I first learned of Clare Rojas while traveling to the northeast. I was in Boston visiting some old friends in 2009. My friend took me along with her to Brandeis University. A university I had applied to for a postgraduate program in visual art in 2009 but declined the offer based on personal reasons. While at Brandeis I visited their art gallery, Rose Art Museum . They had on their Numbers, Colors and Text: Works from the Collection exhibition. I remember a fellow pacing back and forth in the room trying to figure out one of the paintings, apparently their was some theological secret within the numbers. He would randomly talk to the gallery staff and they would kindly smile and nod as he barked his responses about the works. I started perusing the books they had for sale, and found Clare Rojas: Hope Springs Eternal exhibition book printed by the Rose Art Museum. I fell in love with her work. There was some issue at the museum if they had more copies for sale. I said I would wait while they checked their back stock. Thankfully they did and I walked away with a hard to find/out of print art book, something that excites me. Rare books are a secret love of mine.
Later that year I was at Domy Bookstore in Austin, TX and I found a children's book by her accidentally. It was called Blue Deer and Red Foxand details a story of these two creatures lovely relationship. I don't want to ruin it by detailing specifics but it is definitely worth a peek. I couldn't purchase the book that day because I had planned to buy a different book, but when I returned the book wasn't in stock anymore. I have the impulsive love of buying books from stores rather than online, so I miss out on owning many books. so it wasn't til lovely Peter gave me the book as a gift recently. I reread the story and fell in love with it all over again.
I am thankful for these sorts of childrens books, built around clean imagery with complex narratives.
No comments:
Post a Comment