I was surprised today when I reached into my paper box and pulled out the final three sheets of the 100 I started with. Wow! That went quick! It didn’t take me long to burn through a box of printing paper. I’ve averaged just over 30 prints a month—about one a day. Not too bad. I’ll end up with at least 200 color prints to select from. I’m very happy with the results. I’m opening my second box of 100 sheets of paper tomorrow.
My goal is that before winter arrives, I’ll have about 325 prints to choose from for the book. I have 125 wet and dry collodion negatives, 40–50 Calotype negatives (paper negatives), and about 20–25 photogenic drawings, toned cyanotypes, etc. I have over 100 POP prints in various historic processes and can print whatever I feel is needed. I want plenty to choose from, and it looks like I’ll make that happen.
“Dead Grama Grass, Prickly Pear Cactus and the Moon,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023 This is my 99th direct-positive print! Mature seed heads are curved, resembling a human eyebrow. Blue grama can be found growing in association with buffalograss, western wheatgrass, needlegrasses, and, in some areas, bluegrasses.
TELL ME ABOUT YOUR PLANS FOR THE BOOK
I’m not sure how many photographs will end up in the book. Currently, I’m working with a 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) square format layout. I’m making 10” x 10” (25,4 x 25,4 cm) prints, and I’ve been matting the prints with 11” x 14'“ mats with a Whole Plate (6.5” x 8.5”) opening, and I really like it! With this book layout, I can present the photographs at “life size,” a true 1:1, and that does interest me. Right now, I’m just writing and making photographs. I’ll worry about the details later in the year. However, the square format will give options on layout and design.
If everything stays on schedule, I’ll be able to publish the hardcover book sometime in 2024. My goal would be to offer it for sale to those interested with the hopes of raising enough money to donate 125 copies to the Ute Indian Museum in Montrose, Colorado, and 125 copies to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.; retail would be about an $8,000–$9,000 USD donation at each organization (if they sold the books at $60–$70 USD). The buyers of the other 250 books would be the ones donating the extra books or cash—that’s YOU should you decide to purchase one!
“Dead Yarrow, Stones, Silver, and the Moon,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023 This is my 98th direct-positive print!
It would be a perfect fit for both places. I have no intentions of making money or capitalizing on the publication at all. My hope is to offer it for free to places that are relevant to the theories and the history that I’m addressing.
I’m not sure about the cost right now. One of the big reasons I don’t have an exact estimate is because of the number of pages. I’m assuming it’s going to be 230–250 pages—that’s my best guess right now. It will be top-end quality-hardcover, 80-pound paper, etc. I’m in contact with Mixam USA right now and will arrange for them to print it when it’s ready. It’s important for me to print it here in the U.S. I know there are places in China that would do it for half the cost, but I just don’t feel good about doing that. This may be the last book I publish, and I want it to be made here in the United States (see my death anxiety hanging out?).
“Foxtail, Granite Stones, and Rocky Mountain Geraniums in European Silver,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023
I would like to make a run of 500 copies. If I had to guess, I would say the cost of a book of this size would be around $30,000 USD—about $60 USD per book. I want to donate 250 copies and sell 250 copies with the hope of covering the printing costs of the donated books. I’m guessing $75–$85 USD per book plus shipping. If I signed every book and included a POP print, I may be able to cover my materials and printing costs all together. I don’t want anything beyond that. This project is not, and never has been, a commercial project. It’s my passion and my preoccupation, and I’m more interested in sharing these ideas and making interesting art than anything else.
If you have any ideas that fit into what I’ve laid out here, I would really like to hear them. I know people have already suggested to me that I should do a Kickstarter campaign for this. I’ve looked into it, and it may be a way to handle it, logistically speaking. So let me know if you have any good ideas! Thanks!
“Foxtail, Granite Stones, and Rocky Mountain Geraniums in European Silver-Detail,” 10’ x 10” (25,4 x 25.4 cm) RA-4 Reversal Color Direct Print, July 4, 2023