Adirondack Sutra

Canton, NY: Caliban Press, 2013. Artist's book, one of 48 copies, all on various handmade papers, mostly from La Papeterie St.-Armand, initialed and numbered by the publisher, Mark McMurray on the colophon. Page size: approximately12.75 x 3-15/16 inches, but some smaller; 50pp; 25 leaves plus 2pp. notes. The colophon notes that this book was printed by Mark McMurray and interns Elizabeth Vitek and Rebecca Doll with additional presswork by students Elizabeth Cashin, Erika Davin and Nicole Porter. Text is printed from metal and wood types in Caliban Press collection, including new additions of Samson uncial by Victor Hammer and Legend by Friedrich H.E. Schneidler. Many of the papers used have been dyed, dipped, and/or floated in an indigo dye bath, done with the assistance of Velma Bolyard. Additional support for this project came from St. Lawrence University "Crossing Boundaries: Re-envisioning the Humanities for the 21st Century" generously funded by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Additional enthusiastic support was received from Professor Mark MacWilliams' "Buddhist Traditions" course at St. Lawrence University.
SUTRA is a Sanskrit word meaning aphorism, saying, or collection of same. The text is by and drawn from various sources including H.D. Thoreau, W.C. Bryant. E. Dickinson, A. Casline, as well as Indian, Tibetan, and East Asian Sutras, and inspired by the Adirondack Mountains region in Northern New York. The format was inspired by ancient Indian sutras written on palm leaves, the traditional material used before the introduction of paper. Even after paper became common the Tibetans preserved this oblong format, which is called "pecha" (from the Sanskrit: pothi). The opening page / leaf (after titlepage) is a paper volvelle-mandala using copies of maps of the Adirondacks and dyed paper (3 layers) to make the volvelle. Some pages are Japanese rubber stamps, some are collaged, and some are printed, with rubber stamps and collaged. Some are prints (maps) and the penultimate page is Nepali fern hand made paper. These are beautiful images and a witty and lovely assemblage of aphorisms, i.e. "Swimming with snapping turtles is more fun than it might at first seem." on the verso of a rubber stamp image of a turtle. There is the (imaginary) exchange labeled "Customs & Border Patrol Temporary Hungry Ghost Traffic Checkpoint: Officer: Citizenship? Traveler: Mindful sentient being. Officer: Destination? Traveler: Am I being detained, or am I free to go? "The book is multi-colored and multi-textured and an homage to nature and the Adirondacks.