Mari Eckstein Gower ~ Washington

Reliquary for Martha
Text and Illustrations by Mari Eckstein Gower
Engineering and fabrication by Kat Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2022. Edition of 5.

11 x 7”; 14 spread. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper. Materials: laser cut plexiglass; walnut and cherry woods; vintage buttons, linen tape, thread. Drum leaf binding with linen tape timeline on a 6 x 6 ½ x 1 in laser cut spool, extending to 76”. Housed in a 12 5/8 x 8 ¼ x 2 ¾” layered box. Signed and numbered by the artist. Text, paintings, and ecoprints by Mari Eckstein Gower.

Mari Gower: "In 1914 Martha, the last passenger pigeon, died in the Cincinnati Zoo, becoming the icon for human-induced species extinction. 20 years earlier, people thought such an event impossible. At their peak the birds migrated in flocks numbering in the billions. They were the most numerous avian species on the planet. It's hard for those numbers to sink in. Even more difficult is that after 100 years of habitat loss and overhunting their numbers had reduced to zero.

“For years this story has fascinated me. It's perhaps the most graphic example of an extinction event that is directly attributed to human activity. I've wanted to do an artist book about this subject for years. But it's taken me all this while to arrive at a way to do justice to the many facets of the story.

“In ‘Reliquary for Martha’ I approach the subject from several directions: through words, images, and a 3-dimensional timeline to unspool the trajectory of my protagonists - humans and birds - one rising and the other in decline as the nineteenth century unfolds. I've chosen to riff on the concept of scientific specimen collections being a form of reliquary. Too often now they are the only place one can observe firsthand the remains of animals long extinct, as well as those that are sadly living on the brink.”
$3,500

Pandemic Dreams
Paintings, text and design by Mari Eckstein Gower
Engineering and fabrication by Kat Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2021. Edition of 15.

10.75 x 7 x 1.25” closed, extends to 97. Accordion fold with 7 spreads. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper, with additional papers of Canson Mi-Teintes, Madeleine Durham paste paper, Japanese Kozuke paper with Kozo fiber. Housed in a 11 3/8 x 7 5/8 x 2” clamshell box. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Mari Gower: "Early in 2020, when it seemed that the entire world was in lockdown because of a new virus, I chanced upon a news article about how pandemic first responders reported dreams with common patterns. Doctors, nurses & paramedics were connected not just by shared trauma, but by communal dreams as well.

“Wondering if these patterns repeated in the general populace, I began collecting quotes from global news articles which chronicled reactions to the unique times we were sharing. While doing so, I began painting dream-themes that reflected our collective dreaming.

“’Pandemic Dreams’ is my exploration of how we have globally processed the stress of dealing with an invisible menace through our dreams. The front pages of my book explore how we regard masks as both protection and containment by using origami forms to cover parts of the faces. The waves in my paintings contain pleas for medical help in multiple languages. The back pages contain selections of the quotes I've collected from global news sources.”

Text excerpt: “Even though I know the deaths are real, it feels more like I’m watching a dystopian or apocalyptic movie because, when I look out my front window, the world still looks the same as it always has.”
$475

Forming Common Threads
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2018. Edition of 40.

8 x 11" closed; 48 pages. Inkjet printing. Illustrations created from original watercolor and ink paintings. Materials: linen, silk and paper threads, Mohawk Superfine cover paper, Japanese Tarasen patterned papers, vellum paper. Bound with a modified stitched drumleaf format in cloth-covered boards. Gatefold cover. Art, design & text by Mari Eckstein Gower. Book fabrication by Kat Gower. Dated, signed and numbered by the artist.

Mari Eckstein Gower, introduction: "'Forming Common Threads' examines how storytelling informs, inspires, and transforms our lives. I've taken stories of strong women from history and myth and used them as a form of antidote to the belittling, toxic and hurtful comments I grew up with.

"Traditionally myths, histories, and all the best stories have been a means of communicating deep truths about human existence. Many of these tend to be cautionary tales such as beware of candy houses in the forest. The stories I find most appealing, however, are those about overcoming obstacles through courage, tenacity, and a willingness to look beyond the obvious. To me, these are the type of tales that form a thread of ideas with the power to inspire me to move forward.

