IMBUE

Inexpressible loss finds its expression in the work of these two poets. The sudden death of a boyfriend caused me to reach out to these two writers, both of whom deal with the loss of a partner.

I chose Patti Smith’s poems because of their timeless troubadour’s voice, a horn calling a lost love from the sorrowing depths. The poetry of Frances McCue I wanted for her ferocious, beautiful, terrible look at grief, and what it means to be human. Both poets graciously offered their work to me in a collaboration of emotion.

“Imbue” is a sheaf of chemically-altered cyanotype prints inscribed with a crow-quill pen, the words chemically bleached out of the deep blue background. The act of hand-writing the poems became a ritual of mourning and healing in itself, as well as homage to the work of these two poets. The cover, made of pigskin suede, bares skin to the imprint of the book’s title, stating the obviousness of vulnerability.

IMBUE, 2011. Poems by Patti Smith & Frances McCue, hand-written on altered cyanotypes, screw binding, red book cloth, pigskin cover, blind embossed with title, 30 pages, unique book. 26" x 32"