the record of the human urge to create. Creation is not the sole domain of poets and artists but an integral part of all peoples; creation is life
From the beginnings of history humans made objects that went beyond mere necessity. They enhanced surfaces of pottery with paint and carvings. From found rocks and bones they created small intimate sculptures to carry with them. They buried their dead with loving symbols of remembered life, precious artifacts, and the promise of another world.
Humans have spent time remaking favorite things from the past or unique objects never seen before. The results are accomplishments but the end product is not always the goal. The process or the act of making is the core of the creative force. That process can encompass frustration or pleasure, but the desire to make continues.
Colophon
“Make it” was printed on pages from vintage books entitled “Creative Hands” by Doris Cox and Barbara Warren Weismann. Additional papers used were Rives Light Weight and Hahnemuhle. The text was printed with letterpress. The images were printed with solar plates and photographic screen prints. The “Journal book” and recipe were printed on a laser printer.
Rabbit Cross Breeds
Our ancestors desired to be stronger, smarter, and have better off-spring. Early humans envied animals. They had speed, night vision, and were great hunters. The Ancient Assyrians created powerful guardians, Lamassu, by combining a bull’s body, bird’s wings, and a king’s head. The Ancient Egyptians created the great sphinx, by combining a lion’s body, bird’s wings, and the head of the pharaoh, Kafre. The Ancient Greeks created centaurs, by combining man and horse. The dark ages produced kings with names such as “Richard the Lion-hearted”. During the early Twentieth Century the academic elite tried to improve the race through eugenics, which included sterilization and genocide. Today, science tells us that genetics is the solution. Human desire for control of individual destiny has come full circle from a primitive man’s dream to a scientific reality.
This book is printed in letterpress and relief prints on Frankfurt paper and outdated copies of genetics text books. The cover is printed on Canson Mi-teintes paper. It was produced at the Citron Press in Waukesha, Wisconsin in 2004-05. There are sixty-nine copies in the edition. 9″ x 6″ x .25″