Turtle Island Press ~ Pennsylvania
(Claire Owen)

The Seduction of Marian
By Claire Owen
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: Turtle Island Press, 2007. Edition of 30.

9.25 x 6.5"; 18 pages. Printed on Stonehenge Warm White. Paper wrapper with a digital image. Laid in a cloth chemise with a printed label on the front board. Black and white wash drawings and the light gray text printed digitally. Black text and headings set in Gil Sans Light by Michael Bixler of Skaneateles, NY. Printed by Art Larson at Horton Tank Graphics in Hadley, MA. Signed by Owen.

Claire Owen: "This retelling of the Annunciation story was inspired by the painting of the same name by Fra Angelico at the Monastery of San Marco in Florence. In Fra Angelico's image the Virgin and the angel make eye contact. Mary looks alarmed and frightened, not demure or compliant as this scene is often depicted. The Seduction of Marian tells of what may have lead up to that moment, as it would have been experienced by a thirteen-year-old girl."
$600

Breath upon Clay
By Claire Owen
2005. Edition of 30.

9.5 x 6.5"; 22 pages. Illustrated by three graphite drawings plus an oil painting, which were scanned and printed digitally. The painting is printed in color, using an Epson 1280 printer. Text: Monotype Erhardt by Michael and Winifred Bixler. Titling: Palatino Italic. Decorative initials: Cloister, printed in terracotta. The type printed letterpress by Art Larson (Horton Tank Graphics). The binding uses deep purple cloth with inset printed labels and rice paper end sheets bound by Sara Creighton.

A fable that accounts for “spiritually gifted, and the spiritually derelict souls” among us.

Claire Owen: "This book is a creation fable based upon the Old Testament account of human origins. The story allows for some experimentation by the Creator while bringing our first parents to life. Some of His early human prototypes slipped into the human family, and the consequence of their presence here are retold."

Breath upon Clay was selected to be in the Guild of Bookworker's 100th Anniversary Exhibit.
$600

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Pentimento
By Claire Owen
2003. Open Edition.

7 x 8.5"; 20 pages. The first and last pages are hand embossed with an inset translucent sheet that carries text. The poems are illustrated by nine paintings, scanned and printed by an Epson 1280 printer. Text printed on 80 lb. Canson Classic Cream, the embossed pages on Arches cover. Case bound, using Mikura Donsu Brocade for the cover and Shantung Soft Gold for the end sheets.

A short, powerful collection of poems written by Owen in memory of her mother, Pentimento is the first title by Turtle Island Press that uses exclusively electronic imaging.

The moon stumbles behind
our shadow, and throws a
a glitter of stars across
the curved, black eclipse
overhead I watch for
a code of your making
certain I will read all
your promises fulfilled

$300

our days are drawn upon the HEAVENS
By Claire Owen
2001. Edition of 35.

10 x 15.5"; 58 pages. Relief etching, chine collé, and pochoir illustrations. Bound using a cloth covered chemise. Letterpress printing by Art Larson. Overlays laser printed on Bienfang Calligraphic Parchment translucent white, using Garamond.

An astronomical calendar for the last year of the last millennium, 1999, using small star maps and text that describes specific astrological events. Supported by quotations from scholars, poets and scripture that reflect the spiritual awe study of the heavens can inspire. Interspersed are stenciled images of the month’s prominent constellations on hand-marbled black paper.
$600

Honey from the Mouth of a Wolf
By Claire Owen
1997. Edition of 30.

9.5 x 8 "; 22 pages. Illustrated by 9 photo etchings. Printed in red and brown on Rives heavy weight paper with pochoir border decorations. Art Larson (Horton Tank Graphics) printed the text and plates. Text and titling are Romulus, with Pastonchi used for the poem. Golgonooza Letter Foundry composed the type. The binding, done by the artist, is made of a red silk blend with printed inset label.

