Lettercloud—along with A Trophy, and Spotted Cow—test how the preparation of parchment affects dye penetration. Before turning them into palimpsests, I used the three pieces to test how preparation affects dye penetration. I chose large calfskins and used the same tiny amount of brick-red dye on bleached and unbleached skin, then raw skin and rehydrated parchment. My findings are varied and serve more as aesthetic launchpads than conclusive data points.

Lettercloud is part of Madison’s MFA thesis exhibition, Glimpsing Mirrors. The work is about internal dialogue, isolation, and loneliness.