Month: May 2012

As fellow exhibitors can probably attest to, I didn’t get a whole heck of a lot of time to wander around. When I did I was sure to keep my camera with me. Here are a few of my favorite pictures while exploring the “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” hall. The captions for each picture falls below them.

Before the doors opened to the public on Sunday, I heard an announcement encouraging all of the artists to gather for a group picture. I quickly attached my Canon EF 15mm f2.8 fisheye lens to my camera and skipped over to the main stage hoping for a good picture opportunity. I arrived to see a mass of artists fused together. I set my finger on the camera shutter button as if I was trying to redline the device. It was a special moment. Click on the image for a 20” wide version of this picture.

Shortly after, Dwight and Swain (top row, third and fifth from the left) of Sidebar (sidebarnation.com) gathered the artists present who have been interviewed on their podcast in the past.

Our host, Mr. Arnie Fenner (left–and still standing at the three-day mark), co-organizer Jim Fallone (center) and James Gurney (the recently crowned Grand Master Award recipient for 2012) mingle before getting back to business after the photo session. I think a caption contest is necessary to guess what Arnie is thinking about here.

From left to right: Arnie Fenner, me, James Gurney and Petar Meseldzija. All I can say is what terrific guys these three are.

From left to right: James Gurney, Petar Meseldzija and Jean-Baptiste Monge. Jean-Baptiste won two well-deserved Spectrum awards the previous night; a silver award in the Book category and a gold award in Editorial.

Here’s Craig Elliott at his booth. He was set up a short distance from us. Craig had prints, original art and his new The Art of Craig Elliott book that I published on display.

Daren Bader (left) with Petar Meseldzija. These two were having a serious discussion. I walked up, took five pictures from different angles and walked away—all without them paying me any attention.

Craig Elliott (left) posing with Brom (right). Craig was visiting his booth to pick up his original Brom pencil drawing. Artists can be fans, too.

Gregory Manchess at his booth. In my opinion, Greg is one of the greatest living illustrators/painters—period. The raw power in his works is testament to the devotion he has given to his craft.

Jim & Ruth Keegan are a husband and wife team of artists, colorists and designers. They are also two good friends who have supported me since the beginning of my publishing efforts.

The “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” organizers erected stand up displays around the event entrance featuring the art and a quote from a past Grand Master Award recipient who has since passed. Here Mark Schultz stands next to the dedication devoted to his sorely missed friend, Al Williamson.

Kansas City has a majestic display of buildings all throughout the downtown area. How would you like to have to walk down that fire escape? If I had more time I would have taken some more architectural pictures. Next year I’ll get the chance.

There are many the fine manhole covers in Kansas City as well. This is for you, Denise. (OK, yes, I admit this is an inside joke that only certain people will get.)

A final Part 5 of this blog series is coming soon!

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
text and photos copyright 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Links:
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! commemorative book
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! official website

On Saturday May 16 from 2:30-4:00 we hosted the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! commemorative art book signing with the five special guests of the show at our Flesk booth. Sitting at the table in these pictures, from left to right, is Mike Mignola, Iain McCaig, Brom, Phil Hale and Android Jones.

The line was already growing at 2:10 and by 2:30 people were snaked around our 400 sq. foot booth, and then it continued across the aisle and down the convention hall wall. This amounted to a 70-80’ line. The hour-and-a-half allotted for the signing turned out to be just the perfect amount of time to satisfy everyone who wanted a signature. The people in line were very patient and brought a positive vibe to the signing.

This was the only opportunity during the show to see all five guests together in one place. We had a blast. It really was a lot of fun for all of us. I would like to thank the artists for taking the time to spend with the attendees in this group setting.

The “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” guests; a powerhouse of artists, all of whom are humble and generous to their fans.

One fan brought a sketchbook and requested that each artist provide a mini-sketch, of which each of them was happy to oblige. Here, Android provides the final entry.

Brom looks as cool as he actually is. Phil Hale is being passed a copy of the Spectrum annual to sign. Many artists that have appeared in Spectrum were exhibiting at the show. It was common to see a copy of the latest annual with multiple post-it notes poking out from in-between its pages marking where each artist appears. Collectors were obtaining signatures of as many people as they could.

Mike Mignola signing a Hellboy print.

Here’s a rare picture of Iain McCaig not smiling. This is a tough shot to get as he is usually beaming!

Android Jones (at right) looking very relaxed for someone who just a few hours later was performing live at the “Spectrum” awards ceremony at the Midland Theater. Right after this signing he went straight to rehearsal.

