In the early fall of ‘23, I participated in a print exchange organized through Central Print in St. Louis. The topic this year was Martha Gellhorn, the extraordinary journalist who covered most major conflicts around the world throughout her life. I chose a passage from her piece ‘The War in Java’, written in 1967, though with reflections on the past, including this one (shortened for space) considering the nuclear bombs dropped in Japan. Her interviews with local people in St. Louis revealed a deep trepidation about what had occurred, even if it meant the end of fighting.
The print is created with a series of flourishes and partial circles to indicate a mushroom cloud and the text is set in Typewriter as a nod to Gellhorn’s profession. It measures 8x10” and is printed in silver ink on soft, thick Somerset warm gray paper. This limited set of prints is slightly different than the ones for the exchange, which were printed on an alternate cardstock.