| Title | Silk Road Discovery |
| Subtitle | The Diamond Sutra |
| Artist / Creator | Carole Sauter |
| Place of Publication | Kent, WA |
| Publication Date | 2014 |
| Process / Technique | Printed in house on as Apple computer and printed with an Epson 88+ printer with archival inks |
| Structure / Binding | Variant of a palm leaf book |
| Medium / Materials | Collage |
| Paper Stock | Arches Text Wove |
| Number of Pages | 12 |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 10 x 2 x 18 inches, extends out to 29 inches |
| Edition Size | Unique |
The Diamond Sutra is the first printed book, recorded in 823 AD. Found in The Caves of a Thousand Buddhas it was discovered by a monk at a Silk Road station in China. Inside the cave were numerous manuscripts preserved by the climate for millennium. The cave interior was painted with murals in full color. The paintings can be seen in the Chinese stamps mounted on the backs of the book pages. For me books evolve. Sometimes I have the structure first and search for the content and other times I have the content and must look for the form. I love process and discovery. I discovered the information about the Diamond Sutra one morning in 2011. The box had been completed for a couple of years. Finally, I painted the papers I would use. Another ah hah was rediscovering the collage I had scanned into my computer. All the pieces began to fit together and I could complete what I started.
Artist Bio
Carole Sauternes been active in the calligraphic and book world since 1976, producing calligraphic art and one of a kind or limited edition books for the past 24 years. My books are about family, nature and the Northwest. Many subjects inspire me. Through the years I've taken workshops in surface design, printmaking, adhering gold and mixed media as well as poetry writing. There are two collections of my work at the University of Washington.