Erotica Botanica

Enter the sensual Erotica Botanica through an unfolding caress of its leaf shaped pages. Delicate flowers with enticing organs float up from the folds above a bed of leaves and seed pods. Erotic verse, written by flowers and pollinators, inspires the viewer to contemplate the sexual desire of plants.

Well, here it is. The current version of Sex In The Garden renamed as Erotica Botanica. I am so tired. I have been working night and day. And this is just a first proof copy, there is still so much more to do. This version with the pop-ups will be the deluxe. The trade version will not have the colorful flowers and the poems will be inside the folds.

Billy has helped me with the poetry, which has been really fun. He surprised both of us.

I am so glad I took a week of retreat and had so much time in nature. It really helped me to deepen into this project and some great ideas came out of that time to be incorporated; some of it poetry, and some of it visual design.

I think I have cut the large leafy image (folded into four pages) at least four times already. I had to cut at least five different flowers, maybe more, to get just one that I like. There are four flowers total. The book has gone through so many different designs. There have been four totally different concept designs, some taken almost to print. And since starting with this leafy cut out design there have been about 6 different directions I have gone with it. I have never worked and reworked a book so much. I have a tall stack of models and reject prints.

My apologies for being absent so long, and for not posting more of the process. I have not stopped for hardly a thing since my retreat. Bill's eldest son visited with his family of four this last weekend (soon to be five) and that was my only respite. Though a house full of grandchildren is hardly a rest!

Today I sent the images in for a show, hoping I'll be selected. Today was the deadline, but I made it in time! It has been a delight to feel so inspired by this book. I struggled for a while, searching for the right expression in book form, but once I settled into this one, I enjoyed all the explorations of design.

Thanks to my friends who have been so encouraging and supportive while I mostly ignored them until I needed their advice!