05 January, 2008

Books I Read This Year


Casey Klahn (2007), Casey Klahn, Colorist American Landscapes, Pastel Works.
Self Published.

Hmmnn. What to say about this one? I certainly agreed with the author 99.999% of the time, and I really dug the art images. The book is 11" x 8.5" and features 25 artworks, both full color pastels and drawings, as well as candids and petite essays on my art philosophy and process. I think I still have about 6 -7 of these sitting in the studio. If you contact me, I will ship a book/books to you for $30.00 each plus tax and postage.

When I do another one this year, I'll try to have more pages and images, as I felt that it was a little thin. I will probably repeat the spiffy essays with art approach, and I hope to add some actual blog rips as well.

To Continue...

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

How`s the new studio going? Are you moved in yet? Let us know how it`s working out for you.
Interesting reading list. Don`t let it corrupt you already distinctive style. Did you actually ride the ferry?

Cynthia said...

Wow - you self published a book? That's a major accomplishment. I've thought about writing a kid's ceramic book and self publishing - but it seems like such a huge undertaking.

Happy New Year to you!

Casey Klahn said...

Thanks for the prod, John. I know I've been thin on posts since the holidays. I plan a series on the new studio, and it looks like my re-entry process into making art on a regular basis will be a topic.

When we lived in Western Washington, the ferry was no big deal. Now that it's become a rarity, I see the truly unique thing that it is. My kids were happy to stand on the bow and feel the sea air pushing on their little faces and billowing up their jackets.

Langley has grown, and is a delightful little town on Whidbey Island. It's a day destination from Seattle, and a chance to unwind for busy urbanites. South Whidbey is probably the state's biggest Artist's community, and so the electricity is certainly there.

I'm not a complete stranger to the coast (I grew up at the beach) and it feels comfortable to me. And, I like the gallery owner, Wendy, who is an artist that shares the Bellevue Art Fair experience with me.

Cynthia, I think you'd do well with a book. The profit isn't there, though, as the cost per unit is about what one would pay for a chain bookstore book. I saw a lot of art fair peers with self-published books this year. I will use a different self-publisher next time, since I never got satisfaction for the extra "c" on the spine. Absolutely everything else was top drawer, but that was the one fatal flaw.

The formatting "template" made the process quite easy, but time consuming.

Kris Cahill said...

Beautiful book, Casey! That's something I intend to do eventually as well, and I congratulate you on actually doing it.

Which publisher did you use? I have looked at a few websites, and would love to hear about what you felt worked well for you.

Thanks!

Casey Klahn said...

Thanks, Kris. The pub. was "My Publisher", who use a photo printer, unlike Lulu, who would be be better for a text-based book. The photos of my art turned out awesome, and the whole book is groovy. Except for that extra "c" on the spine!
There was another photo printer based publisher I will try next time.

Anonymous said...

Cool, congrats on the book! Is it your intention to sell them at shows/fairs?

Casey Klahn said...

Hey, Meg!

I did sell a few at the last art fair (or two?). I view them as an experiment. Because of the failure of the publisher to satisfy me, I am back to the research phase.

Ultimately, I'll have a nice book to give/sell to patrons. The paper quality and the images and finished product are very slick.

Gesa said...

Thanks for updating on your book - I had always meant to ask how that project went. Great to know that the quality of the paper and artwork turned out really good.

Abstract Expressionism, Art Criticism, Artists, Colorist Art, Drawing, History, Impressionism, Modern Art, Painting, Pastel, Post Impressionism