18 Views of San Francisco

Here is a glimpse of our current project, 18 Views of San Francisco, a suite of 10 luminous paintings by Claribel paired with exquisite haiku by Don Skiles. The paper for the text and paintings is Hahnemühle iBugra with Hahnemühle Bugra covers, each bearing an original collage by C.C. The endpapers are special Japanese Chiyogami. This stunning title is limited to 15 copies, each carrying the chops of the artist, poet and printer/binder.














Sound of rolling traffic
like far off ocean murmur
Surf of the city
















Rain street of Sausalito
past the cinema
Nighttime lights like oil paint shimmer















The light, the shadows
Which is which?
Beautiful, silent















Grey days
blue water
the sun's around somewhere

New Poems

My North Star is a poem by Pat Hays that will be appearing in a book entitled "Watersongs" that we are currently at work on. The book is a collection of poems by several writers accompained by Claribel's paintings.
































The Little King is a childhood friend of Claribel's who began life as a cartoon in The New Yorker. He became so popular that a series of animated cartoons was created about his adventures. This is my tribute to him.

Work In Progress

Here are excerpts from a book we're just starting on, Sono Choushi by Don Skiles. Paintings by Claribel will accompany haiku by Don. The book will be in four sections to represent the seasons. The paintings are from the top; Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter. Sono Choushi, which is Japanese for "Rave On", will be published in an edition of 10 copies printed on Hahnemühle Biblio paper and bound Japanese stab style into Gampi covers.

In conjunction with the book there will be a broadside published each season featuring five haiku from the book and the image for that season.


sudden rain at night
only sound
in the dark air

The woods dark

after that storm

but the sky high blue

Late autumn

leaves falling, falling

in the mirror

Long solstice night

end of this year

wrapped in the beginning

Donna Seager Gallery Show

Shown above are some of the paintings from Rectangulos, a miniature book 2 x 3 inches by Claribel. This book along with Flores and Haiku Snow are featured in the current 3rd annual show of book artists at The Donna Seager Gallery in San Rafael, California.

Our page at the gallery website:

http://www.donnaseagergallery.com/art_of_the_book/artists/Claribel_Cone/index.htm

Candy Club Preview

Here are a few pieces from Candy Club, a work in progress about childhood and our favorite candies. The pen and ink drawing is Jujyfruit by Marian Schell. It accompanies the Don Skiles piece of the same name, a remembrance of candy and an afternoon at the local movie theater:

Jujyfruits. 5¢ in the tall blue vending machine that shook slightly and swayed when you pulled the handles, and the mirror that looked back at you. Wildroot Hair Tonic mirror. And the word— what did it mean? What language was that? DOTS, too boring; they all looked the same. No magic there.

Mr. Weisman’s Ritz Theatre. The best deal there. 12¢ in the hard seats, first twelve rows all kids, gaping up faces at that big, tall screen. In love with Deanna Durbin and aircraft carriers.

The soft seats cost a quarter. Double feature on Saturday afternoon. I believed in Mr. Weisman, he had some hand in making the movies I saw, digging in my box of Jujyfruits, turning it up and tapping or taking off the other end , to get the last one or two that always stuck to the dark inside of that bright yellow box. I believed the movies. It was church.

The taste of them is the movies, like the popcorn smell, the squeak of the slippery seats, the guy who always laughed at the wrong places.

Jujyfruits. 5¢ America.

This gouache by Claribel is of Necco Wafers in all their glory. It accompanies a poem by Raye Thomas:

Necco Wafers

I pass
Relic Lady
Popping Necco wafers
Chocolate sin lemon penance

Blue dress
I lust
Lime redemption for sale
Indelible pink forgiveness
Melt me

New Broadsides

A broadside by Hisako Endo about her journey to see the Tancho cranes in Japan this past January. Published in a signed edition of 50 on rose colored Hahnemühle Ingres. You can read more at her blog www.tsurunokaze.blogspot.com.







A new broadside by Don Skiles with five haiku written this spring. It is an edition of 50 signed and numbered copies printed on Hahnemühle Ingres paper. The painting reproduced on the broadside is by Claribel and taken from her book FLORES.

Images From Haiku Snow

The above monoprint is by Claribel and is one of eleven from the book Haiku Snow. There is a haiku to accompany each print and the book was published in Ferbruary 2oo8 an edition of 10 regular copies and a special edition of 5 copies with Japanese silkscreened covers. The haiku for this one is:

snowflakes passing through
the light from overhead
shifting with the wind

snow on the roof

gray shingles

the oil truck out front