Two Moons, a Luminice Press artist book by Thomas Parker Williams and Mary Agnes Williams, contrasts our serene moon with the fiery, volcanic Io, one of Jupiter’s moons discovered by Galileo. The side of the book on Earth’s moon is illustrated in cool blues, grays and black, and features impressionistic Japanese poetry. The text on the Io side focuses on scientific data; bright red and yellow images depict Io’s fiery landscape. Inspiration: Tom and Mary Agnes’s house is perfectly situated for enjoying moon rises; Tom read an article on Io’s tidal heating. Contrasting the two moons was a natural.
Books as Life: 2024 Member's Exhibition
Williams
Thomas Parker Williams & Mary Agnes Williams
Thomas Parker Williams and Mary Agnes Williams collaborate on artist books as Luminice Press. Tom illustrates and binds the books; Mary Agnes writes or selects text, then handsets it. Together, they print on a letterpress that Tom built. Their artist books are in 75 collections, including the Library of Congress.
Two Moons
8"x8"
Neenah classic linen, painted and unpainted aluminum, Washi Linen Illustrations, Dremel-engraved polycarbonate plates, oil-based pochoir mylar stencils
Spider and the Stars
Spider and the Stars, a Luminice Press artist book by Thomas Parker Williams and Mary Agnes Williams, combines an original illustrated story for young readers with factual information about spiders and the curious way they travel long distances. Inspiration: Tom and Mary Agnes were brainstorming on various design ideas to set type. One of his sketches reminded her of an eight-legged spider. She researched spiders and learned how they travel, even “fly,” via ballooning. Another inspiration was an inquisitive 3-year-old living next door. They wrote and illustrated Spider’s story, complete with a pop-up, with this little boy in mind.
7.5"x8"
Laser cut wood, oil-based pochoir printed paper, reduction linocut, laser-cut steel template