"When I was young, I was often told things like, 'Girls can't do that.' Instead of allowing such stifling comments stop me, I'd study historical examples as a form of psychic Band-Aid for the hurt. Looking at the accomplishments of women like Amelia Earhart or Nellie Bly, I'd think, 'Wait a minute. They didn't let being female stop them from flying an airplane or writing exposes.'

"As I watch the growing momentum of the #MeToo phenomena lift veils of silence, I am awed by the power of the simple but brave act of telling one's story. The more often these stories are revealed, the stronger the fabric of truth.

"All the quotes in this book are taken from my personal experiences. Remembering many of those conversations dredges up uncomfortable memories. Bu I've traveled back to those painful places because I feel strongly that the subject of this book deserves absolute honesty."
$700

Burrowers
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2017. Edition of 40.

Book dimensions: 8.25 x 4.75" with 11 pages (9 pages recto only used, 2 pages pastedowns). Accordion spine. Pastedowns inkjet printed on Superfine cover paper from original ink & acrylic paintings. Art, design, & poetry by Mari Eckstein Gower. Fabrication by Kat Gower. Paper-covered boards with illustrated title label on cover. Laid in sectioned 7.25 x 9" custom box with magnet closure. Compartment for book with colophon tipped at bottom. Compartment for 6.75 x 1" test tube containing sand, rock, soil, peat, bark, moss, and plant matter.

This edition of "Burrowers" is based upon a one-of-a-kind book made by the artist in 2015 to commemorate the United Nations Year of Soil awareness.

Mari Gower: "Each time I dig in my garden, I’m reminded how alive and dynamic the soil is. As I work I encounter the obvious burrowers: rabbits, moles and other small mammals. My compost pile wriggles with insect life. But I’ve learned that soil is also home to less visible creatures such as bacteria, algae, fungi, and protozoa.

"Using biochemical processes such as nitrogen fixation, these organisms affect the structure and stability of soil. They contribute to plant growth and the success of the overall soil ecosystem.

"By many estimates, two thirds of the earth’s biodiversity lives in soil. These living communities help determine the unique character and geographic profile of soil worldwide. Although one gram of soil can contain billions of microorganisms, most of them are yet to be cataloged. This means there is much for us to discover about the creatures that live in soil."
$350

Holding up the Roof
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2017. Edition of 25.

8.5 x 5.5"; 10 pages (8 leaves + 2 pastedowns). Accordion spine. House- shaped cutout extends through the 8 leaves. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper from original ink paintings. Art, design, and poetry by Mari Eckstein Gower. Fabrication by Kat Gower. Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist. Paper-covered boards with paper title label on front board. Laid in cloth-covered clamshell box with colophon tipped on bottom of tray. Pocket in lid of box interior holds house-shaped 2 x 3" miniature book (8 pages, twine and bead closure).

Mari Gower: "According to my art history classes, architecture developed along a timeline of styles: Classical, Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, Neoclassical, Eclectic & Modern. Those nine categories summed up western architecture. For most of those styles, tombs, temples, palaces, and cathedrals appear to be the only structures classified as architecture — the humble house is out of the picture.

"Looking at architecture on the most basic level, all structures consist of mechanisms for supporting a roof over some form of enclosure. How that roof is formed and supported is what defines the differences between Classical, Romanesque, Gothic, etc.

"My interest is in the absent pieces; homes of common people, and, more significantly, the people who do not or cannot have a roof overhead.

"Holding Up the Roof explores how different architectural styles developed ways to support a roof and compares them with how we view and speak about the homeless."

Quotations from architects through history grace the tops of the pages of Holding up the Roof while the miniature book has a series of quotations about homelessness.
$450

Songs of the Celestial Navigators
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2017. Edition of 35.

6.5 x 10.25" closed, extends to 59"; 12 pages. Triptych structure. Left and right panels accordion fold with four panels. Middle triptych panel a gatefold forming a triptych. Illustrations from original watercolor and ink paintings. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper. Bound in cloth boards. Laid in four-flap portfolio wrapper. Statement and colophon tipped in wrapper. Embellished with elephant of carved bone on front long flap with window in top flap to view. Art, design & text by Mari Eckstein Gower. Fabrication by Kat Gower. Signed and number by the artist.

