Gravity's Light Grip
by Gordon Johnston

Fathers are complex figures in our lives; a subject I felt needed to be explored through imagery and words. Through his poetry, Gordon Johnston shows just how complex this relationship can be between a father and his child. From a frustrated father teaching his son how to knot a tie unsuccessfully and finally giving up, to a new father watching over his infant sleep and taking a moment to calm his nerves, Gordon shows the wide spectrum of emotions a father can feel.

As for the imagery in this accordion binding, I was able to create one large image out of five smaller panels. When opened to a two-page spread, the poetry on the verso side of the page interacts with an abstract 4-color image that makes sense only when combined with the other panels in the book. Memories are often just fragments of images combined in our minds to create an entire picture. In many ways, my own memories about my father are just flashes of moments that I’ve blended together over time. I printed this book to better understand my own father and the relationship I have with him.

Letterpress printed from metal types and beautiful multi-colored reduction linoleum blocks on rich Hahnemuhle Biblio paper, and bound as a hardcover accordion. The Hahnemuhle Bugra cover papers are letterpress printed from metal type and photopolymer plates, the outlines of the imagery inside.

Edition of 65
$100
All books signed by the author and artist

(above) back to back pages in Gravity's Light Grip (below) broadsides that accompany Gravity's Light Grip, please click for an enlarged image and description