Artwork of Diane Elizabeth Caudillo

Serious Whimsy and Spirit in Book Arts

Greetings! I'm Diane Caudillo, and I make artist books, broadsides, greeting cards and prints, under the imprint of Polydactyl Press. I also make mixed-media paintings and assemblages. Under the name of Fleur de Lune, you'll find my line of fine beaded and sterling silver jewelry. Flower of the Moon used to be my press name, but now it's the umbrella name for my business. As you can see, I like to wear a lot of hats. (In fact, I've got a great collection!)

First, a word about Book Arts: many people new to Book Arts wonder what is meant by the term artist book. Artist Books provide an ideal way of using mixed media and text to create interactive art pieces in the form of books. As with animation, books engage the dimension of time in the unfolding and presentation of the artist's design, only books are slower. Book artists constantly investigate the «bookness» of objects, and push the boundaries of what books can be. Structure and content dance together to bring the audience into relationship with the ideas contained in the book.

Throughout my work you'll find evidence of my interests in spirituality, human nature, the natural world and words. Vintage engravings, maps, visual textures and patterning captivate me, so you'll often see these elements in my work. I want to delight your senses while engaging your imagination as you view and handle my artwork.

Printing methods include letterpress, linoleum, hand-carved and collected rubber stamps, photocopy and silkscreen. You'll find water-based painting and drawing media; sewing, fabric, beads and other embellishments. I love suminigashi marbling and paste-grain paper decoration, and for some projects, my fabulous and ever-expanding collection of decorative papers fills the need. Books may contain computer-generated text or imagery, and often exhibit intensive hand-applied details.

People take pleasure in the fine craftsmanship of the work that carries the Polydactyl Press imprint. Wherever possible, practical and appropriate, I employ acid-free and/or archival methods and materials.

I hope my wordy introduction will inspire you to explore my website. I'm still developing the site, so please don't mind the thin patches. More will be added all the time. I aim to provide a website full of interesting information, links to other fabulous resources, and of course, a place for you to view and buy my work. Enjoy!