Mari Gower: "I began this book during a period when I felt very anxious about world events. At the time, I happened to be researching several ancient cosmologies for a different project. I've always been fascinated by how the image of the world tree repeats in so many cultures. But my absolute favorite is the Hindu concept of the world elephants that support the earth as they ride through the universe on the back of a giant turtle.

"I put aside my original project to paint elephants positioned around the trunk of the world tree. ... As I continued working on this book, I realized that it had become something like a little altarpiece to the Hindu deity Ganesha, the remover of obstacles. I included two Sanskrit invocations in the artwork. On the left side is the Vakratunda Ganesha mantra for the removal of all obstacles. To the right is a prayer for prosperity."
$400

The Bone Garden
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2016. Edition of 30.

4.25 x 8.25"; 14 pages. Single-sided accordion. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper from original ink & acrylic paintings. Art, design, and poetry by Mari Eckstein Gower. Fabrication by Kat Gower. Bound in paper over boards with leaf enhancement on front board. Laid in cloth-covered tray clamshell box with finger holes on sides. Colophon tipped into base of box. Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist.

Mari Gower: "I began The Bone Garden while undergoing physical therapy after knee replacement surgery. That difficult recovery period left me feeling depressed and broken. Being housebound during an unusually hot summer did nothing to relieve my desire to escape. When I looked out my windows, it seemed like I could actually watch the weeds overgrowing my garden. It seemed like an appropriate metaphor for what was going on with my body.

"So I turned to art as a way to remind myself that even broken things can be rebuilt: knees can mend, souls can be revived and, eventually, gardens can be tended."
$250

Cupid and Psyche
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2016. Edition of 12.

8.25 x 4.25"; 16 pages. Accordion structure. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper from original ink and acrylic paintings. Laid in custom box with compartment for book and one for clay butterflies. Colophon tipped in bottom of book compartment. Three handmade butterflies attached in base of second compartment. Butterflies made from metallic polymer clay and willow twigs. Art, design, and poetry by Mari Eckstein Gower. Fabrication by Kat Gower. Signed, dated, and numbered by the artist.

Mari Gower: "Cupid and Psyche is a portion of a large one-of-a-kind piece commissioned for the Just One Look exhibition at the University of Washington, 2016. I used Sarah Ruden’s translation of The Golden Ass by Apuleius (Yale University Press, 2011) as my primary source material for the myth as well as the quotes from Venus on the butterfly wings, which appear in the book."

Lauren Dudley, Just One Look exhibition catalogue: "The book opens with a cloud of butterflies against a smoky amethyst background and beautifully hand-lettered narration that begins 'This is not the hero’s saga. This is the maiden’s tale.' Gower’s finely detailed illustrations, replete with overlapping im­agery, convey the intricacies of the tale. In­cisive line—in colored and metallic inks— combines with delicate hues of acrylic paint to suggest the otherworldliness of a magical fable. In Gower’s rendition this Psyche is not empowered by her notable beauty.

"Gower visually evokes the importance of gaze in Psyche’s tale by suffusing her work with symbolic all-seeing eyes, illustrating the many ways that a gaze changes the narrative in this story and suggesting as well the omniscience of the deities who watch over the mortal world."
$450 (Last 2 copies)

Lost Cities
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2016. Edition of 15.

8.5 x 5.75"; 22 pages. Double accordion. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper from original ink paintings. Paper covered boards with paper title on front board. Art, design, and poetry by Mari Eckstein Gower. Fabrication by Kat Gower. Laid in cloth-covered drop spine clamshell box. Signed and numbered by the artist.

Mari Gower: "While visiting the ancient Roman ruins at Osta Antica, I was surprised by how ‘alive’ the remains of that city felt to me. The elaborate mosaic floors and beautiful brickwork patterns on walls fascinated me. Many mosaics showed deities and mythological sea creatures, all of who seemed eager to tell their stories.

