September 2018 – John Fleskes

September 17, 2018

Ambedo: The Art of Tran Nguyen. New Book from Flesk Coming in 2019

I’m excited to share the news that I am working with Tran Nguyen on her first art book. This collection will contain her gallery work along with Tran’s book and editorial illustrations. Much of her decade-long career will be captured in this oversized hardcover.

I first learned about Tran’s work when she submitted her entries to Spectrum 21. Her paintings made an immediate impression on me. I noted how the Spectrum judges had the same reaction, especially when you note the amount of Spectrum nominations and awards she has received.

Later, when I first met Tran I was impressed during her acceptance speech during the Spectrum 21 Awards ceremony when receiving her gold award in the Editorial category. She spoke of her gratitude toward her parents and provided insight into the struggle that her family faced when coming to the U.S. from Vietnam. It was a touching acceptance speech that in just a few minutes showed how humble she is while also revealing the aesthetics behind her art. Arnie and Cathy Fenner and I felt that it was the most heartfelt speech of the evening.

Since then I continued to watch her growth. I’m amazed by her recent “The Flooded Hour II” series of paintings. I had the pleasure of getting to know Tran better during her visit to the Flesk offices during the Spectrum 25 judging event. Shortly afterward I inquired with Tran about the possibility of working with her to capture her career in a new book. I’m thrilled that she was interested and delighted to be able to publish and share her works in 2019. The release date will be announced in the coming months.

You can learn more about Tran at her website here: http://www.mynameistran.com/

Enjoy,

John

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September 17, 2018September 17, 2018

The Thousand Demon Tree by Jeffrey Alan Love. New Book from Flesk!

The Thousand Demon Tree by Jeffrey Alan Love is now available! I’m especially proud to have the opportunity to publish Jeff’s second book. Jeff is doing things with art and story that no one else is doing. I feel he is one of those true original creators—someone who can share a narrative in a way unseen before. What is striking about his story is how well it is told without the use of words. The Thousand Demon Tree is strong and bold with a lesson in design that any student can learn from.

Jeff and I have a simple method of working with one another. I leave him alone to do his art and story. He leaves me alone to package the book and handle the marketing and promotion, while getting the book out there into the world. At the same time we communicate often to keep each other updated and to offer our support to one another. Our process comes from a mutual trust in our respective abilities along with an admiration for what our respective strengths are. It’s easy. It’s the same while working with Mark Schultz, Gary Gianni, J.A.W. Cooper and the others who I have a long-term relationship with. I like easy. I like a natural flow of going back and forth without any issues or miscommunications distracting us from the work. I appreciate working with Jeff.

Are we already planning another project together? Yes. I’ll announce it in the spring or summer of 2019.

Thanks again everyone. Both Jeff and I are grateful to you all for supporting his books.

Here’s the link to learn more about the book and to order.

https://www.fleskpublications.com/jeffrey-alan-love/

Enjoy,

John

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September 11, 2018

Carbon 3 by Mark Schultz. New Book from Flesk!

I’ve been working regularly with Mark Schultz since 2004. His first book that I published was Various Drawings Volume One in 2005. This book was the fourth that I published and the first on a living artist. Since then we have kept in contact weekly and managed to put out quite a library on Mark’s work. There has been Various Drawings Volume 1-5, Blue Book, Storms at Sea, Xenozoic, and the Carbon series. This month we are releasing Carbon 3. Somehow, we’ve managed to publish eleven books in the last 13 years. I’m not quite sure how we’ve done it. Especially considering how slow Mark works.

Each collection of Various Drawings and Carbon has collected the previous year and a half to two years’ worth of art that Mark has made for private commissions and illustration assignments. This latest volume of Carbon follows the same trend. Carbon 3 has a forward by Mark where he touches upon his preparatory stages of creating the new Xenozoic story. Inside you will find several personal works of Jack and Hannah, the main characters from Xenozoic, along with other noteworthy pieces.

It’s always a pleasure to work with Mark. It’s no secret that he’s a great guy. We bounce ideas back and forth and quickly ease into a design, theme or layout with each book. There is nothing difficult about the process. We typically talk on the phone for 2-3 hour sessions while working. It never seems like work, and I’m always surprised at how quickly the book comes together. I suppose we have been working together for so long that I intuitively know what Mark likes, yet I also appreciate that he lets me experiment. We usually end up doing something that neither of us thought of alone. And we’re pretty darn happy with the outcome.

I felt the cover painting came out especially well. Mark put a lot of effort into trying a new approach. It’s a method that he will be revisiting at some point in the future.

The hardcover signed edition is already sold out. But, the Carbon 3 paperback is here and in stock for immediate shipping.

Here’s the link to learn more about the book and to order.

https://www.fleskpublications.com/mark-schultz/

Enjoy,

John

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