Citron Press ~ Wisconsin
(Stephanie Copoulos-Selle)

To Fly or Fall
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2023. Edition of 27.

6.5 x 9.5"; pages vary in size with one fold-out page. Printed with letterpress and relief prints on vintage lithographs and screen prints. Other papers: Arches, Frankfurt, Mi-Teintes, Mengei, Rives and various unknown papers (deacidified). Satin fabric. Sewn binding with paper covered illustrated boards. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "My artist's book 'To Fly or Fall' is about loss. Many people are grieving the death of a loved one. Recently we have experienced many lost lives. Due in part to natural causes but also deaths due to pandemics, natural disasters, and mass shootings."

The artist lost her husband in 2020. Stated simply after title page “Thomas F. Selle / 1949 – 2020”. She met her husband in art school at the University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee. The book contains portions of print and proofs from the early years of their marriage. The book is a lovely tribute to a life partner as well as giving voice to the partner left behind (coping with that loss).

The void calls to me whispering my name
The hole expands
It’s deep & wide
With nothing to grasp
The dark entices me to stay
It surrounds me
Sitting in tears of sorrow
With stories from before
And dreams that will never be
The darkness becomes my friend
It is a place of comfort

$700

Handbook
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2020. Edition of 30.

5.75 x 3.25 x .25" closed; 11.5 x 3.25" open. Materials and processes: Relief prints, letterpress, digital on MI Teintes paper. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "We are born with bones. We take them for granted. Sometimes, they are injured or undeveloped. This impacts and changes our lives forever."
$95

My Friends
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2020. Edition of 20.

8” x 10”; 28 leaves. 12 prints, 12 envelope/letter pages, title page, dedication page, statement page, colophon. Materials and processes: Relief prints, lithographs, screen prints, letterpress, and collage on Arches, Stonehenge, Mulberry, and MI Teintes papers. Bound in boards with exposed binding. Laid in drop spine clamshell custom box covered in black and white cloth. Signed and numbered by the artist on the colophon.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "'My Friends' images or names are not referential to existing people or places. In these days of uncertainty, we need all the friends we can get. Some of our friends are like us, we share political views, and laugh at the same jokes. But, some of our friends are not like us. That's okay too.

"Our names impact our lives. Our surnames or given names often give more information than we realize. Strangers form good, bad, or neutral opinions of us before we meet. The name can influence what we do, how we view ourselves, and possibly our future."
$820

From Here to There on Emerald Lake
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2013. Edition of 40.

6 x 4" closed, 6 x 36" extended; 14 pages. Double-sided accordion. Printed on Strathmore and MI-Teintes papers with collographs, lithography, and letterpress. Paper covered stiff boards. Signed, numbered, and dated by the artist.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "From Here to There on Emerald Lake takes the viewer on a canoe excursion. Through a non-linear path and cutouts one sees glimpses of various fawn and flora. It reminds us that nature has secrets and we must look carefully to unveil them."
$180

Bad Girls
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2008. Edition of 50.

8.5 x 4.5"; 24 pages. Three 3.5 x 2.5" 8-page accordion books. Printed on Arches paper, using letterpress for text and relief and photopolymer plates for images. Housed in black envelope-shaped box of screenprinted Rives and Hahnemühle Ingres paper. Colophon page printed on black Stonehenge paper.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "Guardians can protect us. Guardians can restrict our movements and desires. Early civilizations relied heavily on guardians to do the work that no mortal could do. The Sphinx, Sirens, and the Gorgon were mythic women who died doing their duty as guardians. They focused on their jobs and did not provoke the so called heroes who invaded their land. Not only did they lose their lives but are known through history as evil characters who tempted men and caused their downfall. Today society despises women who are man-eaters, sirens, and powerful women, who look at men and cause them to be so uncomfortable that they freeze in their tracks.

"The three volume set allows each woman to tell her story from a new point of view. The three books are housed in a purse-like box. When opened the purse becomes a Greek temple with the three women depicted on the pediment."
$375

Sixteen Views of Mutt Fido
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2005-2006. Edition of 69.

4.5 x 3" closed, extends to 18.5". Double-sided accordion fold. Printed on Frankfurt and Reeves papers. Signed, numbered, and dated by the artist.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "Fifteen Views of Mutt Fido was influenced by Hokusai's book One Hundred Views of Mt. Fuji. The mountain is included in each print, but is not the focal point. Instead, people or land marks are dominant. The same with Fido; in this book, he is part of each image but not the central focus."
$75

Lola's Expedition
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, 1999 - 2002.
Edition of 25.

5.5 x 4.5" closed; 5.5 x 9" open. Three volumes. Digital printing.

The full title of this three volume book is "Narrative of the Expedition of Lola, a Suburban Girl, to Major League Baseball, Little League, and Softball..."

