Lost Art Press

Now With Even More Artwork

Posted on by Lost Art Press

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One of the best parts of this job is answering angry emails from disgruntled people. Hahaha. Just kidding. One of best parts of this job is working with independent artisans and artists to do stuff that would make my former corporate overlords crap their Brooks Brothers suits.

This month we’ve been working with the supremely talented and creative Andrea Love, a Port Townsend, Wash., artist who specializes in stop-motion animation. You might remember her from this fantastic short for Hand-tool Heaven, or her work from “By Hound & Eye.”

As we were finishing up the latest book by Jim Tolpin and George Walker, titled “From Truths to Tools,” Jim proposed using some sort of adaptation of William Blake’s “The Ancient of Days” on the cover. It’s a fantastic image, but getting it to work on the odd-sized book cover was going to be a challenge.

Then Andrea, who illustrated and lettered “From Truths to Tools,” volunteered to make a watercolor adapted from the Blake painting that would fit the cover – and wrap around the back of the cover, creating a gorgeous package. And she did it in just a few days.

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If I had suggested commissioning a painting for a book cover at any of my former jobs, I would have been labeled as a mentally defective, half-witted and spendthrift loon (to be fair, I am a loon).

We hope to get this book off to the printer on Friday and start taking pre-publication orders this weekend (details and pricing soon).

— Christopher Schwarz, editor, Lost Art Press
Personal site: christophermschwarz.com

23 thoughts on “Now With Even More Artwork”

  2. Well, Chris, in our throwaway, beancounter-obsessed culture, anyone inclined to put design, art or craftsmanship above profits is clearly a loon. As one who studied fine art but made my bread as illustrator, graphic design and photographer in corporate marketing, I began my career in a closely-held corporation that saw my role as “artist in residence” – beyond belief forty years ago – but with great financial success came a succession of takeovers and an ethic that had zero respect for talent, imagination or the pursuit of quality. Indeed your enterprise is aptly named! Doing things well has became a lost art in much of our culture.

  4. It’s cool I like loons. It is one of the reasons I go up to U.P. to kayak. Being a loon can you make the haunting call the make at night. Just asking. Jim

  5. ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS!!!
    Well Chrisopher, you’ve shown that you are not mentally defective or half witted, and probably not a spendthrift. But you might be one of Andrea’s real puppets.

    VERY nicely done!

      3. Hmmmm. Jim tolpin is adding to the price of his educational material by including more artwork? I think I read somewhere that he keeps costs down on his books, because they are educational. Hmmmm.

        Oh yeah (and in your best Mr. Mackey voice) “Mmm, cocaine is bad, Mmkay?”

    1. You might be surprised. We have had mixed results through the years.

      And just to be clear, “volunteer” does not mean “free” with us. We pay for all work that we contract.

    1. Oh, that is just too good – the idea that you can “afford” to be beyond reproach or accepted behavioral expectations! Most of us who are “somewhat strange” can’t bother to care that much how we appear to others even if we can explain our philosophies and predilictions.

  11. I would love to volunteer to do some artwork for Lost Art Press some time, I’d even accept damaged books for compensation

  12. Be sure to let us know when this book will be ready for sale ’cause I would really like one.

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