The Walk by Valerie Carrigan

Wanting to spend more time with my daughter last year, we began walking to school. Along these walks, we stopped to observe many things, but it was the milkweed that most captured our attention. We watched the plant change color and texture with each new day as my daughter waited patiently for the pods to open. Without knowing it at the time, these shared experiences evolved into an elaborate plan for a limited edition artist book. Simultaneously, I came across an obscure piece of writing from the private journal of Henri-Frederic Amiel, a nineteenth century Swiss philosopher. This writing, coupled with my own personal narrative about walking with my daughter, became the inspiration for this project.