Lichen: Rambles in the Colorado Front Range. - 2024

Colorado:: Gazelle & Goat Press,, 2024.. Edition of 20 . 11 x 7 x 3" multi-level clamshell box containing 10x magnification loupe; 5 lichen/moss specimens; a copy of the book Fieldwork: Ladies of Lichenology (4 x 4" closed, 8 panels, open measures 4 x 32"); and, a copy of Lichen: Rambles in the Colorado Front Range (10 x 6 x 1"). Materials: Bookcloth, Ultrasuede, fabric, handmade paper, elephant hide paper, Arches Heavyweight paper, glass vials, magnification loupe, stone veneer. Processes: letterpress printing, laser cutting. Signed and numbered by the artist. Gazelle and Goat Press: "This edition was written, designed, printed, and bound by Rhiannon Alpers of Gazelle and Goat Press in Denver, Colorado. Using a combination of wood type, polymer plates, and laser cutting, the artist collaged and decorated the book by hand. Field collection specimen panels are illustrated with a combination of watercolors, inks, and natural pigments. The oversized Latin taxonomy specimen names are mono-printed using wood type and alternative ink processes. The handmade lace paper chapter enclosures are made using over-beaten abaca pulp, wall-sprayed for a textural effect. Wherever possible, the materials and media used are documented with the specimen records themselves for reference. "Deluxe multi-level clamshell box includes 'Fieldwork Ladies of Lichenology', 10x magnification loupe, and 5 lichen/moss specimens. To ensure conservation, culture tubes containing the specimens have been collected and preserved according to current herbarium standards. The magnification loupe has been also included for closer examination. Rhiannon Alpers: "'Lichen: Rambles in the Colorado Front Range' explores the minuscule and often overlooked world of moss and lichen. This project began with my own fascination with the textures, colors, and dynamic forms of these tiny species, and to delve into the microscopic wonders that typically escape casual observation. Through extensive field exploration and herbarium research, I became captivated by the seemingly simple exteriors of lichens and mosses, which fiercely guard their vascular intricacies and the minute details that differentiate each species. "The book is structured around three species: two lichens and a moss, each presented as a chapter. Each species chapter is documented through a series of nine pages featuring various perspectives and research methods. These pages include topographical maps, handmade paper, textural monoprints of scientific names, watercolor swatches, paper collage elements, and narratives about my journeys and research along the way. Each chapter begins with visual and tactile representations of the species and the specific environment within the Colorado Front Range where it can be found. Documenting these findings in a creative and meaningful way became both a narrative challenge and a discovery process for me. Utilizing letterpress, papermaking, and watercolor as my visual tools, I aimed to represent my findings in an engaging and scientifically accurate manner. The scientific names of the species are integrated into the story, highlighting their physical characteristics as well as their botanical significance. "The box includes small samples of lichen and moss preserved in glass vials and a magnification loupe for the viewer. The accompanying smaller book, entitled' Ladies of Lichenology', chronicles four early women bryologists and their stories. The four women featured in the narrative are Mary Farnham Miller, Elizabeth Gertrude Knight Britton, Matilda Knowles, and Elizabeth C. Wright. The front side of the swing-panel accordion gives a brief poetic biography, and the back panels are layered letterpress imagery of the species the women researched and published work relating to. "Along the way, the contributions of contemporary and early women biologists and bryologists added new layers of narrative and connection to my environment in Colorado. As with many obscure projects of this nature, it was the intertwining of scientists' backstories and the species themselves that also became a new and fascinating component of the artist's book. The women who have and continue to research these fascinating species within the community also bring a groundbreaking dimension to the field-one that is continually evolving. "This project has deepened my understanding of lichens' interconnectedness to their surroundings, particularly within the Colorado Front Range landscape. It has revealed the complex ways in which these lichens interact chemically, biologically, and environmentally with their hosts. As an artist's book, the medium allows for multidimensional stories to take shape and be accessible to the viewer in both a sequential and spatial form. The process of going through this book should be a journey for the reader, engaging with the story visually, tactically, and creatively, interpreting the intertwining of my artistic explorations and the scientific discoveries of female naturalists. It is through the unfolding, unearthing, and untangling that we all come to discovery, which challenges and propels me to create these types of books.