Mark Hoppmann


Thirteen Ways	Twelve Days		A is for Alien	Book of Crows

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

In August, 2009 in collaboration with Musicians Sean Osborn, and Rajan Krishnaswami, I began a series of illustrations to accompany Wallace Stevens, Thirteen Ways of Looking a Blackbird, a collection of poems first published in 1917. From this endeavor the idea for a bound collection of both the illustrations and Steven's poetry was born. Not only was it my first attempt at the art of book making, but it was also the first time I had created a series of illustrations based on another's work.

Each illustration was rendered first in India ink with a steel quill pen before being scanned into a computer. The pages were then laid out in Adobe Elements and printed on an HP 960c laser printer before being hand trimmed, creating a total of two sixteen page signatures to be hand stitched. After each cover was created by hand wrapping and gluing fabric to ph balanced artists board, using glue made from wheat paste on the artists stove, the end papers were made using cheesecloth and paint, so that in essence, no two books would be alike. Final assembly was done by gluing the end pages to the signatures and the covers in a series of two steps and placed under weights to dry.

By these methods, a limited edition of 100 books were created by the artist over the space of two months. Each book contain a total of fourteen illustrations, and thirteen poems. Every book comes with it's own numbered certificate and showcased presented in a black jewelry box.

In April, 2010, the books were displayed during the performance of Thomas Albert's Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird based on the poetry of Wallace Stevens, with the images being projected on a large screen during the concert produced by www.simplemeasures.org. There are still a limited # of hand signed books from the original limited edition still for sale for those who still have not reserved one for their collection. Contact mark@markhoppmannart.com for price and availability. Scroll down to view the illustrations.

It has been over 90 years since Wallace Stevens Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird was first published in 1917. When I was first approached by musician Sean Osborn in 2008 with the concept of creating a series of illustrations for one of Wallace Stevens more well known works, I wasn't sure how

to begin. All art begins with an idea, but here, I soon realized I was faced with the challenge of creating a series of sensations, as opposed to mere illustrations, which according to Wallace himself in one of his letters, was his original intent. In some

of the illustrations I took advantage of the haiku quality of the poem to create the image, while in others, I chose a sense of pattern and rhythm which the poem invoked. In creating the art for these poems, I hope I have not strayed too far from Wallace Stevens original vision.

Mark Hoppmann 2010

Below are the illustrations with their accompanying poems from the book,

Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird

illustrations for Thirteen W

Note: While the poems, Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, by Wallace Stevens are in the public domain, the artwork, like all the artwork on this website was created and copyrighted by Mark Hoppmann. The illustrations are here for everyone's enjoyment. Please contact the artist for more information.

Thank you;

Mark Hoppmann

Among twenty snowy mountains

The only moving thing

Was the eye of the blackbird

I was of three minds,

Like a tree

In which there are three blackbirds.

The blackbird whirled in the autumn winds.

It was a small part of the pantomime.

III

A man and a woman

Are one.

A man and a woman and a blackbird

Are one.

I do not know which to prefer,

The beauty of inflections

Or the beauty of innuendoes,

The blackbird whistling

Or just after.

Icicles filled the long window

With barbaric glass,

The shadow of the blackbird

Crossed it, to and fro.

The mood

Traced in the shadow

An indecipherable cause.

O thin men of Haddam,

Why do you imagine golden birds?

Do you not see how the blackbird

Walks around the feet

Of the women about you?

VII

VIII

I know noble accents

And lucid, inescapable rhythms;

But I know, too,

That the blackbird is involved

In what I know.

When the blackbird flew out of sight,

It marked the edge

Of one of many circles.

At the sight of blackbirds

Flying in a green light,

Even the bawds of euphony

Would cry out sharply.

He rode over Connecticut

In a glass coach.

Once, a fear pierced him,

In that he mistook

The shadow of his equipage

for blackbirds.

XII

The river is moving.

The blackbird must be flying.

It was evening all afternoon.

It was snowing

And it was going to snow.

The blackbird sat

In the cedar-limbs.

XIII

For inquiries about my work, Commissions, Events, Galleries, To purchase one of my works, or just to add your name & address to my mailing list, please contact me.

This site and content copyright 2009 Mark Hoppmann. All artwork contained on this site is copyright owned by the artist and shall not be reproduced or replicated in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the artist.


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