Helen Hiebert Studio ~ Oregon
(Helen Hiebert)

The Way It Is
By William Stafford
Portland, Oregon: Helen Hiebert Studio, 2010. Edition of 50.

18 x 12" broadside. Single sheet. Thread drawing with an actual length of thread. Letterpress printed by Sandy Tilcock on handmade translucent abaca paper.

Helen Hiebert: "Threads are a frequent feature in my work, sometimes functioning as sculptural elements, sometimes embedded in sheets of paper used to tie paper components together, often creating metaphors for the physical, emotional, and spiritual connections between people."

Helen Hiebert Studio, blog: "My first edition is hot off the press! Sandy Tilcock of lone goose press in Eugene printed an edition of 50 of a William Stafford poem on a handmade piece of translucent abaca with an embedded thread drawing. This project was quite involved, from making a jig to tie the knots and embedding them between the sheets; to 3 press runs with special taping to prevent the ends of the strings from getting inked. I'm delighted with the results."

There's a thread you follow. It goes among
things that change. But it doesn't change….

The poem is taken from The Way It Is: New and Selected Poems by William Stafford (1998)
$175