ironwood

“A common name for the wood of various trees and shrubs with density greater than that of water.”

via Wikipedia (p.s. give them money please, i love them)

I recently purchased two beautiful limited poster prints from Mystery School Comics group by (surprise) Becky Cloonan. Created in honor of her reverence for Marketa Lazarova.

While back in my hometown for a brief escape I turned some ironwood plank into frames ~ the planks were generously donated by my father. If I were to guess which variety of ironwood, I’d lean toward one of the ‘red’ varieties. Maybe Ochna Holstii.

The frames are HEAVY. Here are the finished pieces:

I did not realize until embarking upon this project that ironwood is a general term, not a specific plant, applied to any wood that will sink in water. For an at random ironwood check out Peter Dipoli’s Sauvignon Blanc from Alto Adige, aged in Acacia which is one of the ironwoods.

Aside from seeing it in the Criterion scroll, I knew nothing about Marketa Lazarova until Becky’s pieces appeared on her instagram feed and the MSCG store. After making the purchase, I watched the film which is beautiful, brutal, and harrowing. I wouldn’t miss it and I also wouldn’t watch it lightly. I think Becky’s tagline was something along the lines of ~ ‘arguably the most accurate portrayal of medieval existence ever produced.’

You’ve heard, read, etc, me mention Mystery School on repeat at this point and I will continue to. I delight in everything Becky, Michael, and friends produce.

Record currently on the turntable ~ Dummy by Portishead

Book currently in hand ~ White Teeth by Zadie Smith

Most recent film ~ The Villainess from Jung Byung-gil