Oakesdale Book
It is a distinct pleasure to be able to announce the publication of something very special. The new book of the Oakesdale Series is just out, as it just arrived this week.
This is the first in a run of small books that are going be printed that showcase my vintage series work from the 1980's and 90's. Each book will have just one series, and will be numbered and signed by me.
The books will be small, 7 x 7 inches, modest and inexpensive but beautifully designed and printed. We are making an initial run of twelve separate books and will offer a slipcased box to hold them in.
Currently either in process or under consideration are the following series:
Hershey, PA
Yountville, CA
Nantucket, MA
Peddocks Island, MA
Old Trail Town, Cody, WY
Solothurn, CH
Moab, Utah
Chaco Canyon, NM
Northampton Fairgrounds, MA
Billings, MT
Thompson, CT
I can't express just how good they look. They are gorgeous. Oakesdale is now out and Hershey is in the final editing phase:
The books will be sold locally in the Boston area and also available online through my website.
If you're interested, please let us know (Neal's email). That way we'll know how many to print in subsequent printings. I believe earlier numbers in this limited edition project will be prized as collectors will want to get in early, as well as lower numbers in the edition will be cheaper. Pricing will be tiered: the first 100 copies of each book will sell for $25 each, with shipping and handling added to that. The next 100 will increase in price and so on. Finally, you will be able to subscribe to all twelve books, receiving one after the other as they are published. Caution: don't order yet. Let us put in place the payment and shipping structure first so that we can get these books to you in a timely and efficient manner.
I like to think of these new books in this way: while most who follow my work will never get to see the original prints from these series, you can, for the cost of a few cups of coffee or a modest meal out, have a signed and numbered copy of a book that is elegant and dedicated to individual series, photographs that constitute seminal work from my career.
These are very beautiful books. Designed by Andrea Star Greitzer, a valued colleague, former student and key friend, Andrea is the force behind most of my publications and is responsible for any branding associated with my name and work.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Related series
Oakesdale, Washington 1997
Made in 1997 while in Eastern Washington in the earlier years of shooting the Wheat country called "The Palouse" in the 8 x 10 inch format. This series was made hand held with a Super Wide Hasselblad camera as a result of believing that I should loosen up the structure of the series work I had been making until then. My interest had been mostly in urban places( Nantucket, Yountville, etc.) comparing newer areas to those that had been made more individualized by owners over a longer period of time. The Oakesdale Cemetery sits on a hill surrounded by the wheat fields I had been photograping and is a far more emotional response to a place. My good friend Robert Gooblar was very sick and would die the following year. He was very much on my mind as I walked around this utopia of a cemetery on a hill on a hot mid afternoon day in July.
The Oakesdale series has been shown and published many times now but the original sixteen prints were made conventionally in a darkroom, are selenium toned and are about 12 inches square.
Hershey, PA 1997
The Hershey pictures were made at a time when I was expanding my understanding of what was possible within a series project. I had made the Portland, Maine series earlier in the year and the Oakesdale, Washington series the previous summer. This was a farm that looked abandoned, off the side of the road on the way out of Hershey on another spring break trip to photograph, heading back home to Boston with a friend. We stopped and photographed for a while. It was cold and gray as much of March is.
Peddocks Island 2011
Peddocks Island 2011 were made in August on a return trip to the island to photograph.
See the Bog entry to break this seriesdown further: Peddocks 1,2,3,4.