"Now, I can never resist a good story. And, looking about those ruins, I thought about what old buildings reveal about past cultures. I think curiosity about buried and lost cultures is wired into the human brain. It seems part of understanding where we came from and who we are today.

"I imagined creatures from the mosaics guiding me on a journey to explore the remains of legendary places like Atlantis, the hanging gardens of Babylon, and the library at Alexandria. On such a journey there are always things one can never know. But there are also many surprises along the way."
$350

Wanderjahr
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2016. Edition of 20.

8.4 x 5.5" closed. Accordion box structure that when extended forms a series of four 4-sided three-dimensional spaces. Inkjet printed on superfine cover paper from original ink and acrylic paintings. Art, design and poetry by Mari Eckstein Gower. Fabrication by Kat Gower. Paper covered boards with paper title label on front cover. . Laid in cloth wrapper with loop and button closure. Signed, dated and numbered by the artist.

Mari Gower: "Wanderjahr is my love poem to books and their power to transport me to distant places and times. Books provide the perfect antidote for my annual winter cabin fever. For, even when I am secluded at home, books allow me to visit tropical islands, Renaissance Europe and even outer space."
$350

An Alchemist's Lunch Box
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2013. Edition of 14.

Box containing three books (concertina fold, tulip fold, and pamphlet sewn), packet of seeds, and test tube. Pen and colored inks. Inkjet printed. Other materials: glass, ribbon, cork. Concertina: double sided, 4 x 4.5" closed; 16 pages and 14 pages; ribbon closure; signed and dated by the artist. Tulip fold: 3.5 x 3.5"; 6 folds on one side, 4 folds on opposite; ribbon closure. Pamphlet: 1.5 x 5.5"; 8 pages; slipped in waxpaper lunch bag. Wooden box: 8 x 8 x 2" closed; metal clasp closure; handle; metal ornaments at corners; paper title on lid; two compartments.

Mari Gower: "The food I put in my body is probably the most intimate ecological issue. I’ve come to understand that organic and natural ingredients are good and anything artificial is bad. With that in mind, the case against GMO [genetically modified organism] crops seems pretty straightforward. But then, I’m looking at this from the perspective of a citizen of a first world country. Like most ecological issues, the debate over GMOs is very complex. For the large percentage of the world’s population – for whom insufficient food is a daily reality – the promise of pest-resistant crops with higher nutritional yield sound more like a dream than a nightmare. I don’t pretend to have answers. To explore these issues, I created An Alchemist’s Lunchbox. I see the biologists working with plant DNA as akin to medieval alchemists, searching for ways to transform base materials. But is the end product true gold or some form of Frankenstein’s monster? I used medieval alchemical texts and botanic illustrations as my inspiration to present several different ways of looking at the outcome."

Mari Gower, blog: "I liked the idea of assembling a lunchbox – as if my imaginary alchemist is constructing a meal from his/her experiments. I've used the ancient alchemical device of the division of the four elements (fire, water, earth & air) as a theme throughout the components of the piece.

"The box contains: a test tube, an accordion fold book, a tulip fold book, a packet of seeds, and a pamphlet stitch book in a waxpaper lunch bag."

"Inside the lid is an expanded painting of the Four Elements diagram with another common alchemical image, the Ouroboros (the dragon biting its own tail; symbolizing a constant state of destruction & creation), in the center. In each corner is a quote from famous alchemists.

"The test tube contains dried flower petals, seeds, and the most famous quotes from The Emerald Tablet: 'That which is above corresponds to that which is below' and 'That which is below corresponds to that which is above.' The idea of balance was so important that many Medieval Alchemists posted copies of this text in their workshops as a reminder of the basic principles of their art. I think the concept is even more important today, as we learn more about the far reaching effects of our endeavors. I hope modern scientists consider the importance of balance and consequence in whatever experiment they begin.

"The Accordion fold book, 'An Alchemist's Lunchbox,' begins with a famous alchemical allegory: the green lion devouring the sun. Alchemists were fond of using such imagery to hide the formulas in their experiments. As an artist, I find these images far more poetic than: 'use a mixture of nitric and sulfuric acid to dissolve gold.'

