Stone on Stone

Several of my books use structures I learned from Vermont book artist and printmaker Claire Van Vliet (from classes with her as well as her book Woven and Interlocking Book Structures). So when I heard there was a small exhibit of her work close to my sister’s house in Vermont, where I’m staying for the month of August, I made it a point to go take a look. Much to my surprise and delight, on exhibit were lithographs of stones, most of them outside Abiquiu, New Mexico, near my own home. The one above is called “Ghost Mesa” and is close to Ghost Ranch, where Georgia O’Keefe lived and painted, and about an hour from my house in Santa Fe. (The exhibit was called “Stone on Stone,” as they are stone lithographs of stone outcroppings.)
I found an interesting interview with Van Vliet by Bob Bahr — Van Vliet’s Rocks — where she talks about why she often uses stones and rocks in her work.

Claire Van Vliet, a veteran printmaker and an acclaimed art-book printer and publisher, loves to draw rocks. “Drawing rocks gives you a really good excuse to make a picture that is just pure form, without a literal history,” she says. “When I start, the form catches my imagination — the shape of the rock is what catches my eye. I’m not looking for anything specific. That’s why I like to work with something abstract like a rock. I’m just looking, seeing.”

You can see more of Van Vliet’s lithographs here.