WGXC Celebrates Four

Our good friend and fellow Floraphile Jillian Leigh Sutton, a DJ at WGCX in Hudson, New York, passes along this Florafied invitation:

Brian Dewan, who will be presenting one of his wry original filmstrips, is also a good friend and a member of the Raymond Scott Orchestrette. If you're in the area, go and enjoy yourself while supporting a good cause – regardless of whether you have bonus legs or just the requisite two.

domestic disturbance

Detail, "Furnished," Primer for Prophets alphabet series, 1954. We've issued 12 letters as limited edition screen prints, but "F(urnished)" is still in the deep freeze. The full print isn't as disturbing as the above detail suggests—the husband beyond the crop hasn't lost his cool. All shall be revealed by the time we complete the series.

tail wagger

Detail, "Raided," Primer for Prophets alphabet series, 1954. We've issued 12 letters as limited edition screen prints, but "R" remains on our to-do list.

Floraville skyline

Unlettered page from Primer for Prophets booklet, 1954. This image will not be part of our screen print alphabet series.

inside the art factory

We recently launched our third series of alphabetical Primer for Prophets screen prints (see preceding post). Minneapolis printmaker Dan Ibarra of Aesthetic Apparatus, where the series is produced, sent us snapshots of the production process:

Detail of WASHED:


First inking of ECONOMIZED:


Drying racks with ganged images after first ink pass:


Finished, dried, stacked, untrimmed prints:

We've now produced prints for the letters A, C, D, E, G, J, K, N, Q, S, U, and W (14 to go). While developing series 3 over the summer, Barb and I selected "U" (Underestimated) in anticipation of printmaker Dan's and wife Kelly's first child, expected in the fall.

Clover Isabel Ibarra was born 9 lbs, 7 oz at 9:31 pm, Wednesday, October 21, at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul.

No triplets this time.

About Clover's birth, Dan writes:

Assisted by our three amazing midwives and a slew of other nurses at St. Joseph's, we attempted innumerable ways to get Clover in the right position and deliver her through a natural child birth. The labor was extremely hard on Kelly (as 72 hours of labor can be) and in the end we exhausted all options and had to perform a Caesarian. Although we really struggled hard to avoid as little medical intervention as possible it turns out that complications with the umbilical cord around the baby's neck and the position of her head prevented anything of the sort.

Clover was amazingly tough through the whole labor, rarely ever showing any fluctuation in heart rate or stamina. Some people say that how we are born is very telling of our personality. If that's the case, this new little girl is already the toughest, most cool-headed girl we've ever known. (Maybe Clover Eastwood might have been a better name?)

Primer for Prophets 3rd series

NOW AVAILABLE: the next four works in the Primer for Prophets screen print series. Cool Flora illustrations of the American nuclear family during the 1950s, when grocers employed stockdogs, crows fought tug-of-war over lingerie, and cigarettes were obligatory in the obstetrics ward. The images derive from a 1954 trade-only alphabet booklet that Flora illustrated for CBS-TV, depicting consumer markets for prospective TV advertisers.

The third set of prints features ECONOMIZED, NURSED, UNDERESTIMATED, and WASHED. Each work has been produced in an edition of 100, each hand-numbered and authenticated. Individual prints sell for $50, and a full set (four prints) can be obtained for $175. Full sets can be purchased via any of the single-print pages at JimFlora.com.

Series 1: Ate, Drove, Jived, and Smoked. Single prints: $60 (except Jived: $125); set: $200.

Series 2: Cooked, Groomed, Kissed, and Quaffed. Single prints: $50; set: $175.

Washed

Our third series of Primer for Prophets screen prints are in production, and should be ready for market by early October. "W" is among the featured letters. For more information, click on the "Primer for Prophets" tag at the bottom to see previous posts. The series is being produced by our friends at Aesthetic Apparatus, of Minneapolis.

Series 1: Ate, Drove, Jived, and Smoked.

Series 2: Cooked, Groomed, Kissed, and Quaffed.

bonus limbs

Flora found them irresistible. Surplus heads too.

cat nap

Detail, Primer for Prophets booklet, 1954

Valentine's Day hint hint

Say it with Flora's: KISSED — screen print from the Primer for Prophets alphabet series: an iconic 1954 illustration by Flora commemorating romantic commitment through the exchange of luxurious merchandise.

