· The Paper Garden, An Artist Begins Her Life Work at 72, by Molly Peacock (ff). Arthur Moore recommended this book to me. We all remember Molly as a poet (and a teacher who knew how to home in on children’s learning needs). The Paper Garden is a biography, art book and memoir rolled into one. This book tells the story of Mary Delany (1700-1788), who invented a delicate collage style by which she depicted with precision and botanical accuracy about a thousand different flowers. In addition to Molly’s poetic descriptions of these works, she delves into the life of this late-blooming artist, gives us insight into the research process involved in bringing this material to light, and then tells us her own somewhat parallel life story (including her time at Friends.)
