It’s in the Details
This collage was supposed to be bright and colorful. I had all these beautiful papers I'd letterpress-printed in blues, and began the composition with them.
© Sarah Z Short, 2026, Number Twenty-Two
Then I found a piece of book paper that had been stamped in dark ink with the number twenty-two, and the composition changed as I worked to make sure I didn't cover up those numbers.
Why was I so attached? Perhaps because someone, somewhere, inked a stamp, opened a book, and marked the cover with numbers that meant something to their library, or business, or life. I'll never know — but as soon as I began thinking about it, the piece changed.
Sometimes, the papers are in charge, and I just listen.