Letterpress Works by UWM Faculty and Staff

STEVE NELSON-RANEY

Lecturer, Department of Music

records of mass.
July/August 1995.


I began making books in 1986 largely due to my excitement over a show at Woodland Pattern by Pamela Zwehl-Burke. My focus at that point and for some years to follow was very much form and materials, investigating various book formats, using paper, metal, wood, etc. Then, as my interest and involvement in photography increased, the book forms became vehicles for me to present in a very concise and compact manner my photos, some of which had been painted on or altered. The more I pursued photography, the more my books emphasized content over the form and materials.

In the fall of 1992 Woodland Pattern presented a show of my work. The last few books included in that show and virtually all since have had little to do with the potential of the book as a form and have more and more articulated particular ideas and beliefs through the content of the books. Most of these ideas are directly connected to my interests and focus as a musician and composer. The late books of the Woodland Pattern show pointed the direction which I continue to pursue and began to create and articulate a very personal mythology which has evolved from my music and life in general. My books now are visual counterparts to the music which I'm engaged in and provide simply another perspective on the ideas that are at its core.



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Last edited on Friday, March 31, 2000.