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "The book ... was influenced by the three-volume narrative of Commodore Perry's expedition to Japan. In the introduction, written in 1856, he states '... [We] will seek and write only truths.' A reader is quickly aware that there is little absolute truth in Perry's books, since his research method was flawed by hearsay and his outsider's perspective. Nevertheless, this is also what makes his narrative charming — the way the truths are recounted: some objectively, some naively, all with their peculiar cultural bias....

"My book and Perry's are similar in content. Volume I is a travel log, explaining what happened in a chronological order. Volume II is a study of the implements used by the people who were studied. Volume III for Perry was a star guide used for navigation in that part of the world, but the baseball book looks at the stars of the game of base ball. ..."

Myrna Packard, Alverno College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, comments from "The Shape and Color of Research" exhibition at the University of Wisconsin: "Stephanie Copoulos-Selle used the three-volume collection of Commodore Matthew C. Perry's Narrative of the Expedition of an American Squadron to the China Sea and Japan (1856) in a variety of ways. In the sections that follow, I will describe … how the resource contributed to process/media. Pertinent to this category, however, is Copoulos-Selle's appropriation of images from Perry's book, as well as the book's page layout. A broad range of other books on Japanese prints, Japanese painted fans, works of Hiroshige, and pictures of Japanese life contributed additional material. For example, Copoulos-Selle created endpapers for her artist's book using Japanese decorative patterns reproduced from these resources. This paper was then over-printed with her own narrative. In this way the images create a sort of background for a three volume 'expedition' of 'Lola,' Copoulos-Selle's heroine, into the world of baseball. More than a background, they create a kind of visual tension as one tries to make connections, enjoying puns such as star charts from the China Sea and 'stars' from baseball cards, and pondering the wonder of the human spirit that is drawn to the unknown."
$350

Red Book of Cycles
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 1994-95. Edition of 20 plus 3 artist's proofs.

10.5 x 14.5 x 1.25"; 48 pages. Letterpress printed with colored relief prints (woodcuts) on Reeves paper. Hand bound. Housed in maroon clamshell box. Text and images by the Stephanie Copoulos-Selle.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "This book is a personal exploration of the twelve stages of life. It was influenced by a Book of Hours, a religious calendar book from the Middle Ages. The Red Book of Cycles is based on the twelve months of the year and references mythology from a variety of cultures. It begins with cosmology, and progresses through procreation, birth, youth, psychological fears, rebirths, rest time, celebration, and ends with unity of self. The 'guardians' refer to both the helpmates one encounters at the various stages of life and those guardians that restrict passage into forbidden areas."
$950

Make It
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2011. Edition of 50.

7.25 x 9.75"; 42 pages. Altered and recycled pages. Collage. Two pocket tip ons. Exposed coptic binding with title on front board.

Colophon: "This book was printed on pages of Creative Hands by Doris Cox and Barbara Warren Weismann. Other papers used were Rives Strathmore, Hahnemühle, Stonehenge, and laid linen. The text and images were printed with letterpress, Solar Plates, and screen printing. The Journal and recipe were laser printed."

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, introduction: "Quilts, wooden toys, pillow cases, and other handmade objects are items we treasure or hate. They are the record of the human urge to create. Creation is not the sole domain of poets and artists, but an integral part of all peoples. To live is to create.

"From the beginning of history humans made objects that went beyond mere necessity. They enhanced surfaces of pottery with paint and carvings. From found rocks and bones they created small intimate sculptures to carry with them. They buried their dead with loving symbols of remembered life, precious artifacts, and the promise of another world.

"Humans have spent time remaking favorite things from the past or unique objects never seen before. The results are accomplishments but the end product is not always the goal. The process or the act of making is the core of the creative force. That process can encompass frustration or pleasure, but the desire to make continues."
$300

Rabbit Cross Breeds
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle / Citron Press, 2004-2005.
Edition of 70.

9 x 6". Printed letterpress with relief prints on Frankfurt paper and outdated copies of genetics textbooks. Cover printed on Canson Mi-teintes paper.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "Our ancestors desired to be stronger, smarter, and have better off-spring. Early humans envied animals. They had speed, night vision, and were great hunters. The Ancient Assyrians created powerful guardians, Lamassu, by combining a bull's body, bird's wings, and a king's head. The Ancient Egyptians created the great sphinx, by combining a lion's body, bird's wings, and the head of the pharaoh, Kafre. The Ancient Greeks created centaurs, by combining man and horse. The dark ages produced kings with names such as 'Richard the Lion-hearted.' During the early Twentieth Century the academic elite tried to improve the race through eugenics, which included sterilization and genocide. Today, science tells us that genetics is the solution. Human desire for control of individual destiny has come full circle from a primitive man's dream to a scientific reality."

Rabbit Cross Breeds illustrates possible consequences of genetic play.
$150

To Dance
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, 1999-2001. Edition of 25.

9 x 6"; 26 pages. Silkscreen and letterpress printed. 18 pages (9 x 6") of appropriated/altered book text plus 8 pages (6 x 3.5") letterpress printed on rice paper.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "Dance is a universal activity. Through the image of dance, this book, demonstrates a common denominator that unifies all peoples. This concept is reinforced by printing on altered geography book pages and with maps used in the binding."
$200

Lydia's New Rules of Order
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, 1998-1999. Edition of 100.

