Book of Small Regrets

all your woes in one place
By T. Ellen Sollod
Seattle, Washington: Grey Zone Press, 2022. Edition of 50 + APs.
6.25 x 5.25"; 136 french-fold pages. Digitally printed on Mohawk Superfine by Girlie Press. Includes hand drawn and water color images, photographs and text. Free end page and paste done with “small regrets” printed in multiple lines in white over blue paper. Hard case bound in black linen with a metallic foil stamp on the front cover and spine. Binding by Phil's Custom Bindery. Illustrations, photography, writing and design by T. Ellen Sollod. Signed and numbered by the artist.
Book statement: "The Book of Small Regrets was conceived in response to the forced isolation of COVID when even small missteps could seem catastrophic. As an antidote, Ellen decided to create this artist book to help vanquish these little black clouds that immediately overwhelm, then linger and fade, only to be replaced by another when one least expects it.
“Like getting over anything, admitting your regrets is the first step to recovery. Naturally, Ellen wanted others to be able to be rid of theirs too. So, she reached out through Instagram and Mail Chimp to over 400 people, asking them to contribute their own small regrets (to be presented anonymously) as a way to ‘unburden themselves’ as part of the generative process of making the work. Later she solicited impulse purchases made and comfort foods eaten during the pandemic.
“The responses served as prompts for Ellen’s watercolor paintings, photographs and text, embracing irony, humor and generosity. Neither a literary work nor a graphic novel, it is a sequential visual experience, creating an empathetic and heartfelt journey through these small difficulties we all encounter.”
Ellen Sollod, Introduction, Disclaimer: “This book deals exclusively with the concept of small regrets. Big regrets stemming from large offenses such as participating in an insurrection, embezzling funds or cheating on one’s spouse are beyond the scope of this book. This book offers no magic cures or get-rich-quick schemes. Just the comfort of knowing you are not alone in your own small regrets. It is the spirit of ‘misery loves company; that I share this with you.”