A155. River

A155. Jay Leeming. River. Santa Cruz, California: Peter & Donna Thomas, 2015.

14.5 x 29 x 4 cm (5 ¾”x 11 ½”x 1 ½”), 6-page accordion with piano hinges, 5 copies.

Binding: Accordion folding piano hinge binding. Six boards covered in blue cloth with brown leather hinges are connected by green painted wood dowels. Title on label on cover. Bas-relief of a mountain scene on boards. Housed in a slipcase covered in blue cloth. Title on label inset on front. Bas-relief of a mountain scene on front. Paper: Text green, handmade by Peter Thomas. Illustrations cream, handmade by Peter Thomas. Printing: Text handwritten. Illustrations digital. Typography: Text handwritten by Donna Thomas. Illustration: Reproductions of a four-panel watercolor painting by Donna Thomas. Notes: Illustrations are sewn onto green paper which is adhered to the boards. The binding structure was developed by Donna Thomas for this book.

“The text is a poem that uses the Tuolumne River as a metaphor for life. Donna went to Yosemite to paint on the same weekend a poetry festival was being held in Tuolumne Meadows. She heard Jay Leeming (known as the poet ranger) read this poem and decided to pair it with the four paintings she had just made, painting from the center of Tuolumne Meadows facing north, east, south, and west.”