Note to our visitors:

Because of the unprecedented interest in this book cover, we thought we should let our readers know why this is an innovation in art. According to Katherine Yurica, who created the cover, it represents "a new vision of old art . That is, if Richard Pettibone's work gives us a taste of what creativity in art means, then he opens the door for all artists to recreate old art into modern images." Here Yurica uses two images from Botticelli's La Primavera, which unlike Pettibone, she did not repaint for this work (she has made a new work from the old see below]; however she recreated and united the images electronically. There is one other innovation in this work: the figure of Flora was reversed electronically.

Nevertheless, the result of Yurica's work is a new image, which the old masters never dreamed of doing! The question is: "Is it art?" Yurica says, "It is art because it meets the requirements that a true work of art causes the viewer to see something from a 'different angle'; it reveals a truth of nature that no one has seen before and it is both abstract and representational. Although the art on this cover is also an illustration of the poetry in Barbara Kaplan's book, it makes a statement apart from the book: It is a statement of man's nature. It reveals a psychological picture of the unconscious mind." For more on Yurica's theory on how an artist sees, read her essay, "Through the Looking Glass: The Next Step in Art?" See Yurica's drawing of the figure and the changes she made from the original.

 

 

“Honey and Brine is that rare and needed treasure—a collection of the poetry and music of experience comprehended. The ‘brine’ haunts and hurts, with toothlike edges. The ‘honey’ is smooth and sweet to the senses, powerful and hopeful. Kaplan’s poetry are stories meant to be told in different voices. She has reached the crystal center of the soul.”

—Bobette Perrone, author of Medicine Women,
Curanderas and Women Doctors

 

“Here are poems which speak of the rich gatherings of a lifetime: wise aphorisms yielded by exact observation; rare empathy that understands and cares. There’s a witty playfulness, a delicate lightness that lifts—all graced by a voice skilled in technical mastery. Barbara Kaplan’s generous poems are a gift of pleasure and light.”

 

—Nancy King, Educator Emeritus

 

“Barbara Kaplan’s poetry shows a rare ability to identify with the people of the whole world. I, who am very old, find particular pleasure in her poems on aging.”

 

—Dorothy Ray Healey, Pacifica Radio Commentator

 

“Reflecting the insights on the ambiguity, complexity, and poignancy of human relationships, honed against the backdrop of the twentieth century, this satisfying collection of poems is emotionally moving and leaves the reader wiser and richer.”

 

—Dorothy Fleisher, Ph.D.

 

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