Category: Art News

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More Stripbeurs Breda Event News and Guest List! Special Show Items!

You have heard me plugging Mark Schultz and my visit to the Netherlands Stripbeurs Breda show coming up this March 6 and 7, along with the debut of our Mark Schultz sketchbook Blue Book. Now, I would like to further promote the exceptional guest list and other special show items I have learned about.

Mike Mignola, Adi Granov, Paul Renaud, Barry Kitson, Minck Oosterveer, Petar Meseldžija, and Geoff West of the Book Palace will also be there! The full guest list is posted at the show website here.

To top things off, there will be a special Hellboy comic exclusive to the show. Mike Mignola did this new cover that has been colored by Dave Stewart.

Paul Renaud will have a portfolio featuring new artwork. He’s doing amazing work on Red Sonja and covers for Marvel, to name a few projects. His website features a gallery, news, interviews and store with sketchbooks and original art for sale. There is also a Paul Renaud Message Board with some good topics worth reading here.

Minck Oosterveer will have a small very limited sketchbook The Unknown Minck Oosterveer. There will only be 111 copies! According to his website, you can have Minck hold a copy for you by contacting him through his website here.

Petar Meseldžija will be at the Uitgeverij Xtra booth for most of the show. He will have his new sketchbook and copies of the Serbian Edition of his The Legend of Steel Bashaw for sale. There will also be a small exhibition of his work, including some Giclee prints and an original painting. He will also spend an hour or two at our Flesk booth.

Another plug for Mark Schultz Blue Book. (I can’t help myself!)

So there you go. A fine list of artists and products all available at Stripbeurs Breda! And be sure to stop by De Stripspecialist when in Breda for the best in comics and books. I’ll post stories and pictures when I return!

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications

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James Gurney Dinotopia Exhibit at The Delaware Art Museum!

Convoy Surrounded, 1995, illustration for Dinotopia: The World Beneath. ©1995 James Gurney. All rights reserved.
Convoy Surrounded, 1995, illustration for Dinotopia: The World Beneath. ©1995 James Gurney. All rights reserved.

The Delaware Art Museum is currently showcasing an exhibit on the Dinotopia paintings of James Gurney. The museum website states, “This major exhibition features over 60 works, as well as reference material, from three of Gurney’s books: Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time (1992); Dinotopia: The World Beneath (1995); and Gurney’s fourth volume in the series, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara (2007).” To learn more about the event, you can visit the Delaware Art Museum website by clicking here.

Furthermore, James Gurney posts a daily blog on his travels and appearances, book updates, thoughts, and generally interesting topics. You can find it by clicking here. It’s a good site to visit regularly.

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications

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Spectrum “Call For Entries” Art Submission Deadline Coming Up: January 22, 2010!


The “Call For Entries” deadline for submitting artwork for Spectrum 17 is fast approaching. The due date is January 22, 2010.

Spectrum is an international invitation for artists, art directors, publishers, and representatives to submit published or unpublished artwork, first published or completed between January 1, 2009 and January 1, 2010. Each submission is shown to a five-member jury, who select the best pieces for inclusion in the Spectrum Annual collection. The Call For Entries submission form, and full details, can be found at the Spectrum Fantastic Art website by clicking here.

Why submit works to Spectrum? With each passing year, the Spectrum Annuals further cement themselves as the premier showcase for the best in Fantastic themed art. Artwork selected for inclusion reaches a large growing audience of fans, art directors, publishers, and editors. This exposure can help raise the awareness of your name and works. Publishers and art directors use Spectrum to stay aware of new and current artists. Personal information is provided, so interested parties can contact the artist for assignments or other opportunities. Fans can contact you for commissions or to purchase original art. It also builds upon reputations through consistent appearances.

As an admirer of the Fantastic genre, Spectrum is a book I highly anticipate each fall. It allows me to see many works that I might have missed throughout the year. It’s full of surprises. I flip through current and older volumes often.

