At the Cabin

That's the title of the new CD by Seattle's quirky genre-blending jazz ensemble Reptet. It's the group's fourth release to feature a licensed Jim Flora illustration (all usages initiated by the band's drummer, John Ewing). Information about Reptet, their music, and the gatefold letterpress CD package (designed by Tom Parson) can be found at the Artists Recording Collective. The above image is an inverted detail from Flora's masterful 1951 woodcut Railroad Town.

Railroad Town duet

Detail, Railroad Town, 1951 woodcut. The work in its entirety will be featured with commentary and photos of the original block in our forthcoming book, The Sweetly Diabolic Art of Jim Flora, scheduled for September 2009 publication. Limited edition oil prints struck from the artist's block are available.

The above twosome (with maracas accompaniment—so it's a trio?) will adorn the cover of my 2009 WFMU fundraiser CD, NJX@NY$!#2 (New Jersey Excitement at New York Prices, Vol. 2), currently in production.

On the menu

rew Taylor "is a sucker for a nice mutton, lettuce, and tomato sandwich." He's also keen on Jim Flora, as revealed in "Knoxville Showcases Pop Art Icon," from the March 30 issue of Vision, an arts publication of East Tennessee State University.

Flora in Juxtapoz

The August issue of Juxtapoz magazine includes a feature article on Jim Flora, written by someone named Irwin Chusid (who denies responsibility for the article's poorly constructed sentences, mangled syntax, bad grammar, and blown punchlines; to quote Erich von Stroheim, it was edited by "someone who had nothing on his mind but his hat").

Regardless of the feature's narrative flaws, the Flora works reproduced therein are magnificent, and include the late 1940s painting The Rape of the Stationmaster's Daughter, the 1951 woodcut Railroad Town, the 1951 tempera 63rd Street, and several commercial illustrations. Bonus: the article reveals in sordid detail the Flora-Elvis connection!

Update (Jan 08): We posted the unedited text (sans typos) at JimFlora.com.

Railroad Town on the Fantagraphics flog

Fantagraphics Books Art Director Jacob McCovey writes:

Flora is jaw-dropping to the point of being a spokesman for TMD, not to mention Bipolar Disorder. The entire tsunami of illustrators/designers making a new-wave career producing rock posters should be paying alms to the descendants of the man who made album design such an emotional experience.

Railroad Town release party!

We've compiled a Railroad Town info page at JimFlora.com, commemorating the print's official "launch." If you're curious to learn more about this 1951 Flora masterwork (detail at right) which can now be purchased as a numbered, limited edition relief print, visit Railroad Town Central.

Besides the new edition of 50, there are a small number of proofs available in varying ink colors and papers (info on the RRT page).

The current block of five released prints (#41-45) is priced at $700 each.

UPDATE (July 20): The #41-45 block is sold out. We are now releasing #26-30 at $750 each.

UPDATE (July 21): One print sold of #26-30 block; four remain.

P.S. If you're in Hoboken, stop by Right Angle Framing at 320 Washington Street (bet. 3rd and 4th). A Railroad Town proof, elegantly framed by the shop's Pablo Godoy, is on exhibit in their window. And it's for sale — ask Pablo.

Railroad Town (edition)

Production is complete:

Flora carved Railroad Town in 1951 while living in Taxco. The trial proof relief print above was produced in December 2006. The June 2007 numbered edition (of 50), just completed at Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress in Knoxville, is even better (alas, no photo yet). Most of the "saltiness" (white flecking) visible above in the peripheries has been eliminated by printmaker Bryan Baker. The impression is solid—and stunning.

The longer I stare at the details of this woodcut (click on image to enlarge), the more I'm convinced this is one of Flora's definitive masterpieces. Every quirk and every nuance is evident: music, architecture, dogs, and trains; wild contours and interlocking figures; degenerate behavior, multi-tiered cutaways, and unfathomable anatomy. It's a graphic traffic jam. As Flora once confessed, "I could never stand a static space."

The edition, struck from the original artist's block, features black ink on 280g archival-quality Rives BFK cream. The block measures 11" x 22-1/4", and the full print (with border, not shown above) measures 18-3/4" x 30". Each print is hand-titled and numbered, and authenticated in letterpress type (also not shown above).

We are releasing five unframed prints (#46-50) from the edition at $600 each (plus s/h; PayPal accepted). After those are sold, we will release a second block of five at $700 each. For subsequent releases, prices will increase as stock is depleted. We hope to offer these prints for sale officially by late July. If you want to get a jump on the market, email us. No one reads blogs anymore. If you've gotten this far, you're an insider.

UPDATE (14 JUL 07): First block of five quickly sold out. We have released prints #41-45 at $700 each.

Railroad Town (relief print)

click for panoramic magnificence

Flora created the woodcut RAILROAD TOWN in 1951, during his 15-month family sojourn in Mexico. It's a manic mural, crammed with sinister figures interlocking like rune-shaped brickwork. Pictured above is a 2007 relief print, with black ink on 280g archival-quality Rives BFK cream. The block measures 11" x 22-1/4", and the full print (with border) measures 18-3/4" x 30". Working with Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress of Knoxville, we will produce a limited numbered edition of 50, which should be on the market by late Spring 07. In the meantime, we have a few limited edition, numbered and authenticated 2006 proofs to sell (in various ink colors on two different papers).

Does "proof" mean "not as good"? No, it means an earlier run, in different colors, on different paper, in a VERY limited edition. In other words, just as good, but more rare. Drop us an email to inquire about pricing, or to pre-order 2007 edition prints.

Railroad Town (detail 1)

This is a print detail of Railroad Town, a 1951 Jim Flora woodcut. What you see above is approximately one-tenth of the entire 11" x 22.5" work. The rest is equally outrageous.

Barbara and I just returned from Knoxville, where we oversaw proofs for numbered, archival-quality limited edition relief prints of this iconic Flora work. All prints are restruck from the original Flora-cut block, and the edition will be produced by Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress. Prints should be available in late Spring '07. More details forthcoming. And yes, we will post the entire Railroad Town panorama shortly.