Curious Pursuits Press ~ North Carolina
(Sharon A. Sharp)

Interwoven
By Sharon A. Sharp
Winston-Salem, NC: Curious Pursuits Press, 2019. Edition of 8.

3.3125" x 4.75"; 6 pages with 2 pages folded. Pamphlet-stitched single signature. Materials: papers - lokta, unryu, two types of kozo with inclusions, Mohawk Superfine, and Southworth linen; Irish linen thread; glass beads; novelty weaving thread. Processes: collographs printed with Van Son inks on a Vandercook press; handwriting with ink and colored pencil; colored pencil highlights on the collograph designs; archival inkjet printing. Handsewn binding with paper wraps and printed title label. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Sharon Sharp: "In 'Interwoven' I explore emotional dynamics in the healing of body, mind, and spirit after illnesses and similar challenges. I use patterns, colors, word pairs, and an original poem to reveal how seemingly opposite dynamics converge and intermingle - sometimes quickly, sometimes gradually, and often in ways that must be puzzled out - to form the grounding for soul-nurturing changes. The theme is reflected also in the book's varied materials. Soft, pliable, lightweight papers and stiffer, denser ones represent the interplay between vulnerability and strength, essential aspects of creative renewal. While 'Interwoven' speaks to my own experiences, I hope it will resonate for others, too."
$135

Blue Ridge Bounty
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: Curious Pursuits Press, 2010. Edition of 10.

2.5 x 3"; 6 pages. Miniature. Double-sided accordion, panorama style (as designated by Hedi Kyle). Canson Mi-Teintes, textured angel-hair, lightweight lokta, and office papers. Original collograph of skeletal leaves collected near the Blue Ridge Parkway printed on a Vandercook press. Handwritten text. Sections of the US Geological Survey topographical map surrounding Boone, North Carolina, inkjet printed. Bound in paper-covered museum board with paper title on front board and similar layered paper decoration on back board. Signed and numbered.

Sharon Sharp: "I've lived near the Blue Ridge Parkway for more than twenty years in North Carolina, as well as for three years in Virginia, and the verdant land continually mesmerizes me. The abundance and variety of trees fascinate me, especially as green bounty bursts forth each spring and refines the land's contours. I expect I'll always have to rely on my trusty tree-identification book while on drives and walks – and that prospect only increases this area's allure for me."
$100 (Last 3 copies)

Eight-Word Autumn Scene
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: Curious Pursuits Press, 2010. Edition of 10.

3 x 3"; 9 leaves. Handwritten text. Papers: parchment calligraphy, origami, Strathmore petal-inclusion, Canson Mi-Teintes, Thai leaf-inclusion, and unryu. Coptic stitched stiff wraps. Button and tassel closure. Linen thread tassel with glass bead adornment.

Sharon A. Sharp: "Writing and printing by hand have always been relaxing for me, and I especially enjoy creating unusual forms through combinations of printing and cursive writing. In this playful word puzzle book, the reader will find – by reading in a different way – one glimpse of an autumn scene. This book is the first in a planned series with handwritten letter and word exploration."

At first glance the capital A looks as though it is presented in eight different decorated ways. On closer inspection one finds that the curlicues are not curlicues at all but letters. Each illustrated A has a hidden word – Amid airy allée, ants amass atop aged apple.
$100

Flowing Essence
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: [Curious Pursuits Press], 2005. Edition of 30.

2.625 x 3.875" closed, extends to 10"; 18 pages. Interlocking accordions and two pamphlet-stitched signatures. Mohawk cover-weight, Canson Mi-Tientes, Thai unryu, and office papers. Original linocut printed on a Vandercook press. Text: handwritten and inkjet printed. Bound in blue papers with metal brad and metallic thread closure. Glass bead adornment on tassel closure.

Sharon Sharp: "This book is a meditation on water's powerful, mysterious role in our lives and language. The wonder of the hydrologic cycle is represented on the smaller, torn edged accordion filled with handwriting, and water's infusion of our language is celebrated in the single signature pamphlets.

"One suggestion for readers: To enjoy the first signature even more, write down your definition of water before reading this portion of the book."
$100

Change/Discovery
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: Curious Pursuits Press, 2010. One-of-a-Kind.

7.25 x 3 X 1.5" closed, extends to 7.25 x 17.25"; 6 panels. Jacob's ladder. Text on ribbons. Wooden blocks covered with Caspari (green) and Bertini (gold-accented print) papers, grosgrain ribbon, metallic pen for handwritten text. Laid in a matching panel and paper wrapper with ribbon and bone clasp closure.

Sharon Sharp: "As I handled a traditional wooden toy called a Jacob's ladder and watched the panels flip, the theme of 'change and discovery' came to mind for this book. As the book is flipped so that the panels turn, the papers' patterns suggest the theme; and the words on the ribbons, which weave around and connect the panels, address the theme both directly and through their movement, as they shift, disappear, and reemerge.

