Warren Chang will be giving a lecture at the Monterey Peninsula College this Wednesday from 1:30 to 2:30 PM. I will be in attendance and there will be a book signing immediately after his talk. See a little further below for the full details.
Also, the new issue of International Artist magazine (#90) features a book review of Narrative Paintings. The writer of the article, Matthew Innis, has posted the review on his Underpaintings blog. Check out the links at bottom to learn more.
Lecture Details:
GENTRAIN SOCIETY PRESENT A LECTURE BY WARREN CHANG
LEARNING FROM THE PAST TO PAINT IN THE PRESENT
MARCH 20TH, 1:30PM-2:30PM
MONTEREY PENINSULA COLLEGE: LECTURE FORUM LF 103
980 Fremont St, Monterey, Ca 93940
Warren Chang will be giving a lecture and slide presentation of his work pertaining to the Old Masters. Perhaps best known for his paintings of the field workers of Monterey County where he grew up, his lecture will focus on the influence of historical artists Bruegal, Millet all the way up to contemporary times and the influence of author John Steinbeck and others on the artist’s work.
He is the recent subject of a monograph book, titled Warren Chang: Narrative Paintings, published by Flesk Publications in 2012 and due out for worldwide release in March, 2013. Copies of the book will be available at the lecture for purchase and signing by the artist.
The new art book series “Mark Schultz: Carbon” will premiere at our Flesk booth this July at Comic-Con International. The book will feature all new artwork completed by Schultz over the course of the last two years. I’ll have the full details on the book posted in the next two weeks. At the moment I’m working with Mark to wrap up the collection and have it off to the printer on April 1st.
We finalized the cover today. Let me know what you think!
The first two printings of the complete Xenozoic collection by Mark Schultz are sold out. (With the exception of a few dozen copies we held on to for direct sales on our Flesk website, which come signed, too!) I am committed to keeping this book in print and making the stories Mark wrote and drew accessible at an affordable price. The latest printing will be available this summer with a new cover.
For this cover design Mark wanted to create a situation and color mood that was in contrast to his first cover. I’d say he pulled it off. What do you think?
The Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 book is wrapped up and running on the printing press. I approved the last of the proofs at the end of February. The title will premiere at our Flesk booth at the Spectrum Fantastic Art Live show in Kansas City Missouri on May 17-19.
The cover for the book is titled “Easy Being Green it is Not” and is by Peter de Seve. Back in November when I was starting to put the book together I asked Peter if he was willing to provide the cover artwork. I’m a huge fan of his work. I first became aware of Peter with the release of the Disney film art book on The Hunchback of Notre Dame, which showcased his visual art contributions. I’ve followed his career since, enjoying his other film work, The New Yorker covers and his other miscellaneous work. I find him to have a massive wit and creative spirit. When I asked Peter if he had any art in mind for the cover of this second “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live” book, he suggested using “Easy Being Green it is Not.” This art was originally done for Star Wars: Visions published by Abrams in 2010. A big thank you goes out to Disney for providing permission for us to use the piece.
The book consists of a gallery section on each of the six special guests of the show. They are Peter de Seve, Tara McPherson, Charles Vess, Jon Foster, Terryl Whitlatch and Michael Whelan. I had a great time working with all of them. Anthology books involve a lot more planning and coordination compared to doing a book on a single artist. In this case, there are the six artists, eight people writing introductions, artwork permissions to get approved, on top of all of the editing and designing work that is required. And everything has got to get done, and the book printed and delivered in time for the show. There’s no time allowed for nitpicking or extended deadlines. But, I’ve got to say, it’s a fun process. It allows me the chance to work with a group of professionals that I admire, most of whom I had not met before. And the limited time frame keeps me focused.
You can pre-order the book on our website. It ships immediately after the SFAL2 event. Here’s the official book description. You can follow the link at bottom to find it at the Flesk store.
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2
Hardbound with jacket, 9 x 12 inches, 80 pages, $29.95
Spectrum Fantastic Art Live, Volume Two commemorates the second annual Spectrum event by celebrating the work of the exhibition’s six special guests. Jon Foster, Peter de Sève, Tara McPherson, Charles Vess, Michael Whelan and Terryl Whitlatch have hand-picked a diverse assortment of images for inclusion in this volume—a collection of six individual galleries with artist statements scattered throughout.
Jon Foster’s work has graced the pages of a vast array of publications, from National Geographic to DC and Marvel Comics to nearly all the book publishers of fantasy and science fiction. Jon teaches art and illustration across the country and has received two Silver and three Gold Spectrum Awards.
Perhaps best recognized as a regular cover artist for The New Yorker and for his character designs for blockbuster animated films such as Ice Age and Finding Nemo, Peter de Sève is widely recognized as an icon in contemporary illustration. Peter’s many distinctions include the Hamilton King Award from the Society of Illustrators, a Clio Award, a Spectrum Gold Medal and an Emmy for Outstanding Character Design.