The mood remained playful during the hour-and-a-half signing.

Looking over the shoulders of giants as they sign the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! art book. We start with Mignola.

Iain McCaig.

Brom.

Phil Hale was signing and providing a remark in every book. This was generous of him.

Android providing the exclamation point as fans receive the final signature.

The artists are in the front with (from left to right) James Walker, Mark Schultz and myself behind them. James and I have been friends for nearly twenty years. He is among a small handful of my most trusted and loyal friends. We spent ten years prior to my starting Flesk in 2002 helping friends at their booths and running around together at conventions. Neither of us would ever have suspected that we would have been hosting an event such as this ten years ago, or even five years ago. We agreed this was a special moment and not something to take for granted.

Another guest group shot.

I’ve mentioned this before but it is worth repeating. Mike is very warm with his fans. It’s nice to see someone who has received so much fame to remain grounded.

There’s the typical Iain I know. He is not afraid to show his enthusiasm for life and art in public.

Phil Hale makes a rare public appearance in the U.S. He flew in from the U.K. for the show. Android is at right.

Android Jones. This is probably my favorite picture of this batch. It’s a great natural grab-shot.

Thanks again to Mike, Iain, Brom, Phil and Android for being so gracious with their time and for hanging at our Flesk booth for the signing.

Part 4 of this series, which will come in the next day or two, will include more “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” pictures and commentary as I walked around the show.

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
text and photos copyright 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Links:
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! commemorative book
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! official website

The inaugural “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” event opened the doors to the public at 3:00pm on Friday, May 18. The artists at our Flesk booth included William Stout, Mark Schultz, Petar Meseldzija, Mike Mignola, Gary Gianni (on Saturday and Sunday) and Android Jones (on Friday and Saturday). The nice thing about this show was how throughout the three days we had a steady influx of people at our booth. We were never bored as there were typically two to four people in line for the majority of artists. This allowed for personal discussions without anyone feeling rushed. It was a good pace.

Here’s a batch of photographs around our Flesk booth, most of which were taken about an hour or two after the doors opened on that first day. The pictures of Gianni were taken on Saturday.

Here is William Stout talking with an attendee. The original art in front of him is featured within his book Inspirations.

Petar Meseldzija poses with a few of his original paintings and books. Petar flew all the way in from The Netherlands.

Mike Mignola interacts with a fan.

Craig Elliott hangs out at our booth during the Flesk Prime book signing on Saturday.

Gary Gianni went straight to work when he arrived on Saturday around noon. Here he is providing a sketch in a recently purchased book featuring his work.

William Stout also provided sketches for some lucky fans.

Mark Schultz engages with someone while Randy Dahlk helps with book sales and questions.

Mr. Schultz poses for the camera.

This is a nice group shot showing the activity that first day. Mignola, Gianni and Schultz stayed busy until closing time.

This is me being interviewed for Scifi4me.com. They had some questions about the show book featuring the five guests I put together. Besides screwing up and naming Iain McCaig twice and leaving out Android Jones when naming the five artists, I think the rest went as well as it could for it being my first camera interview. (I’ve been avoiding live interviews for 10 years.)

Here I am during the same interview. Jonathan Leveck ran out with my camera and got some shots while we were talking. The “Crowbot” banner artwork is by Jon Foster and welcomed people as they would walk inside.

Another booth group shot. There’s our friend Jim Keegan sporting the beard and jacket. In front are the cool show official t-shirts we were selling. The art is by Ragnar.

Jonathan ran around with my camera and got this grab shot of me. It’s nice to see. After ten years of shows I finally got a few pictures of myself. I typically take all the pictures and don’t have many of myself. I prefer being behind the lens. Behind me is our new updated logo that Randy designed.

Mike Mignola stayed busy each day. He gives a lot of friendly personal attention to each fan.

A lucky collector gets a personalize sketch and autograph by Mignola.

Gianni draws in another book.

I walked over to Jim Gurney’s booth to say hello. When I got there his wife told me he went over to my booth to do the same. I returned to find him talking with Petar Meseldzija (left) and William Stout (right). This is quite the trio of painters who are masters at using the traditional approach.

Jonathan Leveck and James Walker working (or playing) at the booth. They always remember to have fun along the way. That’s fine by me.

Randall Dahlk holds steady his end of the booth. Randy is a good friend and has designed at least half of our Flesk books.

Part 3 of this series which will include more “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” pictures and commentary is coming soon.

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
text and photos copyright 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Links:
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! commemorative book
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! official website

This is the first post of a series detailing our three days exhibiting at the “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live!” event in Kansas City, Missouri. The show ran from May 18-20. I have far too much to share to try and cram my whole experience into a single post.

