A few years ago, I said I try to write a book a year. Since that time, the annual book has become other projects that include, among other things, videos. This year, I'm returning to the book idea with Through a Painter's Brush: The Southwest.
The book will be similar in concept to Through a Painter's Brush: A Year on Campobello Island, which I published back in 2007. It'll be a hefty collection of paintings, both oil and pastel, plus photographs and essays about both the area and my painting process. I'll also include two plein air painting demonstrations, one in oil and the other in pastel. It'll be a beautiful book.
I've had my sights on writing this book ever since I finished the Campobello one, but I wanted to wait until I'd built up a significant body of work. After having lived in New Mexico for five years and several winters now in Arizona, plus much travel through the other Four Corner states, I'm ready. The problem is - I have too much!
So, this book will be larger than the earlier book. Campobello has 140 pages and 150 illustrations, 75 of which are paintings, but I can't say exactly yet how many more the new book will have. I will say I've pulled over 300 paintings for possible inclusion. I'll make the book available in both print and digital editions. Tip: the digital version will weigh a lot less, and cost a lot less, too.
I love to play around with design, so I've included a draft cover in this post. (You can tell I really like that recent Grand Canyon painting!) I know, it's a bit like putting the cart before the horse, but I had fun doing it. The book should be out this summer.
By the way, if you're interested in the earlier book on Campobello Island, it's still available in three versions:
Paperback - $35
PDF format - $20
ePub format - $20
