P. S. Press ~ Pennsylvania
(Patricia M. Smith)

Context of a Red Dress
By Patricia M. Smith
Philadelphia, PA: P. S. Press / Borowsky Center for Publication Arts
2005. Edition of 60.

4.875 x 6.75". Flag book structure. Printed by the artist on the Davidson 901offset press at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia. Mohawk Superfine paper. James Engelbart assisted with the binding. Produced for the Thesaurus Book Exchange, a collection of books by the alumni and faculty of the MFA Book Arts/Printmaking Program at The University of the Arts, Philadelphia.

This book plays with words like a new writer with her first thesaurus. One on level it flips through synonyms for "red dress"; on another it treats context by exclaiming about the s/he in the red dress, the cardinal duds, the titian frock, etc. The flag structure is well suited for this sort of play.
$125

The Book of Neglects
By Patricia M. Smith
Borowsky Center for Publication Arts, 1996.
Edition of 350.

3 x 4.5" which opens to 24" double-sided. Offset printed. An accordion book printed on one sheet of paper folded to create seven spreads, one for every day of the week. The things and people the author / artist neglects are her job, art, home , friends, husband, and children - each to varying degrees on different days. Color-coded pop-ups show the range from "not neglected" at all to "completely neglected."

Humorous in its straightforward presentation of the truth of a busy life.
$30

Hours
By Patricia M. Smith
2003. Edition of 150.

4 x 6" codex contains three signatures, each with four folios. The images are taken from graphite rubbings by the artist. The experience of the hours builds to the folio entitled "Vespers," which pulls out as an extended accordion. "Hours" is bound with a hard cover wrapped in purple Chinese silk book cloth with a black silk spine.

"Hours" is the artist's response to the events of 9/11. This secular book of hours is a vehicle for recollection and reflection. The text references both the canonical hours of a day and the catastrophic events of our time. The images are taken from graphite rubbings by the artist, recollecting the evaporation of the Twin Towers.
$75