As an example of how Spectrum is useful to me, when I was working on my first book, Franklin Booth: Painter with a Pen, in 2001, before I was officially a book publisher, I used the Spectrum Annual to obtain Gary Gianni’s address. I wrote him a letter requesting his assistance with my book, and for a blurb from him. I never realized this initial correspondence would lead to my publishing three of his books, to date. In another case, Spectrum 16 showcased an artist I am especially impressed by, and who I was previously unaware of. At the moment, we are discussing a book of his paintings for fall 2010. (More on the name of the artist and the book soon!)

There are a lot of benefits if your artwork is selected for inclusion in Spectrum. I encourage artists to head on over to the Call For Entries webpage and consider submitting your finest works for the Spectrum 17 competition.

Remember, submissions do not guarantee inclusion. You are up against the best artists and artworks of the year.

Good luck!

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications

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T.S. Sullivant Book

Astute observers will notice I had a T.S. Sullivant book listed in the “Under Development” section of my website. I was planning on having it come out in 2011. I’ve just shelved the book for the time being. This is because I learned today that a new Sullivant book will be published by Fantagraphics in June 2010. It is called The Antic Cartoon Art of T.S. Sullivant by Robert C. Harvey. Since I have not started writing or designing my book yet, I’ve decided to focus on other projects for now. (Of which I have many!) At some point in the future I will revisit my own book.

It’s funny how there are no books on Sullivant to date, and then all of a sudden there are two in development. That can happen. I’m excited to see what the Fantagraphics book looks like. After all, I want to see a Sullivant book. I couldn’t be happier that a big 256-page collection will be coming out soon.

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications

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Spectrum 17 Call For Entries Open and Jury Announced!


The Spectrum 17 Call For Entries is officially open! This year’s poster art and design is by Paolo Rivera. You can download the poster image and entry form at the Spectrum website here.

The five-member jury for Spectrum 17 has been officially announced. I am extremely honored to be among them. In addition, Kerry Callen, Bill Carman, Rebecca Guay, and Ian McCaig make up the remaining four. I am thrilled to be a part of this talented group, and to be a part of the Spectrum annual collection.

If you are unfamiliar with Spectrum, there is a very informative FAQ page on their website here, and an “About” page here.

By the way, Spectrum 16 is almost available. It should be hitting the stores soon. You can order your copy from Bud’s Art Books here.

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications

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New MonsterMen by Gary Gianni!


In case you missed it, a new two-part Monstermen story by Gary Gianni has just recently come out. It is serialized as a back-up story in Hellboy: The Wild Hunt #5 and #6, published by Dark Horse. The Monstermen story is a welcome return of Gianni’s pulpish adventure comic, and the Hellboy story written by Mike Mignola with art by Duncan Fegredo is cool, too! Both comics are available at your local comic book shop.

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications

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Sessions with Robert McGinnis DVD Coming Summer 2010 From Paul Jilbert!


I just got an email from filmmaker Paul Jilbert about his latest project. He has the uncut Robert McGinnis painting segments coming out on DVD in summer 2010 titled, Sessions with Robert McGinnis. Paul has reshot many of McGinnis’ paintings from recently discovered originals. This will be an important and fun film recording the process and personality of one of my favorite illustrators.

Paul’s previous films include the James Bama documentary that was included with our James Bama: American Realist book, and Robert McGinnis: Painting the Last Rose of Summer. His focus is on producing premium documentaries on illustration legends and contemporary masters. Paul inflicts his passion into each of his films, so we can all expect great things from everything he does.

Check out Paul’s website here for clips, ordering information and news on all of his films. You can also pick up the current McGinnis film at Bud’s Art Books here.

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications

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James Bama Original!

James Bama

This beautiful original James Bama painting is for sale. It was used for the paperback book cover Go To the Widnow-Maker by James Jones (author of From Here to Eternity). Mat opening is 16.5 x 13″. Art is in excellent condition and signed lower right. It’s not framed.  It is priced at $5,200 which includes FedEx shipping to a domestic address.

The art was reproduced in its paperback book form on page 96 of our James Bama: American Realist book.

John

John Fleskes
Flesk Publications