ARTISTS STATEMENT
I created “Winter Stayed Late” after experiencing a miscarriage, and, with it, gaining the understanding that women are too often not given the grace to outwardly mourn such a devastating loss. In this book text is printed onto handmade, cotton paper and caringly pinned onto each hand felted wool, blanket-like page. The narrative quietly describes the hopeful expectation of a new baby with the coming spring. As the tiny blanket pages turn, so does the text. Humble and seemingly emotionless words describe a sudden miscarriage and the need for wool for the burial of the baby. The repeated text on each page “winter came early and stayed late” signifies the monotony of a long winter that pushes on unknowingly and without care. The few words demonstrate the quietness that surrounds miscarriage still today, and a mother’s silent pain as she is left to mourn alone. Hand felted wool is the primary material in this book, referencing the Burial in Woollen Acts 1666 – 1680 of the Parliament of England which was designed to stimulate the English wool economy.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Erin K. Schmidt creates private, evocative spaces within her handbound and sculptural book art. She earned her BFA from Michigan State University, and her MA in Book Arts from Camberwell College of Arts, University of the Arts London. Her work has been exhibited internationally, and can be found in private and public collections including Tate Britain, Oxford University, RISD, and Yale University. She was awarded the Sheffield International Artist’s Book Prize, her work was published on the cover of “The New Bookbinder, Journal of Designer Bookbinders,” and in 2023 she was awarded a Kresge Artist Fellowship for Book Arts.
© Erin K. Schmidt