50 (+1 for good luck) Giraffes by Jason Polan

Please note: The 11"x14" prints are hand-pulled silkscreens, black ink on white paper. There are some slight, natural variations from print to print. The 20"x15" pieces are unique, original, works in color. Each was drawn and watercolored by hand and vary.

Good morning collectors! It's Sara, so, so SO pleased to bring you a sweet, hand-made, can't-really-call-it-an-edition edition by our beloved Jason Polan. As he's known to do, Jason's gone and broken all the rules. 50 (+1 for good luck) Giraffes comprises silkscreens—an edition of 250 hand-pulled prints, 11"x14", for $50—and a series of original works—10, 20"x15", watercolor and ink drawings. There's also a super-special, very-limited edition of one that includes both a silkscreen and a painting, plus all the tools used to create them—the screen, the squeegee and the brush. The good stuff doesn't end there: in addition to the signed and numbered certificate that accompanies every 20x200 print, Jason's signed each work in this edition, on the back, in pencil. There aren't many 50+1s available and I suspect the demand will exceed the supply, so get your hands on these quick.

Printmaking fan I am, it's not the tactile nature of 50 (+1 for good luck) Giraffes that has me so excited. It's the gaggle of ganglers that Jason's wrangled up in every one of these works—giraffes! Most likely best-known for his endearingly ambitious project, Every Person In New York—which we featured way back when—Jason's turned his pen away from humankind to capture instead these favored beasts. We all know about Jen's affection for the fuzzy, feathered and/or four-legged; she's also noted my stoic resistance to all the fluff. But there's something so charming and disarming about Mr. Polan's depiction of these African even-toed ungulates, that even I can't deny.*

The truth is, these half-elegant, half-gawky, ancient creatures remind me of my nearest and dearest little sister, Katie. Though she's twenty-eight years of age, I still call her Kiddo. It's a term of such endearment, I can't say or write it without it bringing a smile to my face. She's tall and lovely, freckled and blue-eyed, with a crown of strawberry curls. Competitive as siblings often are, for years I've attributed that mass of hair to her appearing slightly taller than I, and maintain we're both an even 5 feet 10. Height aside, I think the real reason these sweet animals make me think of my only sister is this: despite their unassuming innocence, giraffes have roamed this earth for eons—they're considerably older and wiser than most creatures and surely know something that I don't. And, as much as I hate to admit it, all grown-up as she is now, my little sister probably does too.

I'll leave you with one secret bit of knowledge for you to savor: tomorrow Jen will introduce an *amazing* edition by the inimitable artist and designer, Paula Scher.

* And I'm not alone—Jen's ploys are working—she's turning us all to mush! In this morning's team meeting, one of our most reserved, fearless leaders sheepishly confessed his love for yesterday's Lovebirds.