"Notes on how to explore and enjoy this book:

• Using both hands, grasp the left and right sides of the top panel, about midway along each side, so that the text To change, seek discovery . . . faces you. Let all of the other panels simply hang down below this one.
• Slowly turn the top panel away from you and downward until the other panels begin flipping downward, one after the other. (If the flipping pauses, simply give the top panel a gentle shake until the motion resumes.) Continue to hold the top panel.
• After the other panels have stopped flipping, turn the top panel toward you and downward, starting another cycle of panel flipping.
• Continue with this back-and-forth process as you take in the words (30 in all) along the ribbons. To read all of those words, pause between 'flip cycles' and look at the words on both sides of the fully extended book. "

(SOLD)

Dreams
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: Curious Pursuits Press, 2006. One-of-a-Kind.

6.125 x 4.5" closed, opens to 6.125 x 22 x 3"; 6 leaves. Panorama structure (accordion structure with a variation on a floating binding structure originally designed by Hedi Kyle). Lokta and Mohawk cover-weight papers. Original collograph created on a Vandercook press with Van Son printing inks. Original gelatin prints created with silkscreen ink. Bound in paper-covered boards with paper title label in Morse Code tipped on front board. Signed and dated by the artist.

Sharon Sharp: "Each night, I see vibrant, odd scenes and hear equally evocative sounds somehow connected to my life; and each morning I ask, How should I interpret those dreams?What messages do the complex scenes and surprising snippets carry for me? Why are powerful feelings sometimes what linger most? Such questions led me to use Morse code for this book's only text, the title. The nature of many dreams seemed to fit with aspects of Morse code, especially in the need for deciphering and the potential for conveying volumes through the simplest symbols' combinations. Visually, the code has a certain synesthetic quality; aurally, it has a minimalist, hypnotic musicality, as is often true with dream sounds. Inside, the movable gelatin prints represent a progression, but with spaces between the shifting images as one dream-story unfolds and then morphs into another. With its threadlike imagery, the collograph suggests the underlying connections that draw me into interpretive quests."
(SOLD)

Great Good/Bad Fortune
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: Curious Pursuits Press, 2009. One-of-a-Kind.

5.25 x 8.5 x 2.25" closed, opens to 15 x 8.5 x 5"; 10 pages. Flag book. Printed on Southworth printing papers. Illustrations on transparency film. Laser and inkjet printed. Bound in black stiff wraps covered with Indian metallic-marbled cotton papers. Magnet closures at spine. Red satin ribbon tie closure at foredges. Bead adornments on ribbon.

Sharon A. Sharp: "While serving as Mammoth Cave National Park's 2009 artist-in residence, I learned a lot about bats and their remarkable traits, as well as about the virulent disease, white-nose syndrome, that now threatens their existence. I became interested in how Westerners' and Easterners' perceptions of bats have taken shape and in why they have contrasted so sharply. Since we Westerners have all too often demonized these invaluable mammals, their survival may hinge on shifts in our understanding of them.

"To open this book, gently untie the ribbon bow, then gently pull apart the two pieces at the spine, each of which contains a magnet. Although this book can be viewed and read with the magnetized spine closures together, the best display generally is a full opening."
(SOLD)

How Bat Entered English
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: Sharon A. Sharp, 2010. One-of-a-Kind.

6.75 x 12.75" closed, opens to 12.75 x 12.75 x 6.5"; 38 pages. Tumble/flutter book. Inkjet printed images and text on Southworth office paper. Thai marble momi papers tipped on interior pages and pastedowns. Bound using black tyvek. Bound in Asahi bookcloth over binder's board. Metal brad and Irish linen thread closure with glass bead adornment.

Sharon A. Sharp: "While serving as Mammoth Cave National Park's 2009 artist in residence, I learned a lot about bats and their remarkable traits, as well as about a virulent disease, white nose syndrome, that now threatens their existence. Since our linguistic associations often shape our interest in protecting animals, I wanted to explore how our perceptions of bats and even of their name have taken shape. (Also, I welcome any good reason to plunge into the history of words.) Upon learning that bats were once referred to as 'flutter mice,' I wanted to use a book form that would suggest the movements and shape of these enigmatic mammals."
(SOLD)

Something Done by Quiet Being
By Sharon A. Sharp
Boone, North Carolina: Sharon A. Sharp, 2009. One-of-a-Kind.

3.625 x 6 x 1"; 46 pages. Fan book. Tibetan printed lokta, unryu rice, and Canford papers. Glassine envelope pages. Designs created with sumi-e ink. Text ink jet printed. Text in English and Morse code. Red paper shapes move freely within the envelopes. Bound in paper-covered museum board with single metal ring. Black Irish linen thread tie closure at opposite corner of ring. Embossed rectangle on front board containing paper title label.

Sharon Sharp: "The title and text are from Lao-Tzu's Tao Te Ching, as translated by R. B. Blakney. Within the glassine envelopes, text appears in both Morse code and English, with each page containing a single word. The reader is invited to fan through the pages from front to back and then turn the book over and continue reading. As in life, the excerpt's wisdom unfolds gradually, in fragmentary ways that reveal the whole."
(SOLD)