Equal parts whimsical, thought—provoking and seductive, Tara McPherson’s works have adorned the walls of art galleries around the world and, through her poster art, plastered the brick-lined streets of the American indie rock scene. Her work has been featured in numerous publications as well as the Oscar-winning film Juno, the Eisner Award-winning anthology Popgun 3 and the permanent collection of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Haunting and ethereal, the art of Charles Vess has long defined fantasy illustration and comic art. He has brought visual life to the works of such authors as Neil Gaiman, Jeff Smith and Charles de Lint. Awarded an Inkpot for excellence in comics and multiple Eisner and World Fantasy Awards, Charles is one of the most distinctive and admired artists in the industry.
Michael Whelan has defined the visual aesthetic of some of the best-known science-fiction authors of the past thirty-five years, including Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and Stephen King. Among a myriad of other distinctions, he has been presented with three World Fantasy Awards, fifteen Hugo Awards and thirteen Chesleys. Michael is a Spectrum Grand Master and was the first living artist to be inducted into the Science Fiction Hall of Fame.
Best known in the entertainment and publishing industries for her work in creature design, Terryl Whitlatch seamlessly blends her technical knowledge of paleo art with her passion for the fictitious. Her film work includes her role as principal creature designer for Star Wars: Episode I—The Phantom Menace and concept art for Disney’s Brave and Brother Bear.
Few artists so interweave the fabric of contemporary fantastic art as these six. In honor of their contributions to the industry, several of their contemporaries have provided introductions for this volume. Artist and novelist George Pratt (Wolverine: Netsuke, See You in Hell, Blind Boy), master painter and illustrator Gregory Manchess (National Geographic, Robert E. Howard’s Complete Conan of Cimmeria, Volume Three), illustrator and creator of the Artist as Brand workshop Greg Spalenka, novelist and professor of folklore and mythology Ari Berk (Undertaken Trilogy), publisher Bob Self of Baby Tattoo books, and creature concept designer Bobby Chiu (Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland) have all brought their unique professional and personal perspectives to discuss the works of this extraordinary panel of artists.
The experience of “Spectrum Fantastic Art Live” has been likened to the act of walking through the Spectrum annual itself: a living, breathing extension of all that Spectrum has come to mean for the world of contemporary fantastic art. With this volume we explore a cross-section of this extraordinary movement’s visionaries and invite you to imagine, wonder and—above all—enjoy.
The Spectrum 20 jury convened in Kansas City on Saturday, March 2. I was there to help out and took some pictures throughout the day.
Each artwork entry is set out on a table and is accompanied by a cup with a small hole at its base. If a judge likes the piece, he or she drops in a unique colored bean that is identified with that person. In this way duplication by one judge is avoided. The bean also remains hidden from view by the other judges. A majority vote of three or more beans marks the art for inclusion into Spectrum 20. The judges are discouraged from talking to one another to allow them to make a genuine anonymous vote without any outside influence or encouragement. This keeps things honest and fair.
Here’s the sculptor, Tim Bruckner, who stayed enthused throughout the day.
Here are Tim Kirk (right) and Michael Whelan (left) viewing entries.
Mark Nelson sees something he likes.
From left to right: Irene Gallo, Mark Nelson, Michael Whelan, Tim Bruckner and Tim Kirk discuss the works considered for the silver and gold awards for each category.
The Spectrum 20 judging is complete. This group got along exceptionally well. From left to right: Tim Bruckner, Mark Nelson, Irene Gallo, Michael Whelan, Cathy Fenner, Tim Kirk and Arnie Fenner.
There are more pictures, and a few videos, plus details about the day that can be found at the Spectrum Fantastic Art website and Facebook page. Also, they have a listing of who is being considered for the awards. (See the links below.)
I’m anxious to see who won the awards at Spectrum Fantastic Art Live 2 and the works that make it into the book this fall!
Brom and I have finished The Art of Brom book. I packaged it up and sent the book to the printer on Thursday. Our deadline was to have the book with the printer by March 1. Not only am I glad we wrapped it up a day early, but also that we are running right on schedule. This is a testament to Brom’s hard work ethic and professionalism. I feel he did an amazing job designing and writing the book. The new artwork scans, with fresh color corrections by Brom, look stunning.
While turning a book in to the printer is a huge milestone worth celebrating, there is still much to do. Now is the time to work closely with the printer and educate them on what my expectations are and to make sure the people who will run the book on the press have a clear understanding of what we want regarding the reproduction of the images. I am a very hands-on client with my printer. I don’t just turn it over and have them print it and hope that all will work out. I don’t leave things to fate or faith.
The proofing stages come next. This will be an approximately two to three week process, depending on how well or poor the first round of proofs look. Sometimes everything looks perfect and we go straight to press. Sometimes only certain pages look funky and need updates. Other times a huge batch needs revisions. But most of the time it’s only a handful of pages that need color modifications. I’ve been doing this long enough that I know how an image on the computer screen should translate onto a printed page. Once all of the proofs are approved, the press workers will use them as guides to make sure the pages coming out of the press match-up. It’s an insurance policy too. If there is a wild variation from our proofs I can insist that the printer run the book again to my specifications.
On average, from the time the printer receives the book, the proofs are finalized, the book is printed, bound, packaged, shipped, goes through customs and is delivered, it’s about a three month process. This puts the book in our hands by early June. And then we start shipping them out to you!
