Posts From Old Journals

  • August 23, 2021 – Meditations on the Buck that Visited Us Each Night

    Written as a part of an email home while working on a tugboat in the Arctic Circle of Northern Alaska. We had an adolescent buck that would visit our backyard each night, and we’d taken… Read more

  • Packing The Wound

    By Ben Leib After the surgery, Mirabelle played nursemaid to me for a few months straight. I’d had a pilonidal cyst removed, which is as revolting as it sounds. The surgery left me with a… Read more

  • The Memoirist’s Christmas

    By Ben Leib Sitting alone at a deserted café, I’d convinced myself that I love Christmas. It’s a Jewish reprieve, became my mantra. Not being a family holiday for me, I was almost forced to… Read more

  • The Staging Ground

    By Ben Leib When I went out to check my laundry and found that somebody had taken my wet clothes out of the washer and set them atop the drier, I was enraged to the… Read more

  • Eliza’s Body as Sacrament of the Grace I Sunk From

    By Ben Leib “It’s for you.”  Elaine said. I was midway through my Thursday swing shift at the Nickelodeon Theater, and wasn’t sure who’d be calling me at work.  . I took the phone.  “Hello.”… Read more

  • Engine Room Mural: Ocean Giant

    This stencil mural was spray painted onto the bulkhead of the Ocean Giant’s Engine Room. Photos record the process and final result. The image is approximately 2 1/2′ by 3′. The ship tends to make… Read more

  • Ocean Giant

    “Ocean Giant” is a single plate printed on Navigational Charts as well as Wanderings Handmade White Deckle Edge Blank Paper. These charts were used in the navigation of the Ocean Giant, SeaCor’s heavy lift ship.… Read more

  • St. Christopher

    “St. Christopher” used five plates printed onto navigational charts. These charts were used in navigation of Foss tugboats. St. Christopher is the patron saint of travelers and sailors. He was a giant who offered to… Read more

  • Red Dog, AK

    “Red Dog, AK” is a cyanotype printed onto drafting vellum and Canson Watercolor paper. It was a small run and inspired by the tug boat work I did at Red Dog Mine. I hope to… Read more

  • Still Life Of Anniversary Bouquet

    “Still Life Of Anniversary Bouquet” is six plates printed onto BFK Rives Printmaking Paper, White, 300 GSM. It was made using a home made printing press. This was a run of 70 prints and they… Read more

  • House With Columns

    “House With Columns” is a cyanotype print of my wife taken on Mare Island, Vallejo, California.  It was made on Canson Watercolor paper, Clearprint Drafting Velllum, and Arches Platine Paper, and developed using a lightbox… Read more