6 x 4.25; 100 pages. Altered book. Printed on an anniversary edition of
Robert's Rules of Order and rice paper.

Colophon: "On those long and boring summer days when I was a child, I found the hot and dusty attic a place of adventure, especially the shelves and boxes of my father's old books. One time I found a small blue, maybe red, book that I thought would make life more clear. Its title was about order, in fact rules to achieve that order. How convenient to find all about organization in a little book...."

Lydia's ideas of order are somewhat different than eponymous Robert's.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "The illustrations are from ancient Greek vases. The content stresses the individual, creativity, and above all being human."
$150

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2015. Edition of 40.

3.75 x 3.25 x .9" tin box with hinged lid containing Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; Souvenirs in paper bag; folded map; and Addendum. Box and book printed with relief prints, letterpress, and digital images. Printed on Ingres, Stonehenge, Mi Teintes papers.

Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: 3 x 2". 20 pages. Fold out and pop up elements. Signed and numbered on the last page.
Map "Ancient Greece, Anatolia, Egypt, and Mesopotamia C. 1540 B.C.": 7.25 x 5.25" single sheet laid out. 2 x 3.5" closed.
Souvenirs: 2 x 3" shaped paper bag. Contains 7 shaped souvenirs.
Addendum: 2 x 3.5"; 8 pages. Single strip double-sided accordion.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "This book is a new edition of a classical antiquity guidebook. Travel guides to view the Seven Wonders were popular during the 1st and 2nd centuries B.C. The ancient Greeks used the word 'theamata,' which means 'sights' or 'things to be seen.' Later the word 'thaumata,' which means wonder, was used. The Seven Wonders were remarkable then as well as today. Five of the seven wonders are Greek. The Hellenistic travelers of the 4th and 5th centuries were able to celebrate their country's amazing contributions to the world's art and architecture.

"It comes with a map, a bag of souvenirs, and an addendum."
$225

Small Books of Pests
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2009. Edition of 75.

Three 2 x 3.25" one-sheet books. Laser printed on Mi-Teintes paper, Canson Ingres paper, and Strathmore Charcoal acid free paper. Housed in 2.25 x 3.75" tin box with hinged lid. Tipped on illustrated title label on exterior lid. Colophon tipped in.

A series of three one-sheet books with illustrations of pests: "Small Book of Parasites;" "Small Book of Stingers and more;" and, "Small Book of Eaters." No words, just illustrations of bees, beetles, and bugs. A three-page index identifies each of the illustrated pests.

And, should you lift up the colophon page, beware of the insect living there.
$125

Small Books of Pets
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2009. Edition of 75.

Three 2 x 3.25" one=sheet books. Laser printed on New Leaf, 25% rag paper, and Mi-Teintes paper. Housed in 2.25 x 3.75" tin box with hinged lid. Tipped on illustrated title label on exterior lid. Colophon tipped in.

A series of three books regarding pets: "Small Book of Birds, Bunnies, & More"; "Small Book of Cats;" and, "Small Book of Dogs." No words, just illustrations of hopping bunnies, dancing cats, and jumping dogs. Each book with flap feature showing hidden items like a bone.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle, colophon: "Pets become an important part of our families. This book is dedicated to Alice, Cammy, and Midnight."
$125

Eight Questions
A Recipe for Change
By Stephanie Copoulos-Selle
Waukesha, Wisconsin: Citron Press, 2018. Edition of 35.

8.5 x 8.25"; 26 pages plus 9 half-leaves sewn in. Fabric pages. Embroidery. Original handwritten recipes on cards. Letterpress text overprinted on recipes. Ink jet images. 12 recipe cards sewn on pages or inserted in pockets. Colophon 8.5 x 11" sheet folded twice and slipped in pocket of page. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Stephanie Copoulos-Selle: "'Eight Questions, A Recipe for Change' is about the contrast of feeling secure in our own home while our society struggles with a multitude of problems. The pages are fabric with embroidery and original handwritten recipe cards. The recipe cards are printed with letterpress and ink jet images."

The artist found eight shoe boxes in her parents' laundry room full of recipes – over 8,000. Each book has original recipe cards; therefore, each is a variant, as the recipes will be different. The recipes represent her family life growing up where she felt warm & safe "inside the kitchen with soup on the stove and bread in the oven." Today the environment she lives in is "frayed, full of loose ends, and knots."

Using this backdrop of happiness that the recipes represent for her she presents eight questions for us about the current status of our society –
          Why can't we protect our children from gun violence?
          Why can't we stop killing people out of hatred?
          Why can't we help those less fortunate?
          Why can't we take care of our environment?
          Why can't our elected officials be ethical?
          Why can't a woman choose what happens to her body?
          Why do we need so many bombs?
(SOLD/Out of Print)