"The book continues with a quote from Shakespeare's A Midsummer's Night Dream, which, to my mind, seems to sum up the Alchemist's quest. The image is inspired by a decoration in an illuminated manuscript showing Janus, the two-faced god, blowing a glass beaker while a servant tends a pot over a fire.

"On the reverse side of the panels, I've collected quotes from current experts from both sides of the GMO debate.

"The remainder of the book shows symbolic representations of the alchemic process alternating with the most common GMO crops along with pests that often prey upon crops. The plants represented are cotton, corn, canola and papaya.

"Another component of the lunchbox is a tulip-fold book entitled, 'Side Dishes.' I was inspired by antique botanic illustrations. So in this piece I played with the idea of Frankensteinian fruits and vegetables. Once again I used the crops that are most common genetically modified at this time.

"In the waxpaper lunch bag is a pamphlet stitched booklet of 5 poems, which I have written to express some of my feelings about the issues I've explored in this piece."

A portion of the artist's proceeds will be donated to the PCC Farmland Trust, which helps preserve organic farmland.
$800

Picture Poems
Using a blank accordion book as her base Gower creates what she has named "picture poems." As she researches the words and images come together to form a new "picture poem".

Selene
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2013. One-of-a-Kind.

A custom-made book-like structure (6 x 8.5") with tie closure opens to reveal a Moleskine Japanese Accordion Album (3.5 x 5.625", 32 pages) lying in a cavity. The accordion opens to a 10' (prefolded paper) on which Gower has created original images, using black- and colored-ink pens.

Mari Eckstein Gower: "One of my first steps in choosing a topic is giving myself a color scheme challenge. This time I wanted to work on the colour palate of the night sky and also to experiment with metallic inks. The subject of the moon goddess was a natural choice since I love just about anything that has to do with the myths about the stars, planets, moon.

"I started out thinking about the scientific and folklore images of the moon differ from the Greek myth. Some people see a man in the moon, or a rabbit. But I can't help but think of the moon as a female – the Greek goddess Selene. In mythology, Selene is sister to Helios, the sun. He leads the way across the sky, but once the Goddess Nix raises her hand to bring on the night, and the evening star rises, the whole show belongs to the moon. I loved the image of all those gods and goddesses riding in a procession.

"The myths about Selene do not agree about what animal pulls her chariot. In some versions it is a team of oxen, while in others it is moon white horses. The museum in Athens has a beautiful dramatic statue of the head of one of Selene's horses. The image is so dynamic, I couldn't resist creating my own version.

"Selene has many children, including the fates and the seasons. The four seasons were a popular motif for Roman floor mosaics (which inspired my depiction here.) I saw a lovely example displayed in the museum in York, England, that dates back to the Roman occupation of that town.

"In the final panels of the book I portrayed night creatures associated with Selene, observations about the tides, and lastly bits of the Endymion [the most handsome mortal beloved by Selene]legend."
$3,000

Bee Song
By Mari Eckstein Gower
Redmond, Washington: Mari Eckstein Gower, 2012. One-of-a-Kind.

A custom-made book-like structure (6 x 8.5") with tie closure opens to reveal a Moleskine® Japanese Accordion Album (3.5 x 5.625", 32 pages) lying in a cavity. The accordion opens to 10' (pre-folded paper) on which Gower has created original images, using black and colored ink pens.

Mari Eckstein Gower: "Bees love the lavender plants in my garden. And I enjoy watching them at work. For this I decided to give myself a two-fold challenge. First, I wanted an excuse to research different mythologies surrounding bees. And second, I wanted to break into a different color scheme. (I usually use yellows and golds as highlights. This time I wanted to have them to be the leading ladies.)

"There are many mythological and historical references in this piece. To list a few, I have incorporated imagery from: Egyptian tomb paintings, a pendant (circa 2000 BCE) from Minoan Crete (where priestesses dressed as bees and danced for the bee goddess), the Greek Thriai (a triad of honey priestesses), medieval manuscripts, and (of course) the Merovingian heraldic bees."
(SOLD)