February 2024 – John Fleskes

February 25, 2024

Flesk Adventures–Time Away From the Office

Vicky, Ocean and I frequently spend time outdoors. We all share a curiosity and passion for nature and are constantly amazed by what the world has on offer. We all enjoy photography and exploring as well. Here are some pictures from some of our recent adventures.

I prefer to not share our hiking locations online. This stems from an old surfer code, which is to never reveal a wave publicly. Spots are carefully guarded from becoming too well known. The internet has changed this to a certain extent, but you would be surprised how much there is to still find. For those who make the effort to put in the time and explore, the rewards are great. I still prefer to not use the internet or maps, but instead, turning down a random dirt road and seeing where it leads us. I’ve always enjoyed not knowing where we will end up. This picture above, taken by Vicky, is a famous bridge and no secret. Nevertheless, it’s a beautiful drive.

Hiking with Vicky and Ocean is a slow moving day. They stop to observe, and take pictures, and breath in the fresh air at a casual pace.

I typically like to keep moving when I hike, but from spending time with Vicky and Ocean I see more by going slower. If I was on my own I would miss little gems like this mushroom.

Vicky was in this one spot for over an hour. She has an incredible amount of patience and can sit and stare at the water movement and take pictures of rocks for hours.

Ocean is a botanist. Like Vicky, he can sit in a little area for an hour and observe and discover. The three of us can separate and not talk for hours, but also remain in sight of one another. I may be mind surfing the waves, or mapping out some book ideas in my head, or running around to squeeze in some exercise or stretching, then I’ll circle back to check in on them. We all feel at peace having one another around.

These pictures are all from different locations during our February hikes. I have no idea what type of bird this is, but like the framing.

Vicky overlooking the water from our cliff walk. Me, kicking myself for not brining my surfboard to go surf that left.

Ocean and I watching the sunset.

Ocean and I playing around. Some days, all you need is some stinky rotting bull kelp and a stick to have fun.

Ocean is a classic teenager. He sleeps A LOT. At one point, he found a soft spot and fell asleep for about 30 minutes.

Self portrait of Ocean and myself in a reflection on my truck.

Deer are very common in our area. It’s unusual to go a day and not see one, or three.

All these years and I never saw this waterfall before. I had been all around this area many times before, but missed this particular trail until now.

This was a beautiful hike that spanned over 7 miles with 1600 feet of elevation. When we got back, we didn’t realize we were hiking for 5.5 hours. We quickly drove to the nearest taqueria to fill up.

Ocean, observing some plants at one of the local peaks.

Born, raised, and living along the California coast my whole life is a blessing. I know how lucky we are to have unlimited access to the coast and trails here, despite the “resort tax” (which is what I call the high cost of living here). I’ve managed to make it work by living well below my means and keeping to a simple life. I hope you enjoyed this little view into how we spend our time outside of the office.

Enjoy,

John

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February 20, 2024February 25, 2024

Behind the Scenes–Flesk Photography–Howard Pyle

Behind the scenes at our office.

Vicky and I spent the day photographing a few dozen rare books from Bud Plant’s personal collection. These books, all of which are illustrated by Howard Pyle, are the nicest copies that I’ve ever seen. All are first editions that required careful handling.

We prefer to photograph art and books since we can control the lighting and get better quality files for reproducing in books than is capable with a scanner. Scanners emit a bright, harsh light, that offers less control. We still use scanners, although that method remains our backup approach.

Another limitation to scanning is the requirement to lay an object flat, which is not an option for a high grade rare book that is 100 to 150 years old. My goal, when borrowing books or art from people, is to return the item in the same shape in which I received it.

Vicky and I have both been involved in photography and art for decades. We both have a passion for beautiful things, whether made by people or found in the natural world. She has more patience than I do, and I fully trust her, so I tend to step back when she is setting up the lights. It can take a few hours to arrange the right environment for the task at hand, but once it’s locked in the day becomes meditative as we work together. I handle and hold the books as she takes the pictures. We have music playing in the background and we chat. Before you know it, the job is done and it didn’t feel like work.

We have amassed a staggering amount of high quality digital files on Howard Pyle. Slowly, in-between other projects, we will put together a collection much in the same way as we did with Edwin Austin Abbey and Franklin Booth. This could be released in 2, 5, or 10 years in the future. I learned long ago that the books dictate the time they need to get made, not me.

I’m grateful to Vicky for her help and expertise, as well as to Bud for trusting us enough to loan us these valuable treasures.

Enjoy,

John

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February 13, 2024February 25, 2024

Flesk at SHM Con–San Jose State University 2024!

On February 11th, we were invited to exhibit at SHM Con. This is a one-day student run event at San Jose State University that is open to the public. SHM is an acronym for the Shrunkenheadman Club Animation/Illustration organization.

As soon as you step onto the campus you can feel the excitement from the students. These are highly skilled, smart, energetic, humble, and hungry individuals who are our future. We’ve been extremely lucky to participate in this yearly event.

If you have ever wondered if young people care about art or books, all you need to do is visit this show to get your answer. Not only was our Franklin Booth book the best seller at the show, but also one of the SHM volunteers had a Booth tattoo on her shoulder! Here’s Vicky at left, with the volunteer in the middle, followed by a student who picked up our Booth book.

We brought 30 boxes of books with us and came back home with five. To give you some perspective, we typically bring about half that amount to a 3-day comic show such as Baltimore Comic-Con. To be fair, we brought roughly 200 mixed titles with bumps and scratches that we gave away for free to students. The four tall stacks of freebies were gone in less than two hours. Also, this is the only show were we offer our books at a big discount to students. I clearly remember what it was like to be young with very little money, so in this way we can play a role in making sure everyone can get something, regardless of their available budget.

We had the chance to see our friends, Bunny Carter and Courtney Granner, and the department director, Dave Chai. These three have been very generous to us.

We were incredibly impressed with the SHM president this year, and how smooth and well organized the day was. And we met a bunch of terrific young people. We have no doubts about the future knowing that more SHM members will be heading out into the world to create more beautiful art.

See you again next year!

Enjoy,

John

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February 6, 2024

The Art of Rachel and Terry Dodson Kickstarter Campaign is Now Live!

Hi, everyone,

We are thrilled to offer The Art of Rachel and Terry Dodson! This book is loaded with a variety of covers, personal works, and sketches–all of which were photographed direct from their personal archives. Please visit our campaign page to see sample pages and the full details about this exciting new title. Here’s the Kickstarter link to learn more and to pledge.

Rachel and Terry’s art book is available in three editions: An affordable paperback, a deluxe signed hardcover edition, and a very limited signed hardcover with a variant black and white cover. Each book pledge comes with a bonus signed print. Also, we have signed copies of Adventureman #1, the Adventureman vol. 1 collection, and Bomb’s Away sketchbook that you can add-on when checking out on our Kickstarter campaign. Visit here to learn more.

Thanks to you all for helping to make these books possible!

Enjoy,

John

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