MARY BETH BOONE
I am aware that as I age, those childhood influences – growing up in the South, an appreciation for handmade and preserved objects, in addition to the cultivation of land and plants – are finding their way into my work. It’s the contemplative aspect of my work that I hope will promote my audience to ponder their own ideas and perspectives about the interdependent web of life.
–Mary Beth Boone
Mary Beth Boone, Poppy Garden, 2019, two block six color reduction relief print, letterpress printed,10 x12.75 inches unframed, on 100 lb. weight of Cougar Natural paper
Mary Beth Boone’s depictions of garden life are among the artist’s most well-known works. Poppy Garden highlights Boone’s ability to distill the essence of a moment in nature using line and color. When compared to a photograph taken by Boone of the actual blooms in her garden, it is as if she has zeroed in on the scene’s most essential elements. Working from drawings, she presents the poppies as buds, as half-opened blossoms and as full blooms evoking the stages of florescence. Angular lines of stems and leaves suggest the garden continues beyond the borders of the print. Boone’s use of line always appears unforced and is ideally suited to her printmaking process.
After creating the carved blocks from drawings, six passages of colored ink are required to produce the print.
Poppy Garden embodies the artist’s ability to “dress in leaves” as poet Mary Oliver states, and “come, calm and steady, with some small and easy story.” Mary Oliver, The Leaf And The Cloud: A Poem
Edie Carpenter spoke to Mary Beth Boone about her
botanical prints and cards, available for purchase at GreenHill:
EC: Do you grow certain blooms for your work?
In the past few years I have cultivated certain flowers for my work. These are primarily tulips, calla lilies, and poppies. I am attracted to their shapes, forms, and colors. My infatuation with these flowers began by growing them in our yard. This appreciation strengthened as I used them in my prints and books. Additionally, tulips and calla lilies are beautiful in vases and arrangements; (my first job was working as a florist).
EC: How do you match text with image?
This is basically an issue of availability. I have a limited number of alphabets in my type collection. Still, I seem to be attracted to serif typefaces - Garamond and Times New Roman for instance. Perhaps it is the Southerner in me; a bit old fashioned at heart.
I was fortunate to receive a project grant from Arts Greensboro in 2015. This enabled my purchase of Twentieth Century Modern in 11 pt and 18 pt. This sans serif typeface has a modern sensibility to it. I use it with imagery that is a bit more playful and less traditional. I might combine upper case with lower case or insert a word in italics for emphasis.
I am also infatuated with wood type. Unfortunately these alphabets are expensive. I have been able to purchase several. Their retro vintage look can stand alone in a greeting card, without the accompaniment of an image. I love the subtle texture and nuance of the wood grain that occurs when printed.
EC: What do you hope people take away from your work?
Nature is never static. Changes occur daily throughout the year. I am drawn to the colors, textures, movement, and shapes. It is a source of never ending magic and mystery that inspires me and brings me joy. Two things have brought me solace during the quarantine; working in my studio and in our gardens. The two go hand-in-hand.
Mary Beth Boone’s hand-made boxes, journals, prints and notecards can be found in GreenHill's shop.
Artist Bio
Mary Beth Boone is a book artist and letterpress printer who makes her home in Greensboro, NC. She began making books about thirty years ago and shows her work extensively. Her work was included in 1000 Artists’ Books and 500 Handmade Books, volume 2. A Winter Residency at the Penland School of Crafts in 2012 inspired her to locate and purchase a Vandercook SP 15. She prints under the imprint Purple Pumpkin Press.
Boone will be the featured book artist in Winter Show 2020.
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