Minute v. 1

This tunnel book, with twenty-nine hand-painted panels, is the first in an ongoing series of both one-of-a-kind and limited edition book works drawn from the multiple meanings of the word 'minute'. When used as a noun and pronounced with a short 'u', a minute is a short period of time made up of 60 seconds. When the 'u' is long, minute means very tiny. As an adjective it describes something very small, of small importance or marked by close attention to details.. The panels are laser cut from original sketches done of the plant and insect life I observed while ground watching in my urban back yard. The side panels are laser printed with designs from the original drawings, with surface applied pigment. As I age, I spend more and more time sitting still and letting my mind wander aimlessly. I am struck by how much visual activity takes place in a short period of time, in a small space, particularly outside during the warmer months. This version is my interpretation of a space in my back yard, about a yard square. With only occasional insect, bird or mammal activity, the space at first appears unmoving or static. Yet it takes only the slightest breeze, just a breath really, to shift the -scape into a new arrangement of shapes.