This batch features some artists spotlights from Flesk, another great looking Bernie Wrightson book, a new Aron Wiesenfeld book of paintings, some beautiful work from Brad Kunkle, a nice new collection of Frank Booth featuring over 400 pieces from over the course of his career, a book of Marvel superhero anatomy, and lots and lots of fish.
LUPENTE FLESK ARTIST SHOWCASE SC
(W) John Flesk (A) Julia Blattman, Stephanie Law, Karla Ortiz, Virginia Ropars (A/CA) Erica Williams
Lupente showcases five outstanding contemporary artists in an elegant and absorbing package. This volume-the first in our ongoing Flesk Artist Showcase series-features Julia Blattman, a premier visual-development artist working in the animation industry; Stephanie Law, a fine artist who pulls from dreams and reality to illuminate the boundary between those two worlds; Karla Ortiz, a concept and fine artist who is renowned for her personal works and her designs for film; Virginie Ropars, one of the most-revered dollmakers today and an inspiration to sculptors around the world; and Erica Williams, also known as "HookieDuke," who has gained acclaim by mastering a unique, highly intricate style of lines and designs that centers on Nature as its inspiration.
JUL221524
Why this caught my eye:
I love me some artist showcase books, plus highlighting Erica Williams is an instant sale fore me.
BERNIE WRIGHTSON THE FPG YEARS HC
(W) Michael Friedlander (A/CA) Bernie Wrightson
Bernie Wrightson needs no introduction. He is the true "Master of the Macabre" in all mediums, from Frankenstein to Swamp Thing and far, far beyond. It's been nearly 30 years since Bernie let his imagination run wild while creating close to 150 new paintings for his two trading card series. He took two years out of his busy schedule to craft this once-in-a-lifetime body of work, and he was given free rein to explore whatever ideas he wanted. Until now, none of these paintings have been reproduced in book form, and this book will contain all of them! In addition to the original text he wrote for each piece, the untold history of the two trading card series will be included, with production notes and details from behind the scenes.
JUL221526
Why this caught my eye:
Always room for one more Wrightson book to clutter the shelves. Plus, definitely interested in more details and highlights on his trading cards.
TRAVELERS TP
(A) Aron Wiesenfeld
Aron Wiesenfeld, a former WildStorm artist, has been creating works of fine art since the early 2000's. Travelers is a curation of his latest pieces from 2014-2020, published in a stunning softcover collection. Features an introduction by New York based art critic Kimberly Powers.
"Wiesenfeld's paintings are rife with deeply hidden allegory and art historical references, spanning from Byzantine tapestries to the 19th century movements of Tonalism (with a wink and nod to Whistler's nocturnes) and landscapes influenced by the German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich. He traverses the realms of narrative painting like a 21st century time traveler, taking us along on his journey, so that we all become companions on his voyage of artistic discovery."
"ARON WIESENFELD. American. Like Hopper he is concerned with solitude, like Magritte he is bewitched by mystery." - Guillermo del Toro
MAY221339
Why this caught my eye:
I've always been fascinated with Wiesenfeld ever since his Deathblow/Wolverine and his departure from the comics industry to pursue painting. I really enjoyed the last art book of his I picked up (The Well) so I def recommend checking this out.
ALKEME ART OF BRAD KUNKLE HC
(W) Brad Kunkle (A/CA) Brad Kunkle
Using the power of the Goddess archetype, Brad Kunkle's paintings inspire people to listen to their own inner truth. His imagery drowns out society's expectations and serves to enrich its viewers' state of happiness. Each work ties into the surreal moments in life when serendipitous events happen as a result of listening to ourselves. Kunkle paints the shifting illumination of gilded surfaces that serves as a visual display of its otherworldly elusiveness.
AlkEme: The Art of Brad Kunkle features over 100 paintings and a dozen studies handpicked by the artist in an oversized format.
JUL221522
Why this caught my eye:
FRANKLIN BOOTH SILENT SYMPHONY SC
(W) Alice A Carter (A/CA) Franklin Booth
Franklin Booth: Silent Symphony is a massive, 304-page book featuring over 400 pieces that span the artist's entire career. Accompanying photos of Franklin Booth (1874-1948), his family, friends and colleagues-along with illustrations by his peers and inspirations-add nearly fifty more images. A new essay by the award-winning illustrator and professor Alice A. Carter delves into Booth's life. This biography highlights his childhood in Indiana, family life and the earliest days of his professional career, his road trips, studio life and teaching career with intimate stories and much more.
JUL221523
Why this caught my eye:
My recently just got my Kickstarter copy of this so I can confirm that it is well worth it.
MARVEL ANATOMY SCIENTIFIC STUDY OF SUPERHUMAN HC
(W) Marc Sumerak (A) Jonah Lobe
When Skrull forces use their shape-shifting powers to infiltrate Earth's defenses, King T'Challa must delve into Wakanda's scientific archives to determine which super-heroes and super-villains might be most at risk. With assistance from his brilliant sister, Shuri, the Black Panther explores the unique anatomical makeup of a vast range of super-powered individuals, unlocking the secrets behind their abilities. Featuring exclusive anatomical cutaway illustrations created by concept artist Jonah Lobe and writing by Marc Sumerak and Daniel Wallace, this deluxe book is a visually stunning journey into the powers of the Marvel Universe's greatest characters. JUL221678
Why this caught my eye:
The DC version was pretty fun, and while they are fairly pricey packages they are well put together and kind of tricky to hunt down after the initial release sometimes.
FISHHEAD ART OF RAY TROLL HC
(W) Ray Troll (A) Ray Troll
Ray Troll's new book Fishhead is an exuberant plunge into the fantastic realities of sea creatures and prehistoric animals that come alive with scientific realism and his quirky sense of humor. For more than four decades, this celebrated Alaskan artist has been luring, hooking, and landing fans around the world with his mesmerizing renditions of the inhabitants of Planet Ocean, past and present. His art is featured in the nation's major natural history museums including the Smithsonian, in galleries, and in books, as well as on immensely popular T-shirts. Part natural history adventure and part underground comic, his work depicts beautiful and accurately drawn fish of all kinds, Northwest Coast totems, Freud and Darwin, fossils, resurrections of extinct animals, and much more.
Troll's art is deeply thought provoking (pun intended) but also simply fun to experience and never far from an inside joke he seems to be sharing with everyone. Some of his pieces are amusingly tongue-in-cheek, others are beautifully surrealistic and evocative of the interconnectedness of life on Earth, and his grandly composed major pieces are brilliant, inspiring panoramas of the natural world. His whimsy and attention to detail in his renderings of fish and other aquatic creatures has earned him a devoted following of scientists, anglers, and people who just like a good laugh.
Welcome to the fishy, funny, inspiring art of Ray Troll.
JUL221409
Why this caught my eye:
Hey, the dude's got some great t-shirts available (feel free to gift me this, this, this, this, and this) so I'm sold.
That's it for this batch, we'll hit up some misc. material on the next round!