First of all, I would like to congratulate Arnie and Cathy Fenner on an exceptional show and thank them, their crew and volunteers for making us feel welcome and making for a smooth event. They pulled off an extraordinary feat in banding us all together. I will write much more about the show but, for now let me take you on a tour of our booth.

This series of pictures takes you around the Flesk booth about two hours before the show started. We had four booth’s made up into a 20’ x 20’ island. This is the first time I had a space of this size to work with. I did not make concrete plans concerning the booth arrangement prior to the event. I had some ideas but nothing was welded in place. My preference was to show up with my crew, see what we were dealing with, and then build our space. I liked the idea of not over-thinking our spot and letting it organically take shape.
This first picture shows James Walker II behind the booth and Jonathan Leveck in front. Our pal, Randall Dahlk, is sitting behind James. The area James is facing projects right into the main doors as people enter the show. We had the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! show book and t-shirt’s there. Android Jones was on the right corner and Mike Mignola on the left, with Gary Gianni next to Mike.

Here James is prepping Mark Schultz’s space.

Coming around the corner we had copies of all of our Flesk titles in print for people to peruse.

Here’s William Stout’s section with his books. Later he had original artwork on display.

As we approach the final stretch, Petar Meseldzija brought seven paintings with him from The Netherlands, five of which can be seen on the wall behind him. The work at the bottom center is a giclee print. The two smaller pieces were placed on the easels a few hours later. Then the empty space on the corner brings us back to where Android sat with his prints.

The next post is coming soon as I continue this visual tour of our show!

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
text and photos copyright 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Links:
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! commemorative book
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! official website

With the inaugural Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! event happening in just a few weeks I thought it time to share not only how exceptional I feel this show will be, but also some of what will be going on at our Flesk booth. But first, a few words about the show itself and the artists that will be there.

SFAL! is conceived and organized by Cathy and Arnie Fenner, who are also the directors behind the highly popular annual, Spectrum: The Best in Contemporary Fantastic Art. The idea behind their show is one that is artist friendly regardless of style, genre or types and that is accessible to everyone. With this in mind they have been planning and organizing this new event for a number of years, the culmination of which will become a reality for three days, running from May 18-20 at the Bartle Hall Grand Ballroom in Kansas City, Missouri.

The show will feature over 200 art exhibitors. This includes the five event guests; Brom, Phil Hale, Android Jones, Mike Mignola and Ian McCaig. Some of the artists that will be exhibiting include Donato Giancola, Michael Whelan, Shelly Wan (at Eidolon Fine Arts), Charles Vess, Ragnar, Jim & Ruth Keegan, Jon Foster, Greg Manchess, Scott Gustafson, our friends at Bud Plant Books, Stuart Ng Books and Baby Tattoo books, plus many more.

As for our Flesk space, we will have four booths arranged as an island at the show. This 20’ x 20’ area will host a group of heavy hitters in the art world: Mark Schultz, William Stout, Petar Meseldzija and Gary Gianni. Gary will be at the show on Saturday and Sunday only. Joining us will be special guests, Mike Mignola and Android Jones. Android will be at the booth on Friday and Saturday. Original artwork, prints and books will be available. Petar is shipping in a few new large paintings that you will want to stop by and see.

Craig Elliott will join Gianni, Stout, Schultz and Meseldzija for one hour on Saturday and Sunday during our “Flesk Prime” book signing at the Flesk booth. These are the five participants in our Flesk Prime book. This is the first U.S. opportunity to have all five artists sign the book at a single venue. (Check back later for times.)
On Saturday we will have our one and only Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! commemorative event art book signing. This is the official show book featuring the five show guests. It is published by Flesk with the authorization of Cathy and Arnie Fenner. For an hour-and-a-half attendees will have the opportunity to have the book signed by all five artists, Brom, Hale, Android, Mignola and McCaig. Phil Hale does not have a booth at the show. This is a rare scheduled appearance to meet him. (Check back later for the exact time.)

We’ll have a selection of all of our Flesk books. Titles on the aforementioned creators, plus our collections on Harvey Dunn, Jim Silke, Terry Dodson, James Bama, Bruce Timm, and Al Williamson will be on hand. Come grab our free catalog, too.

Keep checking back for more information as the show approaches. I’ll have a few more things to share soon.

I look forward to seeing you all there.

Enjoy,

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications
text and photos copyright 2012 John Fleskes. All rights reserved.

Links:
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! commemorative book
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live! official website