Birds in Paradise: or Life Upon a Japanese Screen

About this Item: Joseph J. D'Ambrosio, Los Angeles, 1984. Hardcover. Condition: As New. 1st Edition. This magnificent artistic Tour-de Force by the late, great (1934-2009) Joe D'Ambrosio is an A/P from an edition of 50 copies and 10 Artist proofs. There are twenty leaves each one a piece of stand alone art, printed on Mohawk Letterpress paper. The binding is black and gold kid leather; glass over an 8-color serigraph, pages are sewn to the spine composed of bamboo rods; pivotal hinged black felt lined box. Joe describes this book: "After 15 years of work, this book is a culmination and embodies the knowledge that I acquired during those years. The story attempts to take the reader onto and into a work of art ( a Japanese screen and we ( the reader and writer together) meditate on the disciplines an artist must maintain to create the work using form, color and composition and relate that to the disciplines we must use as individuals in creating our own lives as a space in which we can cope and survive. Birds in Paradise was printed on a Vandecook No. 4 proof press. Very rare and beautiful. Book is inscribed to two early supporters of the artist. Signed by author and illustrated. Seller Inventory # 001878