WAITING a poem by John Burroughs published in 1863, decorated with 12 new engravings depicting the the earth, the plants, and the animals and heavens.
John Burroughs explained his poem as "a happy acquiescence of the order of the universe as I found it - a faith in the essential veracity of things." A prescient view from a 26 year old, over 150 years ago, that nothing is unconnected among the earth, the plants, the animals, and the heavens beyond our sphere, when such concepts are just now being understood in our time. I chose to decorate the poem to reflect the order of the universe as I too have happily found it while tramping around in Burroughs' own deep woods, the Catskills of New York.
Each plate is 6x4 inches, in an edition of 60 individual prints. The first 20 are reserved in boxed sets; the latter 40 sell individually. A bound edition has been produced in a limited edition of 10.
The work has been met with wide appeal, having been chosen for museum exhibition, purchase, and awards of merit. Images accompanying each half-stanza have meaning assigned to them over many lifetimes:
- Plate I - Earth: Forest, the light of a new day;
- Plate II - Earth: Slide Mountain, representing permanence;
- Plate III - Earth: Oak Tree, a symbol of immense and enduring strength;
- Plate IV - Plants: Sunflower, a symbol of devotion;
- Plate V - Plants: Moonflower, a symbol of the dreams of love;
- Plate VI - Animals: Trout, demonstrating conviction;
- Plate VII - Animals: Turtle, in whom we see longevity;
- Plate VIII - Animals: Fox, a symbol of opportunity;
- Plate IX - Animals: Heron, representing wisdom and judgment;
- Plate X - Animals: Bear, showing strength and introspection;
- Plate XI - Heavens: Stars at night, teaching meaning with patterns;
- Plate XII - Heavens: "All Creation" from Natty Bumppo's Catskill viewpoint, at the bright dawn of yet another new day.