The Head The Heart The Hand: Bryn Perrott

"Friend Sleeping"  

"Wolf Jumping"

Bryn Perrott is a woodblock artist based in Morgantown, West Virginia. Drawing from the extensive visual repertoire of traditional americana tattoo imagery, she creates beautifully intricate wood carvings. I like the idea of using the visual vocabulary of tattooing for woodblock prints -- in a tattoo, black ink is carved into the skin; in a woodblock carving, the "white," negative space is carved into the wood and the ink rests gently on top. This inversion is interesting not only in a metaphoric sense, but also in a concrete, visual sense. The tattoo flash is transformed into 3-Dimensional objects with the image hovering in the foreground, rather than bleeding and merging deeper into the skin.

"Rock of Ages"

"Jeso"

There is an incredible amount of detail in each piece (those tiny dots and swirls!) that make each one rich and satisfying. She also adds unique elements to the recognizable, traditional images--perhaps because the medium requires her to at times, but also likely because the vision she is creating only uses tattoo imagery as a point of departure...

One of the reasons I love woodblock work so much is that you can always see the artist's hand. Just observe the below image; you can see each little stroke of the carving knife in the white space. You are almost able to follow the process with your eyes, noting each dig into the surface of the wood. On the other hand, in a tattoo, all the little strokes of the artist's hand eventually blend together, while on these carvings they remain forever visible in the wood's "skin."

"Japanese cat"

"Tea Sloth"

"Mermaid" 

"Russian Arms"

"Manchester United"

Perrott does custom woodblock work, and there are several examples of commissioned pieces on her tumblr site. I think this work is awesome! I hope you enjoy it too...

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Until next time, fair petticoat rustlers-- keep rustling!

Research Update: The Best Part

Reading in the Special Collections Library

I AM SO EXCITED RIGHT NOW! I just got home from spending several lovely hours in Boulder's Special Collections Library where I discovered 6 boxes full of the small Brazilian chapbooks I love. I am so glad I brought my camera because they allowed me to take photographs of the beautiful xilogravura artwork that adorn these chapbooks. (Apparently, their policy is changing soon, however, and in the future I will likely not be able to take my own photos of the books- so today I clicked away as much as I could!)

I am in the process of doing research for an article (and maybe a dissertation??) in which I will be writing about this literary art form. I think that working with the primary texts is the absolute best part of any research project; finding these books right in my own library was like finding fifty dollars in your pocket... no, it was like finding fifty dollars and a chocolate cake in your pocket.

Reading history and beginning to write your own thoughts is great, too, but there is something so completely satisfying about taking in the books you love-- smelling them, touching the cheap delicate paper they were printed on, beginning to read, for your first time, at the top of the very first page.

From A intriga do Cachorro com Gato ("The Thriller of Dog and Cat") by José Pacheco. Art by José Francisco Borges. 

Three hours just flew by in the library as I read from these little poetry pamphlets-- the one pictured above was about a man who made his living as a repentista, or improvisational singer, who began an improv singing battle with a strange man... who turned out to be the devil! Each pamphlet had a new, rhymed story to explore... I read so many of them that my very thoughts became rhymed and rhythmic!

From Peleja de Riachão com o Diabo ("The Musical Duel of Riachão and the Devil") by Leando Gomes de Barros

From Milton e Cléa ("Milton and Cléa") by Luis da Costa Pinheiro. Art by Erivaldo.

From Os amores de Chiquinha e as Bravuras de Apolinário ("Chiquinha's Love Life and Apolinário's Brave Life)

Many of these chapbooks are first edition, published by Academia Brasileira de Literatura de Cordel (ABLC) and the others are re-released versions of classic cordel literature, reprinted by this same organization. In fact, the 6 boxes of books that the Special Collecitons Library had are available through their website here. The boxes of books are grouped by topic (such as bandits, humor, science and politics, etc.) and they each contain a collection of 10-20 chapbooks. Their website says they are 30 reais per box, which comes to about $15 US. (By the way, I ACCEPT CHRISTMAS PRESENTS EARLY.)

From Chico Xavier, o Maior Médium do Mundo Morre nos Braços do Povo ("Chico Xavier, the World's Greatest Spiritual Medium, Dies in the Arms of the People") by Gonçalo Ferreira da Silva. Art by J. Victtor. 

From A Peleja de Boa Voz com o Cantador Misterioso ("The Musical Duel of Boa Voz and the Mysterious Singer") by Victor Alvim Itahim Garcia. Art by Erivaldo.

From A Pérola Sagrada ("The Sacred Pearl") by João Martins de Athayde

I am so happy that the ABLC exists. Not only do they publish new cordel literature, they also make these collections available, publish scholarly books on cordel, publish anthologies of hundreds of cordel poems, and they update their site regularly with videos of musical recitations of cordel that take place in their cordel bookstore. (I must, must, MUST go there.)

I am not aware of any other organizations who attempt to preserve and promote this art form to the same extent; they are ensuring that literatura de cordel will not slowly fade away into obscurity, a lost cultural bit of heritage. Rather, they are inviting young people to be a part of learning cordel's history and participating actively in its future...

From Zé Baiano, Ferredor de Gente ("Zé Baiano, the Stabber") by Gonçalo Ferreira da Silva. Art by Erivaldo.

From Lambada no Inferno ("Lambada in Hell") by Gonçalo Ferreira da Silva. Art by Erivaldo.

Definitely check out the ABLC website to peruse their projects and resources.

Oh, and by the way, the "Research Update" is going to become yet another new feature here on the blog. You can expect them to get more frequent the deeper I go into the library and my various projects.

<All the translations in this post are my own.>
<The two smaller pictures are, from right to left, as follows: 1) From Jararaca, o Cancaçeiro Militar ("Jararaca, the Military Bandit") by Gonçalo Ferreira da Silva; art by Erivaldo. 2) From A Mulher que deu Tabaco na Presença do Marido ("The Woman who Smoked Weed in Front of her Husband") by Gonçalo Ferreira da Silva.

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Until next time, fair petticoat rustlers-- keep rustling!