My Kimono Book by C. Mehrl Bennett

 

Publisher	Luna Bisonte Prods
Published	June 26, 2008
Language	English
Pages	68
Binding	Perfect-bound Paperback
Interior Ink	Full color
Dimensions (inches)	7.4 wide × 9.7 tall

In her collaborative technique alone, Cathy both conforms to and goes against tradition. She conforms to the traditions of collaboration by reacting appropriately to the work of her collaborators, and she spurns convention by deciding on the final product herself, by being, truly, the full creator of these pieces. And it is a technique that works. Her results react to the data she receives. It is as if her collaborators whispered something into her ear, and she created from that an unexpectedly accurate representation of what they had imagined.

(Above is excerpt from a review by Geof Huth)

The kimono material in this book originates from other artists and writers - with their permission - with due credit made on each image. Often I've given website links in my comments not only so that the original image(s) contributed by my collaborator can be viewed, but also to allow the reader to do research to learn more about these incredibly creative people and to view their art, visual poetry, poetry, photography, etc. I've taken liberties to collage and embroider with Photoshop Elements 4.0 so as to fuse multiple images by one person or to elaborate on a composition or theme that develops as I work to 'fit' the kimono to that persona. It is a joy to work with material from creative people whose art and poetry I so much admire, and I feel like a 'curator' of sorts as I build my kimono collection. As when a poet constricts his/her self to the rules of a haiku, and thus discovers new surprising twists of life in language, so do I surprise myself again and again within the shape of the kimono. -CMB