Artist Statement

Look back on our struggle for freedom, trace our present day strength to its source, and you’ll find that man’s pathway to glory is strewn with the bones of a horse.
—Author unknown

There is something utterly compelling about a horse, a creature whose history is so intertwined with the human. Our ancestors relied on this beast of burden for transportation, warfare and sustenance. Sacrificed in the Rig Veda, glorified in the Koran, and captured in cave paintings, horses have left an indelible hoof print on our collective consciousness.

Despite our rich history together, horses have become primarily a source of entertainment. Molded in plastic to collect, bred and raised for racing careers, or relegated to pulling carriages in the midst of city traffic, their power was supplanted by that of the engine.

Horse Power, an artist book letterpress printed on handmade horsehair paper, traces the history of this majestic animal through domestication and popular culture. Words and phrases in the English language are explored as well, revealing their horsey origins. Horse Power is displayed within The Horse Show, an installation portraying the human/equine connection.

Artist Biography

Jessica Spring is the proprietor of Springtide Press in Tacoma, Washington where she designs, prints and binds unique artist books, broadsides and ephemera incorporating handmade paper and letterpress printing. Small finely-crafted editions consider historical topics and popular culture from a unique perspective. Jessica was the sort of girl that shunned dolls for stuffed animals, and attended Camp Watervliet, a ranch camp in Michigan. She really wanted to be one of the horse keepers, but after two summers only progressed from sheep to goat care.

Jessica has an MFA from Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts and teaches at Pacific Lutheran University and the School of Visual Concepts in Seattle.

 

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23 Sandy Gallery
623 NE 23rd Ave • Portland, Oregon 97232 • 503-927-4409
Hours: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 12-6, and by Appointment

 

Jessica Spring • The Horse Show
July 3 - August 1, 2009