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Directions for a Successful Life
Searching for the correct mind set, a deeply personal voice speaks out of collective awareness. Stahlecker examines the call toward solitude, the act of listening "to the one note song," as a way to access subtle information, "the wisdom that makes one's passage right." Her pages reflect this awareness not just visually, but texturally. As one might peer into the inner reaches of being, we can peer into the depths of these pages. Relief printing, monoprint and stencils build meaning from symbol through layers of ink and color. Images—ladder, frond, fence fragment, spoked wheel, and primitive map—rise ghostlike from ink washings. Shades of gold to golden brown to ruddy brown form a natural palette. Simple shapes are scratched into the build-up of color, suggesting the search for answers, how we scratch after meaning and elusive direction in our lives: "I squint to read between the lines / striving to see the obscure knowledge..." Futura wood type letters march boldly along the vertical line of the page, disappearing at times into blind impression behind image and Garamond text. Thus, text becomes texture, and we search the obscured letters for meaning, for an anchor. Letterpress on Somerset Book paper. Exposed spine sewing on linen tapes slotted into boards which are covered in brick red paper. Title label on upper board extends across the spine to the lower board. The idea of inherent uniqueness of the individual is reflected in the unusual, elongated shape of this book (15.5 x 2.625 inches). Small edition of 10. Exquisitely crafted and elegant. 2000.
$750
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