Sylvan Secrets
Denise Bookwalter, Tallahassee, Florida
2021. Edition of 20
Denise Bookwalter: Sylvan Secrets is a deep dive into the way the natural world is named and cataloged and what we can discover within the imposed order. Inspired by Encyclopaedia of American Woods by Romeyn Hough, the pages depict the microscopic innards of trees. Volume five, the volume from North Florida, was the main inspiration for the book. (see notation below).
The toroidal book structures are relief printed in gold with images inspired by microscopic photographs of the wood veneers, presenting a unique perspective of looking at these preserved species.
Encyclopaedia of American Woods
Romeyn Hough (1857–1924); Ellwood Scott Harrar; Fred M. White
New York: Publisher: R. Speller, 1957.
Encyclopaedia of American Woods is a catalog of wood veneers collected by Romeyn Hough over a period of nearly forty years. Produced in thirteen volumes generally divided by geographic locations, the species are represented by three different cross sections, scientific names, and common names. Each volume contains twenty-five different species.
QK480.N7 H681 1910 v.13
Denise Bookwalter is a printmaker, book artist, and educator living in Tallahassee, Florida. She is a Professor of Art at Florida State University and Founding Director of Small Craft Advisory Press, a collaborative book arts press at FSU. She has exhibited solo and collaborative work nationally and internationally and her books can be found in numerous collections. You can view more of Denise’s work at her website.
