Tuesday, May 5, 2009

"Wicked Plants" is in a bookstore near you!

So, it’s finally out. The book I've been tirelessly working on this last year is now available! The hardcover book titled, “Wicked Plants: The Weed That Killed Lincoln's Mother and Other Botanical Atrocities,” written by Amy Stewart and published by Algonquin Books, contains 40 of my slightly menacing botanical illustrations and is now at local bookstores (and online).
The book turned out better than I had imagined. The acid-green cover is compelling and sickly to say the least, the writing is amusing and informative and the illustrations seem to suit the subject and style of the book. Accompanying the release of the book will be a show at the Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery in NY and another at Eureka Books in CA that will feature hand-tinted versions of the illustrations. In July I will also be hosting an etching workshop at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. With the release of the book I decided to produce a limited edition set of the prints as a portfolio. The “Wicked Plants Portfolio” will contain all 40 of the hand-pulled prints (plus two hand-tinted prints) and will be contained in a clamshell box made by Claudia Cohen. The portfolio will contain letter-pressed introductions by Amy Stewart and myself and will be printed by Rollin Milroy of Heavenly Monkey Press in Vancouver.

The other big bit of news is that after being offered an amazing fellowship I will be attending the University of Madison, Wisconsin for graduate work in printmaking in the fall. The decision to go was easy but the thought of leaving Vermont for three years has been hard. Helen and I have decided to do what we can to keep Twin Vixen Press alive and I will return to Vermont during breaks and summers to spend some time in the studio and help teach classes. (Thank you to all that signed up for our annual subscription this year – this will help keep the press alive through the next year. Your prints will be arriving shortly!)

Vermont is absolutely gorgeous right now. In the past week the landscape turned from various shades of brown to every imaginable color of green. I’ll be ready to test the swimming holes and biking in a week or two.

Thank you to everyone for all your help and support in these various projects that I have taken on in the last year. I have learned so, so much and I really thank all of you that have helped me along the way in some way or another.

Be well and happy spring!

Briony


Where to buy the Book:

Of course you can buy the book from Amazon.com but if you can, please support our local booksellers! Here’s a list of a few in Washington and a few in Brattleboro, Vermont that will be carrying the book. Barnes & Noble and Borders will also carry the book.

Washington:
Wessel & Lieberman Booksellers, 1st ave. Seattle, WA
Moonraker Bookstore: 1st St, Langley • 360-221-6962
Bookbay: Main St, Freeland
The Elliott Book Bay Company: South Main Street, Seattle

Vermont:
The Book Cellar: Main St, Brattleboro, VT
Everyone’s Books: Elliot St, Brattleboro, VT



Upcoming Shows for the Vixens:

May:

Eureka Books, Eureka CA
May 2nd – May 31st
A show of Briony's hand-tinted Wicked Plants

Steinhardt Conservatory Gallery at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Brooklyn, NY
May 31st – September 6th
Briony's big debut in NYC! The opening at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden will be on the 31st of May. There will also be a joint book signing with Amy Stewart and Briony on this day.

June & July:

Lucia Douglas Gallery, Bellingham, WA
June 13th – July 25th
Helen and Briony will have a few pieces at the Lucia Douglas Gallery Print Invitational this year.

Studio Place Arts, Barre, VT
June 16th – July 25th
Work by Helen O’Donnell and Briony will be on exhibit at this awesome historic Vermont building in Barre, VT. Please come join the Twin Vixens for the reception on the 16th of June.

Brooklyn Botanic Garden Etching Workshop
July 25th
There will also be a joint book signing with Amy Stewart and myself on the 25th of July.


July & August:

The Froggwell Gardens Forgery Show
Froggwell Gardens, Freeland, WA
July 31st – Aug 2nd
Briony will make an attempt to forge a great print master...shh


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