SOUTHFIRST 60 N6th Street  Brooklyn, NY  11211  www.southfirst.org     ph 718 599 4884

 

64 / ROBERT GRENIER DRAWING POEM PRINTS

 

Southfirst Gallery is pleased to announce the existence of a recently completed series of sixty-

four GiclŽe prints made from four-color notebook drawing poem images from the Ôagricultural

yearÕ 2003-2005 in Bolinas, California (rainy season to rainy season—a sort of ShepherdÕs

Calendar without shepherd or sheep) called 64 (accidentally (?) being our poet/artistÕs age at the

 time) by fundamental/foundational language poet (ÔartistÕ?) Robert Grenier.

 

Rough translations of the texts of the 64 drawing poem prints (into ÔAmericanÕ, as they say in

France) showing their organizations into sets of 2, 4, 6 and 8 (roughly in accord with months of

said ÔyearÕ) are as follows:

 

TWO INTRODUCTORY IMAGES

 

1.      AFTER/NOON/SUN/SHINE (April 2004)

2.      RED W/OOOD/RED/WOODS (February 2004)

 

SIX POEMS / NOVEMBER 2003-JANUARY 2004

 

3.     COLOR/SOAK/KED/EUKES

4.     MOOER/MOOS/MOO/AT

5.     MORE/SO/MOON/LIGHT

6.     STROM/STREAM/STREAM/STROM

7.     MOOER/MOOS/MOO/BACK

8.     TREE/FROG/A ST/RETCH     

 

FOUR POEMS / FEBRUARY 2004

 

9.     SHOWER/AFTER/DARK/RAINS

10.  MOON/ITÕS/THE/RE

11.  FROGS/GOING/SANE/MAD

12.  ANY/AND/EVERY/FROG

 

FOUR POEMS / MARCH 2004

 

13.  SNOW/PEAS/IN/GROUND

14.  PLUM/AND/PLUM/WHITE

15.  DARK/IT/OFTEN/WAS

16.  BEES/CYPRESS/TREE/HIVE

 

FOUR POEMS / APRIL 2004

 

17.  CORN/SHOOTS/UP AN/INCH

18.  LEAP/ROUND/UP/DOWN

19.  ELBOW/POLE/BEAN/UP

20.  DANCE/STEP/COME/SPRING

FOUR POEMS / MAY 2004

 

21.  THRUSH/WHICH/MESMER/IZES

22.  MOOS/OUR/NEIGH/BOR

23.  14/SWEET/WILL/IAMS

24.  NOT/THERE/AT/ALL

 

FOUR POEMS / JUNE 2004

 

25.  SUSIE/I/LOVE/YOU

26.  POLE/BEAN/FLOW/ERS

27.  APRI/COT/JAM/JAR

28.  AMY/HERE/MY/GIRL

 

FOUR MORE POEMS / JUNE 2004

 

29.  BLUE/SKY/JUNE/DAY

30.  WOW/CLOUDS/YOU/SEE

31.  PLANT/SEED/POTA/TOES

32.  ROUND/LAGOON/CANOE/ING

 

FOUR POEMS / JULY 2004

 

33.  ROSE/BUSH/A/TREE

34.  FLOW/ERS/AND/BUDS

35.  SOLI/TARY/BARE/FOOT

36.  SUNS/HINE/BACK/YARD

 

FOUR POEMS / AUGUST 2004

 

37.  BLUE/SKY/HOT/DAY

38.  YELLOW/JACKETS/SEEK/ING

39.  ORIGI/NAL/MOON/RISES

40.  ROUND/ROUND/POND/SWIM

 

FOUR MORE POEMS / AUGUST 2004

 

41.  WATER/THE/PEAR/TREE

42.  DEER/TO/DO/OR

43.  YELLOW/AND/GREEN/BEANS

44.  NUM/BER/OF/STARS

 

SIX POEMS / SEPTEMBER 2004

 

45.  SEED/GLOBE/DANDE/LION

46.  FRESH/AIR/6/AM

47.  FRONT/TEETH/PAPER/THIN

48.  GRAVE/NSTEINS/REDDEN/YELLOW

49.  GOLD/DELI/CIOU/S

50.  POTATO/POTATO/POTATO/POTATO

 

FOUR POEMS / OCTOBER 2004

 

51.  PUMP/KINS/ON/PORCH

52.  CREAK/KING/EUCA/LYPTS

53.  A/MOTOR/CYCLE/ROAR

54.  JUST/AT/DARK/WIND

 

FOUR POEMS / NOVEMBER 2004

 

55.  STORM/FROM/OCE/AN

56.  BLUE/ROSE/MARY/FLOWERS

57.  TOMATO/VINES/ARE/BLACK

58.  VIGOR/IN MY/RIGHT/HAND

 

FOUR POEMS / DECEMBER 2004

 

59.  BEGIN/DARK/COLD/RAINS

60.  FALLOW/DEER/ANT/LERS

61.  COYO/TES/HERE/THERE

62.  ACTUAL/WHOLE/MOON/SEEN

 

TWO CONCLUDING IMAGES

 

63.  OWL/AN/OWL/OWL (March 2005)

64.  MOON/HALF/OR/1/4 (June 2005)

 

The prints in the introductory and concluding sets of 2 and in the groups of 4 and 8 are each 17-

1/2 x 23-3/8Ó and priced at $350, whereas those in the two groups of 6 are each 15-1/4 x 17-1/2Ó

and are priced at $300. The 4- and 6-print groupings are also available as ÒsetsÓ ($1,200 and

$1,600 respectively) which come as either cut single prints, or as one large uncut sheet.

 

All are printed on HahnemŸhle 308 gsm Photo Rag Paper.  Produced on an Epson Stylus Pro

9500 printer at 1440/720 dpi with six, pigment-based, archival inks, these GiclŽe prints (properly

conserved) have a projected life of at least 100 years.

 

Robert Grenier has declared the full cycle of 64 prints to be a limited/signed edition of 12

(whether 12 will ever be printed is a fascinating question best left to Ôthe FatesÕ and/or speculators

in the life work of Robert Grenier!); interested persons are encouraged to contact Maika Pollack

at Southfirst (718-599-4884).

 

A show of the 64 prints was held in spring 2008 in Bury, Lancashire, as part of the second Text

Festival organized by Tony Trehy (Arts & Museums Manager for the Bury Metropolitan

Council), who acquired one set of 64 for the permanent collection of the Bury Museum. A large

print is also in the collection of the U. C. Berkeley Art Museum.