"Upon a Time" is a collaborative work between American poet, Reagan Upshaw and Haitian-born artist, Paul Gardère.
The book is a sequence of ten sonnets penned by Upshaw and visually interpreted by Gardère in the context of contemporary art, using original and collaged imagery and the artist's own calligraphy.
Each poem focuses on a character extracted from European fairy tales - the ogre, the woodsman, the queen, and so on. Both poet and artist shared an abiding love of the same folk tales that were read to them as children, though they were raised in wildly different backgrounds. This successful collaboration speaks to the lasting impressions of classic, archetypal figures across time and culture.
The book is a sequence of ten sonnets penned by Upshaw and visually interpreted by Gardère in the context of contemporary art, using original and collaged imagery and the artist's own calligraphy.
Each poem focuses on a character extracted from European fairy tales - the ogre, the woodsman, the queen, and so on. Both poet and artist shared an abiding love of the same folk tales that were read to them as children, though they were raised in wildly different backgrounds. This successful collaboration speaks to the lasting impressions of classic, archetypal figures across time and culture.
“Small but saturated with color and incident, these collages are caught up in further embellishment, including meandering handwritten version of Upshaw’s poetry, the lines of text shaped, in several cases, into the contours of the featured characters: Mouths agape and eyes bright, they look ready to consume, proverbially, the verse that feeds them.” |
"Upon a Time" was created as a handmade art book, in a limited edition of 100. Each copy is signed and numbered by both artists.
Editions of "Upon A Time" reside in numerous, notable library collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Library, the Smithsonian American Art Museum Library, the Brooklyn Museum Library, and Yale and Cornell Universities Libraries.
Editions of "Upon A Time" reside in numerous, notable library collections, including the Museum of Modern Art Library, the Smithsonian American Art Museum Library, the Brooklyn Museum Library, and Yale and Cornell Universities Libraries.
A limited number of editions remain available for purchase. Please contact Paul Gardere Studio to inquire.