Reflejos
Indigofera Press, 2021. Hard Cover. Near Fine binding. Item #10594
Octavo. [20] pp., plates, illus. Limited edition, one of 8 copies. Hand numbered and initialed by Michelson-Ziegler at the colophon. Backed in cloth with embossed brass over boards, creating a mirrored finish. A blend of inkjet, letterpress, and linocuts. There is very minor crimping to the brass over boards, an inevitable byproduct of this construction. Care should be taken to keep skin oils from the brass in order to preserve the mirrored impression.
A collaborative work between artists Molly Mendoza and Bryn Michelson-Ziegler, building on their 2021 exhibition at the UPDX Gallery in Portland, OR. This book includes an interview with Mendoza, an award-winning artist, interspersed throughout with eight page-spreads containing archival inkjet reproductions of Mendoza's paintings on one leaf mirrored by two-layer linocut prints on handmade abaca paper by Michelson-Ziegler. A striking presentation with Mendoza's rich, sensuous, saturated paintings distilled by Michelson-Ziegler's linocuts into two colors while maintaining the same richness and sensuousness. Beyond the contents, the construction is done with incredible care. The recto/verso registration on the inkjet pages is amazingly precise; as is the alignment of the included linocuts mirroring the inkjet illustrations—an important nuance subtly but significantly lending to the impact of these page-spread. All this care speaking to the talent and attention of Michelson-Ziegler.
While it is much more, it is certainly a book born of COVID. Mendoza relates in the interview: "The theme started when I sketched a person pressing their face against a mirror, trying to give themself a desperate sort of kiss. It was something that lingered in my subconscious for a while . . . . I started reflecting on the physical and mental pain I had felt over the last year and a half. I thought about my own isolation, my sense of self, my ability to love, and my loneliness." While many artist's books from this time highlight the isolation, Mendoza and Michelson-Ziegler are reaching beyond that. The illustrations are sensuous and typically feature couples. Even the construction of the book speaks to connection rather than isolation—a collaboration with mirroring art work and brass covers with a mirror finish showing a hazy version of the viewer to themselves, making two from one. A beautiful and meaningful response to a globally difficult time.
Price: $700.00