Gardner Smith & Robert Reitz

The Sun and Shadow Press

A Series of Haiku sketchtrips across the Southwest.

by Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz

 

Beginning in 1990 through the collaborative efforts of Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz, the Sun and Shadow Press has issued several hand-made books that combine southwestern history, travel narrative, and haiku poetry.

 

Smith and Reitz have said, “Our books were the result of week-long camping trips to west Texas, New Mexico, and northern Arizona. We always made cowboy coffee in the mornings with coffee grounds just thrown on top of the boiling water.”

 

In the beginning, Sun and Shadow produced simple fold and staple pamphlets. Later the books became string-bound with decorative covers and end papers. Smith and Reitz used handmade marble papers for covers and eventually began incorporating color photographs.

Smith and Reitz are influenced by Dallas painter Frank Reaugh (1860-1945) and they have spent twenty-plus years researching the locations where he took his students on art lesson sketching trips to west Texas and beyond.

 

The name Sun and Shadow comes from the gravestone of Comanche Indian Chief Quanah Parker.

 

Smith and Reitz have made several donations to the Wittliff Collections, consisting of inscribed copies of their books, photographs, articles, and other material associated with producing their books. Also included is a coffee pot they used to make their cowboy coffee. An inventory of the collection is below:

 

 

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Accession # 1992-074

 

Article about the Rob Reitz and Gardner Smith trip down the Brazos, which they made in honor of John Graves’ original journey down that same river.

 

1.  June 18, 1992.  Letter to Dick Holland from Bob Reitz.  One page on Sun and Shadows Press letterhead.

           

2.  “Poets’ shared quests, renewed friendship speak volumes” by Victoria Loe. Article reprinted from The Dallas Morning News, Friday, May 22, 1992.  Three pages. 

 

3.  “Poets’ shared quests, renewed friendship speak volumes” by Victoria Loe.  The Dallas Morning News.  Friday, May 22, 1992.  Pages 1A and 8A. Entire section. 

 

4.  Business card for The Sun and Shadow Press. 

 

 

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Accession 2012-073

 

Material related to the writing projects of Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith. This collection contains notes, pictures, correspondence, multiple pamphlets, books, and a campfire coffee maker used to make “cowboy coffee.”

 

Box 1497 (1 of 1)

 

1497/1 Notes, pictures, correspondence, and pamphlets

 

1497/2 “Gardner’s Letters”

 

1497/3 Gardner correspondence

 

1497/4 Two issues of Big Bend Quarterly, Spring 1995 and Fall 1996

 

1497/5 Pamphlets published by Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith

 

1497/6-8 Pamphlets of poems by Gardner Smith

 

1497/9 Pamphlets of poems by others

 

Artifact: The campfire coffee maker used by Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz to make “cowboy coffee” on their numerous “sketch trips” across Texas and the southwest.

 

Books received as part of this donation:

 

Famous Texas Scenes: Haiku Postcards from Studio Los Madrugadores, 1992 [string-bound]

 

Reitz, Robert and Gardner Smith. Cave of the Masks, 1992 [string-bound]

 

Reitz, Robert and Gardner Smith. The Land Will Stay, 1995 [string-bound]

 

Reitz, Robert and Gardner Smith. Western Habits, 1995 [string-bound]

 

Smith, Gardner. An Affection for Dogs, 1996 [laid in item, string-bound]

 

Smith, Gardner and Robert Reitz. The Cruise of the Red Turtle: A Brazos River Sketchbook, 2010 [string-bound]

 

Smith, Gardner. The Dharma Trail, 1995 [signed, string-bound]

 

Smith, Gardner. Heaven’s Television: On the Art of Poetry, 1992 [string-bound]

 

Smith, Gardner and Robert Reitz. Strong Enough to Stand Alone: The Art of Coffee, 1992 [string-bound]

 

 

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More Books by Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz at the Wittliff Collections

(donated by the authors)

 

The cruise of the Red Turtle : a Brazos River sketchbook / Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 2010

 

Wide open spaces : a Frank Reaugh sketch trip in the 21st century / Gardner Smith, Robert Reitz. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 2007. 1st ed.

 

A quiet and peaceable life / Gardner Smith, Robert Reitz ; illustrated with line drawings. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, [2006] [16th ed.]

 

Absent friend : a Frank Reaugh letterbook from the Paris years / edited by Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 2006. 1st ed.

 

From under a mesquite tree : an artist's life on the Texas Plains / by Frank Reaugh ; as told to Lucretia Donnnell between 1937 and 1940 ; edited by Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, [2005] [1st ed.].

 

Winged clouds and cobalt skies : the 1930s Frank Reaugh sketch trip diaires of Lucretia Donnell / edited by Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 2005. 1st ed.

 

Sunset time in Texas : the last roundup / Gardner Smith, Betty Heath, Robert Reitz. Stephenville, Tex. : Moccasin Rock Press, 2004. 2nd ed.

 

A sketch in time : a young girl's diary of the 1920 Frank Reaugh sketch trip to the Grand Canyon / Virginia Goerner ; edited by Virginia Howard ; with an essay on Frank Reaugh by Elizabeth Skidmore Sasser ; and notes by Gardner Smith ; also includes the diary of the 1921 sketch trip, edited by Gardner Smith. Stephenville, Tex. : Moccasin Rock Press, 2003. 1st ed.

 

Miss Hallie's walking stick : a remembrance of Hallie Stillwell (1897-1997) / by the authors of Big solitude, Western habits, and Thunder in the Chisos. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press : Studio Los Madrugadores, 1997. 1st ed.

 

The cruise of the Red Turtle : a Brazos River sketchbook / by Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 1997. 16th ed.

 

Big solitude / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1997. 14th ed.

 

The cruise of the Red Turtle : a Brazos River sketchbook / by Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 1997. 15th ed.

 

The topside of creation / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1997. 2nd ed.

 

Canyons within canyons / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1997. 2nd ed.

 

Island Chisos / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1997. 2nd ed.

 

An affection for dogs / Gardner Smith. Glen Echo, Md. : Lock Seven Books, [c1987-1996] [21th ed.].

 

Dogs' favorite shady place. Glen Echo, Md. : Lock Seven Books, [c1987-1996] [21th ed.].

 

Hill Country sketchbook / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1996.

 

Aunt Jane of the plains / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press : Studio Los Madrugadores, 1996. Limited ed.

 

Western habits / Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press : Published in conjunction with Studio Los Madrugadores, c1994-1995.

 

The land will stay : a sketchbook of the Panhandle-Plains / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press : Published in conjunction with Studio Los Madrugadores, c1995

 

The Dharma trail : a little book of travel / Gardner Smith. Glen Echo, Md. : Lock Seven Books, c1995. 15th ed.

 

Thunder in the Chisos / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1993. 12th ed.

 

Western habits / Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1993.

 

The old lava flow / Robert Reitz, Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, c1993.

 

Cave of the masks : and other stories from Hueco Rocks / Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 1992, [2nd ed.].

 

Heaven's television : on the art of poetry / by Gardner Smith. Glen Echo, Md. : Lock Seven Books, 1992. [6th ed.].

 

Famous Texas scenes : postcards from Studio Los Madrugadores.

Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, [c1992]

 

Strong enough to stand alone : the art of coffee / by Gardner Smith and Robert Reitz.

Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, [1992] [1st ed.].

 

The cruise of the Red Turtle : four days on the Brazos River, or, The boat who would not go straight / Robert Reitz and Gardner Smith. Oak Cliff, Tex. : Sun and Shadow Press, 1992. 3rd ed.