Suzanne Moore
Vashon, Washington

Suzanne Moore is a lettering artist and designer who combines contemporary vision with traditional scribal techniques. Born to a family of gifted inventor-engineers, raised in post-Sputnik Middle America, with aptitudes in math and science, she was channeled into those fields at an early age. She made her way into the world of art at 20-something, and earned a BFA in Printmaking and Drawing (1973). She continued her journey in the study and exploration of calligraphy and lettering, combining it to create contemporary manuscript books and editions. Recent work has included creation of books on the concept, the tumultuous history, and the mystery of Zero and the Void; a pair of large-format manuscript books with monotype imagery presenting Bob Dylan song lyrics; and books of painting, prints, and lettering of Emily Dickinson poetry and the writings of Lucretius.

Website: scarletfolios.com

Zero: Cypher of Infinity

Zero has a notorious reputation as a dangerous revolutionary. This humble number, which is key to philosophy, mathematics, commerce, and spirituality, plays an important role as universal symbol of both everything, and nothing. Paired with the digit "1" in the binary system, it holds and conveys - in a universal language - all information: music and mathematics, philosophy, and physics. The circular form is both encompassing, symbolizing unity and community, and definitive of a particular space. The enso - the single circular movement of the Japanese calligrapher- encapsulates and leaves the trace of the painter's spirit as the brush strokes the paper. This "variant" edition explores the complex history and eternal mystery of the void taken from science, philosophy, and symbology interpreted through image and text. The colors of the spectrum convey the richness of our surroundings, of art and theatre and the natural world. But the brain is the true "container" of our interpretations of absorbed and reflected light. Questions of whether zero, nothing, nadda, zip (the void) was (and is) truly empty or the vessel of infinity are cross-cultural, and those questions are a timeless aspect of human inquiry. Edition of 53, including 5 deluxe copies.
Mixed media, letterpress, silkscreen and handwork on paper.
11 x 15 x .5 inches; 28 x 38 x 1.5 centimeters. Created 2014.