| Title | Bloodstone Bhava |
| Artist / Creator | Anita Rankin |
| Place of Publication | Tucson, Arizona |
| Publication Date | 2015 |
| Process / Technique | Inkjet |
| Structure / Binding | Coptic binding |
| Paper Stock | BFK Rives paper |
| Number of Pages | 80 pages |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) | 7 x 5.25 x 1.25 inches closed |
| Edition Size | Edition of 3 |
| Signed & Numbered | Signed and numbered edition |
The spark for Bloodstone Bhava occurred at a gathering of writers when poet CA Conrad gave each of us a piece of bloodstone. I photographed pine needles, an emergency call box, a cocktail glass, sidewalks, human shadows, and rough bloodstones; then mixed them with screen shots of brain cells, chromosomes, fingerprints, braille and Sanskrit letters, genetic codes, DNA sequences, and cardiograms. I wrote and revised the poetic text during the art making process. The resulting artists book refers to similarities and differences that influence and continually shape the diverse meanings we give to our own personal and cultural identities, as well as those of others.
It also encompasses the idea that eventually we will all return to a state of elementary particles, traces of which may be recycled into the likes of rocks and light waves. The word "bhava" means state of mind, continuity of life and death, the arising of living beings in particular forms, and ecstasy.
Artist Bio
Anita Rankin, an interdisciplinary artist born in Los Angeles, currently lives in Tucson. She started out as an oil painter, exhibiting in solo/group shows at galleries, museums, and alternative spaces; teaching art technique and design; then jurying/curating exhibits. After receiving her MA in creative art therapies from Lesley University, Anita practiced as an art and poetry therapist in Boston and Washington DC, teaching in the graduate program at George Washington University while continuing poetry studies at the Writer's Center in Bethesda. Her current digital collages mix original poetic text and photographs with manipulated screen shots and other media. To open up alternative meanings in her artwork, she experiments with disparate visual and verbal imagery that feed off each other during the process of creating a series. Recently, she organized artist's book exhibits at the University of Arizona Special Collections Library and UA Poetry Center.