20 December 2024
I feel fortunate to have made friends with JoAnna Poehlmann decades ago when we still lived in the Milwaukee area, and long hoped that some day there would be an opportunity to work on a book project with her. Hail, Holy Queen is that book. (Pre-order through Etsy.)
JoAnna is a highly respected elder in the Milwaukee artists community, noted for her humour and reverence for nature. In my visits with her, I learned she is also a devout Catholic, and her respect for the natural world boils down to a deeply rooted appreciation for creation. JoAnna prays the rosary communally and once told me she is grateful to Mary for all the blessings bestowed upon her.
Having also been raised in the Catholic faith, in a parish where one of the priests ritually sang the Salve Regina in a hauntingly beautiful voice after Saturday evening masses (with the lights dimmed), reverence for Mary, the Mother of God, resonates with me. While I no longer practice the Catholic faith by attending mass weekly (largely because I married a feminist and have two adult daughters, which has taught me to see the world from a female perspective), I have privately learned to interpret the prayers of the rosary in a way that reflects my belief that the genders deserve equal reverence (at least!), and that we would be nowhere, no-thing if it were not for our Mother(s), one of whom is our beloved planet, Earth.
It was exciting, then, when JoAnna agreed to help me create a little rosary book. Not only did she provide prints of her colored pencil drawings of song bird eggs for an illustrative collage, she carefully cut out dozens of tiny birds from her stamp collection for me to incorporate. These items, when collaged with an image of the Blessed Virgin and Child and the polar caps of our planet, combine to pay solemn respect for the sanctity and fragility of life on our planet. It feels timely.
The collage has been reproduced as twelve giclee prints, and cut into pieces, which will serve as the back sides to the prayers of the rosary, set in 6 pt. Century Schoolbook and printed on Zerkall Frankfurt Cream. These pages, which are actually rigid panels, will be grommeted and linked with copper chain, with two copper panels serving as front and back covers.
This project as been in the works for years. With all the pieces finally in place, and time available to finish it this winter, my intention is to complete at least one copy in time to submit it to the jury for Ritual—An International Juried Exhibition of Book Art at Baylor University (deadline is 24 January), and the rest in time to take copies to the PAGES Artists’ Book Fair at the Leeds Art Gallery in late March 2025 (if accepted).
Hail, Holy Queen will be published as a limited edition of 11 copies, with three reserved for standing order subscribers, one for JoAnna, and one for each of my daughters, leaving five available for purchase. The price will be $1,000 per copy.
You may reserve a copy for a special pre-publication price of just $600 through the Etsy store.