Jubilation Press ~Oregon
(Cathy DeForest)

YET
By Cathy DeForest
Ashland, Oregon: Jubilation Press, 2011. Edition of 12.

11.25 x 9.25 x 2.25" container with pamphlet, polymer photogravure, and twigs. Cloth covered custom box built by Sabina Nies. Interior lid with built in frame for photograph.

Pamphlet: 9 x 6.5"; 19 leaves. Text pages of Niyodo Natural paper. Bound in covers of bark papers with thread and twig binding.

Cathy Deforest: "YET is dedicated to the Ecuadorian woman I saw in a field gathering sticks. In my desire to share her presence with others, I turned my photograph into a polymer photogravure and designed a book to reveal a poem I wrote about her.

"The first line of the poem is respectfully borrowed from Wendell Berry."
$ 650

Musings: A Tribute to Those Who Sew
By Cathy DeForest
Ashland, Oregon: Jubilation Press, 2010. Edition of 40.

4.5 x 3.5 x .75" closed, 39" open; 12 pages. Accordion book inspired by a hand embroidered sachet bag found in Venice, Italy. Letterpress printed in Caslon type on Vandercook Universal press onto Rives Lightweight Buff paper. Each book in a unique hand-sewn bag made from either antique or modern handwork.

Jubilation Press: "While teaching artists' books in Florence, Italy, book artist Cathy DeForest ventured to Venice for la Biennale di Venezia. At the moment she saw the exquisitely hand-embroidered sachet bag in Venice, her love affair with textiles and sewing matters was rekindled. Inspired by the handwork, Cathy wrote a series of musings about the women who still do this unique art in the 21st century. Each artist book is unique, with each enclosure made from some form of handwork, some originating in Italy, some made from antique lace collars, bridal handkerchiefs and lace dresser covers."

Colophon: "I remembered my grandmother, great aunt, and mother spending hours doing this kind of work. Perhaps your ancestors were such women too. This book is a tribute to those women and the women who are still doing handwork in the 21st century. The Venetian embroidered bag and my love for this work led me to other handwork: lace handkerchiefs, delicate vanity covers, antique collars. I continued my pursuit of these unique works until I found a total of forty handsewn pieces."

Excerpt from Musings: A Tribute To Those Who Sew: "She is giving shape to beauty. That is her concern and her pleasure. She is the embroidery maker, the quilter, the lacemaker, the weaver of stories, the carrier of traditions. Her fingers may be worn and old or young and agile. They may misplace a thread or skip a knot or two, but she is determined to create a moment of meaning, a pause of solace in this world of chaos and unrelenting sorrow.”
$120

BOYS: An Alphabet Book Inspired By Sons
By Cathy DeForest
Ashland, Oregon: Jubilation Press, 2008. Edition of 100.

5 x 5 x 1” closed; 35” open; 30 pages. Accordion structure. Set in Adobe Caslon Pro, semi-bold italic. Cloth-covered (blue jeans) boards. Numbered and signed by the artist.

Jubilation Press: "Accordion alphabet book based on 26 handpainted original illustrations using combination of gouache, acrylic, charcoal, and Prismacolor pencil. Text highlighting the energy and antics of boys surrounds letters A-Z, stylized by Cathy DeForest of Jubilation Press.

"The 26 colorful letters and images of Boys: An Alphabet Book Inspired By Sons, reflect the essence of boys. Each book has a unique cover distinct from the other books in the edition, made from the pocket of children’s blue jeans. A puppet or toy is stuffed into each denim pocket cover, just the way a typical boy would stuff his pockets with treasures. This artist book is intended for children of all ages and the book also functions as a work of art, a sculpture that can adorn a child’s bedroom or a family room shelf. Everyone is invited to romp through the alphabet as each colorful letter, image, and text invites the reader to reflect on the antics and energy of boys."

Cathy DeForest, Colophon: "This book was inspired by my sons, Galen and Derek. I loved watching them grow up, shoving pebbles and sticks in their pockets, rambling through creek beds, talking to their teddy bears, dressing up as gallant knights, building extravagant fortresses, and playing endless hours of chess. ...

"...this book has come into print through a delightful collaboration with talented artists. Anja Dubois redrew my original illustrations with her own personal flair and Cathy Dorris painted each letter with her special mastery of color. Exquisite bookbinder, Sabina Nies, took my pile of children's jeans and transformed them into delightful book covers and bound this book. Gifted graphic designers, Christer Rowan and Renee Childs, used their talents to turn my writing, designs and color choices into this printed book."

Dashing, dueling, determined daredevils
Daydreaming, dillydallying days
Digging in dirt, ditches, dwellings

$275

Call of the Village
By Cathy DeForest and Nancy Bardos
Ashland, Oregon: Jubilation Press, 2008. Edition of 10.

15 x 11.5" closed, 15 x 27.5" open. Letterpress text. Four intaglio etchings. Printed on Hahnemühle paper. Bound in binder's board with maroon book cloth by Sabina Nie. Two handmade clay stones by Cathy DeForest decorate the cover.

This book opens into a triptych with the DeForest-Bardos poem on the center panel, enhanced by intaglio etchings on the side panel.

Jubilation Press: "Call of The Village opens with a colorful etching of an indigenous figure representing one of the Four Directions. Inside the book, four figures portraying the Four Directions, heighten the call to the villagers. The poem is an invitation to readers to weave a village together of invisible threads to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Each book in the edition of 10 is distinct in itself, since each etching is uniquely hand-inked by Cathy DeForest."

This artists' book was an offshoot of a project "The Call of the Village" to raise money for microloans for women in Malawi, Africa.
    No matter where we live, many of us carry a village in our hearts:
   mythical or real, known or unknown.
   Filled with memories,
   Filled with yearnings,
   We are seeking a village that carries the spirit of home

$400

On Wings of Song
By Cathy DeForest
Ashland, Oregon: Serenity Press, 2008. Edition of 100.

3.75 x 8.75"; 10 pages. Letterpress printed on Rives BFK with a Vandercook SP20. Set in Caslon type. Images are original graphite drawings. Each image hand painted with watercolors and gouache. Housed in a lightweight blue-paper envelope-style enclosure with slip-out flap closure. Written and illustrated by Cathy DeForest. Book design by Brenda Cornett and Cathy DeForest.

Colophon: "On Wings of Song was written by Cathy DeForest, a Northwest printmaker and book artist. Her five prose poems were inspired by a bird's nest which fell out of her wisteria bush around the time her sons were going off to school."

We are nest builders, mothers of destiny.
Twig after twig, we simultaneously both fortify
and soften the nest: a sanctuary from harm's
way, a cradle to feed and nourish soul and
body. Ingenuity builds the nest, ...

A paean for nest builders of all kinds.
$125