Ruth Laxson, an Atlanta-based artist, studied printmaking, drawing, and painting at the Atlanta College of Art from 1958-1965. For many years she was a printmaker, poet, and performance/installation artist before coming to artist’s books. She founded her own imprint, Press 63+ at the age of 63. Using a variety of techniques such as letterpress, etching, offset, collage and drawing, Laxson produces visually playful content-driven books.
Ruth’s visual poetry, use of symbols, rebuses, and inventive hieroglyphics, hand-drawn images, and shaped texts are rich in texture, pattern and rhythm. Her pages seem to break all the rules of printing and layout. In addition to her quirky visual poetry and playful use of text and image, she is also known for her highly relevant social and political commentaries.
During her career Ruth has produced 30 artist’s books and the RISD Library has over 25 of these books in its Artists’ Books Collection. This collection presents a sampling of her work. Visit Special Collections to view more.
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A Hundred Years of: LEX FLEX
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[52] pages : ill. (some color) Cover title. "Digital prepress and offset printing are by Brad Freeman at Nexus Press on the Heidelberg KORD."--Colophon. Illustrated endpages. Bottom of colophon signed by the author. CONTENTS: Part 1. Innocence, elegance, riches & rags -- pt. 2. Wars, rights & ego-echo -- pt. 3. Cyber self & ether/other.
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Mythos Chronos Logos
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[22] leaves : ill. Part 1: Mythos (chance chants) -- Part 2: Chronos (timing) -- Part 3: Logos (logic). Cover title. Sewn in grey colored thread; five-hole Japanese stab binding with hinge-fold. Issued in grey paper boards; hinge-fold edged in grey cloth. Black endpapers. Printed in black and white. "Printed on various papers with hand set type: Caslon & Franklin Gothic ... Edition 40."--Colophon. Library has copy no. 24. Signed by the artist.
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Muse Measures
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[53] pages : ill. Limited edition of 150 copies. Cover title. Letterpress artist's book created by Ruth Laxson. Binding is Japanese side-sewn style. "Printed on Birch Royal Fiber, UV Ultra II and Warren Patina, using typography, type-high engraving and offset. The type is mainly Caslon and Franklin Gothic. It was hand set and composed on the press bed."--Colophon. Typographical illustrations are combinations of letters, lines, symbols, and drawings. White paint applied to two images. Library has copy no. 60 signed by the artist.
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Retail the Tale
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[25] pages : ill. (some color) "Printed Feb. '96 - Feb. 97, typography, drawing, etching with chine colle on RIves BFK and UV Ultra 11"--Colophon. Edition limited to 15 copies, signed by the author. Oriental style binding (traditional format, Japanese). Library has copy no. 13.
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Letters to the Ether/Other
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[14] pages (6 folded) Consists of a series of folded printed leaves between envelope-shaped papers. Cover title. "These Letters to the Ether Other first existed as one-of-a-kind, bas relief wall pieces. They read black-on-black with red & are constructed of paper, wood, metal, wire & paint. They were part of a solo exhibit in 1995 which included mail box sculptures & mail art. This small edition is a spin off of that work ... printed while the hand-set type was still in tack [sic] on various papers found around the studio"--page [1]. Edition of 10. This is copy no. 8. Signed by the artist.
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Measurism
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[20] pages : ill. Cover title. "Edition: 10"--Colophon. Library has copy no. 9. Signed by the artist.
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Measure Up
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[26] pages : ill. (some color) Cover title. "This book is no. 6"--Colophon. Signed by the artist. "Intaglio, aquatint, and chine colle - with typography. Printed summer 1994."--Colophon.
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Wheeling
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[40] pages : ill Cover title. Of an edition of 200 the library has no. 75, signed by the artist.
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Imaging
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
1 volume (unpaged) : ill. Edition of 35, this book is number 10, signed by the artist.
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Some Things are Sacred
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[26] pages : ill. Title in red on cover. Oriental style binding (traditional format, Japanese). Text in paper binder. "Edition: 50. This book is number 47."--Colophon. Signed by the artist.
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Where is Everybody?
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[10] leaves : ill. ; 18 cm. Two outsized leaves, one a pentagon, the other with a serrated outer margin. "Fall 1990"--Leaf [10]. Library has copy no. 15 of 20. Binding is oriental stitch (traditional format, Japanese).
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About change, about change, about change, change about!
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[20] leaves : color ill. "About change (about) explores the possibilities of combining the etching press and letter press."--Colophon. Issued in a plastic binder. The library has copy number 14 of an edition of 25, signed by the artist.
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Measure, Cut, Stitch
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[32] leaves : ill. Cover title. "printed by serigraphy and typography. Edition of 75. This book is number 71"--Colophon. Signed by the artist.
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![[Ho+Go]²=It by Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library](https://digitalcommons.risd.edu/specialcollections_artistsbookscollection_ruthlaxsonarchive/1000/thumbnail.jpg "[Ho+Go]²=It by Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library")
[Ho+Go]²=It
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[36] pages : all color ill. Edition of 500 copies.
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Earth Score: a sound poem
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[45] pages : ill "This book was printed by the artist using serigraphy and letter press. The various type styles were manipulated and hand set. The paper is Warren Patina and black Strathmore Rhododendron."--Colophon. Single signature sewn into paper cover & cardboard spine. "Edition 50, This book is number 46"--Colophon.
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Playfulness Works
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[16] leaves : [8] color illustrations Cover title. Title printed on plastic covers. Alternate leaves are semi-transparencies with text. "The intaglio images and the book text were printed by the artist. The type was hand set in 14 pt. Baskerville italic and printed on Millers Falls onion skin paper. All intaglio images were printed on Murillo paper. Edition 12"--Colophon. "This book is number 7" Signed by the artist.
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Power Poem
Ruth Laxson, Special Collections, and Fleet Library
[16] pages : ill Library has copy no. 92.