In this contemporary interpretation of the St. Francis legend, the artist responds to a story she was given as a child, "The Seven Miracles of Gubbio and the Eighth." The Gubbio story tells of a wolf that Francis tames and gives the power of miracles. There are two voices, a simple narrative recounting events from the saint's life, and a poem that gives voice to the wolf.
$750

Of Fur and Flesh
By Claire Owen
1991. Edition of 50.

8 x 8"; 24 pages. 13 linocuts and 5 woodcuts, printed in two colors on Kitakata. Bound by Daniel Kelm in traditional Japanese style, with a three folded silk/rayon covered chemise holding the text.

A puzzling tale of a woman and wolf, who at times seem to be of one sensibility.
$350

Gabriel's Family
By Claire Owen
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Telluride, Colorado: 1992.
Edition of 52.

8 x 9"; 52 pages. Story and images by the artist; the design and production a collaboration between Owen and Daniel Tucker (Telluride, Colorado). The images are relief etchings, printed in warm gray and black with the last image having hand coloring. Presswork by Art Larson of Horton Tank Graphics. Text: Baskerville; titling: Centaur. The binding of Chieftan leather with tooling was designed by Daniel Tucker and complete by Daniel Kelm and his staff.

Claire Owen: "This is a story about creative obsession, faith and the eventual lack of control an artist has over his or her creations. Gabriel's Family tells of a stone cutter who created marvelous creatures in stone. These figures are filled with beauty and horror, but he comes to see them as part of his family, indeed, as a completion of himself. His close identity with them is threatened when his isolation is invaded. On this predicament the story turns."

Review, Bookways, Number X: "The tale, penned by press co-proprietor Claire Owen, is steeped in supernatural elements and written in the language of fairy tales. The text of the short story runs through narrow columns, most typically printed toward the outside of a generous oblong page; prints in brown and black of stylized gothic architectural elements - buttresses topped with menacing gargoyles, vaulted ceilings, and pointed arches - span the gutter and fill the central portion of the double-page spread. The binding, a cased-in concertina sealed with adhesive on the spine edge, allows for a flat and seamless page opening, a necessary attribute given the central placement of the prints. The attractive prints dominate the page and create a mood well suited to the tale of a man obsessed with stone."
$1,000

Seven Gods, Seven Demons: A Bestiary
By Claire Owen
1987. Edition of 30.

10.25 x 7". Fourteen hand-painted etchings and three hand-printed wrappers on Rives paper. Text printed letterpress by Mary Phelan, using Caslon Old Style and Lombardic Capitals. Bound by Owen in a cloth covered chemise, decorated with a hand pained etching. Printed in an edition of 30, 26 lettered, and 4 numbered copies. Signed by the artist.

A contemporary treatment of a medieval book form, revisiting the bestiary to explore the use of animals to represent good and evil. Seven animals as gods, seven as demons.
$500 (Three copies remain)

Night Flowers
By Claire Owen
[1986]. Edition of 26.

10 x 7.5" with 6 hand-painted intaglio etchings. Each 5.5 x 7" etching mounted onto accordion folded pages. The folded pages as well as the end sheets are hand decorated. The pages are held in a black linen chemise with an etching mounted on the cover.

Claire Owen: "This book is a visual interpretation of rare and beautiful event of night flowering plants."
$350 (A few copies available)

Waterline
By Claire Owen
1982. Edition of 40.
[Published under the imprint of Daniel Tucker Bookworks]

8.5 x 8.5", 32 pages. Text and images by Claire Owen. Accordion fold structure, printed by Owen with the help of Lisa Cameron and Annie Russell in three colors on Arches Cover. 18 relief etchings, including 6 which are hand colored. In addition there are 6 text pages using Zapf Chancery, and printed intaglio from photo-etched plates. Book bound by Daniel Tucker and Claire Owen. Encased in a one-quarter leather box of marbled calfskin and elephant hide paper, which is gold tooled and stamped.

A visual and poetic statement about the place where water meets land, a place that holds the promise of transformation.
$800