The Eclipse: First glance, the cover reads as visually graphic with the juxtaposition of straight lines, curves and a circles. Metaphorically, interpretations about joining, connection and union arise. Skin, raw or red, overlapping and interlacing to protect what’s inside. Open the cover to reveal the eclipse, evoking reflections on time, transition, movement, something obscured, something revealed.

The materials: This journal is made of upcycled parchment paper and leather. Thanks to Jason and Sarah Thigpen of Texas Heritage for the donation of the leather used for the cover. This leather is what is paired off of the supple hide and is normally discarded. It is course, tough and unrefined. The red leather was dyed with ink and acrylic, the brown leather was left it’s natural color. The striped texture that the hide splitting machine makes still evident both in the raw brown leather and on the inside of the red leather. The dark grey on the inside of the cover is acrylic paint over leather that was carved back to reveal a raw halo. Linen thread is used for the exposed spine stitch. Each page of the very smooth parchment paper lays flat for ease of writing and sketching. At the spine and fore edge, grooves were carved to ease the folding of the leather. There are 10 folios with a total of 100 pages which are 8 5/8” x 5 3/8”