WASP LOVE

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Board book with 11 folios, 5 pop-ups, and 5 mini books. Printmaking techniques and materials for this project include: letterpress handset metal and wood type, polymer plates, reduction woodblocks, wood engravings, eco printing, lithography, photogravure etching, monoprint, stitching, collage, beading, gauche, ceramic hand-built wasp, glass petri dish, pencil hand coloring, beech wood frames, and book cloth.

by Diane Jacobs & Kate Taormina, Scantron Press, edition of 16
9" x 9" x 3.5" closed

2026

WASP LOVE is an artist book that bursts with imagery and wonderment, delving into the complex world of the insect order Hymenoptera. The board book is made up of 11 folios. Each page magnifies a different aspect of this diverse species. The structure houses five unique pop-ups, five mini booklets, beaded antennae, folded aphid, and moveable lady bug. Diane’s fascination with wasps began through a friendship. Kate’s love affair with wasps started fifteen years ago. This collaboration between artist Diane Jacobs and naturalist Kate Taormina brings knowledge driven by curiosity into storytelling through creative discovery. Both are passionate and hold a lifelong commitment to educating and coexisting with these industrious invertebrates. They wish to transform people’s fear and angst of wasps into reverence and fascination to build a better world.