Rhiannon Alpers (San Francisco, California)
Vanishing
2021
7.5” x 7.5” x 2”
Mezzotint, letterpress, handmade paper, box making
Artwork description:
Vanishing is a collaboration between poet Jane Hirschfield, printmaker Holly Downing and book artist, Rhiannon Alpers. The poetry and imagery in Vanishing revolve around insects currently considered threatened or endangered. They are part of the “insect apocalypse”. Threats to their survival include habitat loss and fragmentation, invasion of non-native species, pesticide application, and global warming.
Poems contributed by Jane Hirschfield are letterpress printed, interspersed with hand-colored mezzotint engravings. The book is a loose interleaved accordion of Rives BFK and handmade paper enclosed in a drop spine magnetic closure box.
View a PDF of the book and its poems.
Whispering Stones
2021
9″ x 5″ x 1
letterpress, monotype letterpress, papercutting, box making
From the collection of Julia Alpers
Artwork Description:
Whispering Stones explores the concepts of loss and the passage of time through the metaphor of two stones: the moon and a large boulder on earth. They each experience the change, grief, erosion, and the ability to comfort each other in different ways. In traumatic times, there is a solace to the rhythm of cycles and companionship whether we are stones or beings. The book was created using mono-printed letterpress prints, polymer plates, and paper cutting in a carousel-style binding.
View a PDF of the poem.
Artist Statement:
For me, artist books are a medium that allows for multidimensional stories to take shape and be accessible to the viewer in both a sequential and spatial form. The finished artist’s books incorporate components of handmade paper, bookbinding, paper cutting/laser cutting, digital and letterpress printing as well as the narrative to weave these processes together. The process of interacting with the book should be a journey for the reader, taking in the story visually, tactically and creatively interpreting the intertwining of my wonderings. It is through the unfolding, unearthing, and untangling that leads us to discovery in science and communication, and it is that same process that challenges and propels me to create artist’s books.
Artist Bio:
Rhiannon Alpers is a papermaker, letterpress printer, bookbinder, and book artist. She publishes limited edition and one-of-a-kind books under the imprint of Gazelle & Goat Press in San Francisco, California. She has exhibited her artist books and sculptural books internationally. Rhiannon has an MFA in Book and Paper Arts from Columbia College Chicago and a BA in Book Arts from UC Santa Barbara, College of Creative Studies. She teaches both as adjunct faculty and adult community workshops across the west coast and in the SF bay area. www.rhiannonalpers.com