Owen writes scripts with reverence
February 1, 2008 12:27 pm Great writers news“Each vellum page had a different arrangement of text blocks and lettering styles and while I couldn’t read the words, I knew they had been written and placed with reverence,” she said.
“I want to make work that has that beauty. After my paper is colored, I look for words to incorporate from different authors. Walt Whitman, Shakespeare, Emily Dickinson, Rilke, and contemporary poets like John Tagliabue and Wes McNair are some of my favorite writers. The United States Constitution has been the focus of several pieces as I try and understand what’s going on.”
In 2002, Owen won first prize in an international calligraphy competition in Osimo, Italy. Her handmade books have been featured in numerous book art exhibits and her work has been collected by the Library of Congress, Harvard University, Yale University and by other museums, libraries and private collectors. She is represented by Joshua Heller Rare Books in Washington, DC.
“Accordion fold books are my favorite with all their possibilities,” she said. “From small to large, hanging, long fold out, or flag books, there is a sense in each of transformation and becoming.”
Owen was born in New York City and lives in Belfast. She has studied calligraphy and book arts in the United States and England and now teaches locally.
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