Quatre Fois Son Portrait dans les Etats-Unis d'Amerique. Four Portraits of Him in the United States. Bi-lingual edition with English translation by Joshua Watsky. Poem by James Sacre, Original Painting by Julius Baltazar

Stonington, CT: Wequetequock Cove Editions, 2012. Artist's book, one of 30 copies with text printed on Velin d'Arche, the original watercolor that is the frontispiece is on Sekishu Japan paper, as are the four copperplate engravings, all copies signed by the artist, the author, and his translator, Joshua Watsky, who is also the publisher. Page size: 12.8 x 9.8 x 1/2 inches; 32pp. Bound: loose as issued by the publisher in hand water-colored Arches wrappers by Baltazar, sky blue ground with white negative space, lighter and darker blue and mauve lines extending horizontally across the wrappers, title printed in black letterpress on front panel and on spine, housed in custom-made black cloth clamshell box with white label printed in black with title, author, artist, and translator. There are 8 gatherings of 4 pages each of this bi-lingual edition. The text is set in 12pt. Helvetica by Francois Huin and printed letterpress. The 4 copperplate etchings were editioned at Atelier Alain Piroir in Montreal. The etchings are hand water-colored and highlighted with colored pencil.
Julius Baltazar (1949-) is a noted French painter and printmaker, who has worked with major poets and writers to create livres d'artistes of the highest quality. In the early part of his career, he was championed by Dali and the resulting influence of surrealism can be seen in his work where words and image create images of haunting beauty. This is a series of 4 poems by James Sacre, the French text appearing on the recto opposite the colored etching and Joshua Watsky's sympathetic English translation on the verso.
James Sacre (1939-), noted French poet, was born in the Vendee and, after traveling extensively (US, Italy, Tunisia and Morocco) now lives in Montpellier. He taught at Smith College from 1972 to 2001 and remains the Doris Silbert Professor Emeritus in the Humanities. His verse has a keen sense of place, as evidenced here in these four pieces inspired by a trip through New Mexico and Arizona and Death Valley, CA in 2009. The rural landscapes are compared to the Vendee of his childhood as he conjures up a conversation with his father, reminiscences and subsequent musings on man's relationship to the land. Baltazar's colorful and capacious etchings are suited to the "big sky" of the western US yet intimate enough to perfectly embody these personal reflections of the poet. Joshua Watsky, American teacher, translator and poet, is the publisher as well as translator of this livre d'artiste. This is a lovely book, an important bi-lingual text, confirming the universality of sympathies regarding land and family.