A Maker's Reaction to Politics

The beginning of my retirement from teaching 30 years were spent reading the essays of my 'boyfriend' Michele de Montaigne declaring to spend the remainder of his life hidden away in his library reading. As I 'found myself now searching through a dark wood, the right way blurred and lost' I thought of him as my Virgil, leading me through my new life. Montaigne and I share the characteristic of a brain 'only good for leap-frogging' and decided to write his thoughts.

The result is a large notebook of my time with Montaigne. However, I now need to build my own voice. As I am not a writer but a metalsmith and former bookbinder, I am making my pensees

Tobias Schier (Polish) Book cover for Petateuch and Five Scrolls; silver: 1721-ca 1727 on view at the Met

This is my inspiration for my book. There are a bunch of these and they are usually religious.

It is important to me that the work is by hand and not thought to be created using a laser cutter. I only used a ruler.

I know that my craftsmenship is not good enough to be confused with a machine cutting it. Could I be using that as an excuse for my lack of piercing or jewlery saw skill? Perhaps.

Beginning of Piercing; back cover

As I was drawing the back, the tracery shapes began to look like Munch's Sceam. I am, like Montainge, going to fill my book with a journal of making it and how I feel as an American in this moment watching Democracy die. It is my Momento Mori.

Back cover under front cover with paper glued. I love the shadows the tracery gives

Work done upto March 9, 2025

I am using a thick cotton paper to write the creative journal. My handwriting can be tiny. The book covers are 4"x6".

Pages of the journal that will be bound into the book covers