Order before Feb. 10 and we'll (almost) guarantee delivery by the 14th. Meaning, it'll be shipped in time and — barring climate interference or courier screw-up — will arrive in time for thrilling your significant something-or-other.

Order here.

Badlands

REACH!

Heck, it's only pretend gunplay. Detail, Primer for Prophets booklet, commissioned by CBS-TV, 1954.

Primer for Prophets 2nd series

NOW AVAILABLE: the next four works in the Primer for Prophets screen print series. Cool Flora illustrations of the American nuclear family (and their weird pets) during the 1950s, when donuts and cake were considered essential nutrients, little girls could multi-task with brushes, and dogs craved beer!

The images derive from a 1954 trade-only alphabet booklet that Flora illustrated for CBS-TV. The second set of prints features KISSED, COOKED, GROOMED, and QUAFFED. Edition of 100 (each image), hand-numbered and authenticated. Each individual print sells for $50. A FULL SET of four prints can be purchased for $175.00 thru any of the above single-print pages at JimFlora.com.

The first series (ATE, DROVE, JIVED, and SMOKED) is still available as a set or individually. Prices have been raised to $60/print (except JIVED: $125) and $200/set due to depletion of stock. Prices will continue to rise as we sell down.

If you want all eight prints for $350, contact us.

A Flora Valentine

Coming soon: the next four screen prints in the Primer for Prophets series: Cooked, Quaffed, Groomed, and Kissed. Release target = late February or early March. If you purchased a complete numbered set of the first foursome (Jived, Smoked, Ate, Drove), you have a preemptive claim on the identical statistic for this quartet. We've got your number.

sketchbook, 1950s

Untitled sketches and figures from sketchbook, ca. early 1950s.

The hungry fellow on the bottom looks familiar:

Jim Flora ink

Since early 2006, Jim Flora Art has partnered with a hip Minneapolis screen printing shop called Aesthetic Apparatus. Dan Ibarra and Mike Byzewski of AA first produced a Mambo For Cats edition of 200, then a Pete Jolly Duo edition of 125. Both prints featured classic Flora 1955 RCA Victor LP covers. A month ago we launched the Primer for Prophets series.

JFA didn't just hire these guys off a Google search—besides their meticulousness and penchant for perfection, the AA team are Floraphiles eager to continue producing new Flora screen print projects. They are also NICE. We like NICE, and we prefer working with NICE.

Here's a video clip of Dan and Mike at work (on a non-Flora project). Their job sounds tortuous.

HT: the so-nice Sara Soskolne

Primer for Prophets prints now on eBay

The long-awaited series of fine-art screen prints PRIMER FOR PROPHETS are now available on eBay. Very cool Flora illustrations of the American nuclear family (and their weird pets) during the 1950s, when people had fried-egg eyes, dog food tins were edible, and teens grew bonus legs!

Subtitled "A Flora '50s A-B-C," the images derive from a 1954 trade-only alphabet booklet titled Primer for Prophets that Flora illustrated for CBS-TV. The booklet was not circulated to the public, but was intended to attract corporate advertisers to the emerging medium of television. Each page featured iconic Flora illustrations of past-tense verbs (A to Z) that reflected daily activities of the typical American family, suggesting products they would purchase.

The first four prints produced are "ATE," "DROVE," "JIVED," and "SMOKED." They are available as single prints or as a set.

The PRIMER series was produced in a limited edition of 100 by Minneapolis screen studio Aesthetic Apparatus. Production specs are detailed in the eBay listings. Each print is hand-numbered and authenticated.

Over the next few years, we'll extend the series to cover the entire alphabet. The PRIMER illustrations reflect Flora at his post-war commercial peak. That same year, he began illustrating RCA Victor album covers, creating some of his most popular images (such as Mambo for Cats). The PRIMER characters are consistent with the best of his RCA album sleeves.

NOTE: The 10-day eBay listings for these prints have expired, but the prints are now available through JimFlora.com. The above links go directly to the individual print pages on the site.