Coyote and the Shooting Stars: a creation tale

Freeville, New York:: Carol Schwartzott,, 2022.. Edition of 24. 2.5 x 3"; 26 pages. Miniature. Flutter book structure. Paper-bound with scanned images, some of which are additionally hand-colored. Digitally printed on Mohawk Via Vellum. Papers used: Rives BFK, Indian hand-marbled papers, and Japanese Momi. Of the edition, 12 presented in standard paper-covered drop-lid box; 12 presented in a handmade wooden box with a glass lid in which is a hand-beaded coyote and star. Signed and numbered by the artist. This is a version of the Native American shooting stars creation myth featuring Coyote. He talks a star into lifting him in to the sky to dance. When he grows tired and lets go of the star, he plunges to earth creating a trail of light - a shooting star. Carol Schwartzott: "'Coyote was originally produced in 1994 as an artist's book. There were 10 monoprints, each tipped into a large format book following an 'American Indian' theme. The spine and cover were hand-beaded. "This year has been one of visiting some of my older book files and evaluating some of the projects that were just 'ideas' at the time. In a storage box I found a beaded spine and two coverboards with a 'painted Coyote. Years ago I had thought I might do another version of the original book. I had a set of color copies and I used these to create a 'newer' version of the original illustrations. I completed the book - bound the block to place inside the board structure. "As I looked it over, it wasn't working. The illustrations were too large, and the calligraphy was terrible. I ripped it apart and decided that was that. As I do often when working on a project, I let it rest. Then one day, I decided to experiment with cut and pasted images. So I cut up the pages to correspond to the original illustrations but kept them clean and simple. The book was reinvented. Finally I used archival India ink pens for the text. "The biggest problem was the binding. I had single pages so I used a simple accordion fold, and later added an archival paper edge to make sure the page would hold together. Glued to the back board, this free action of the page allows it to lay flat. The original book had no box. I had several prototypes. These fit perfectly. "I have recently began re-editioning miniature versions of some of my older books. Having a new limited studio space I am again challenged with completing editions. With that in mind I scanned and reduced the original illustrations, which included handwritten text.