The Fezziwig News by Stu Jenks

"Modern Lights, Ancient Flames"

"Modern Lights, Ancient Flames: Avebury Flames Spirals, United Kingdom" (c) 2013 Stu Jenks.

"St. Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Church, Lively, Virginia"

"St. Mary's Whitechapel Episcopal Church, Lively, Virginia" (c) 2000, 2013 Stu Jenks.

"El Tiradito" for the upcoming new Fezziwig Press/Stu Jenks website

"El Tiradito, Tucson, Arizona" (c) 1996, 2013 Stu Jenks

The above image was shot with a 1950's Rollei, using Fuji Velvia transparency film. I re-scanned the slide recently, and cropped and fiddled with the color a tad. I like the new photograph even better than the original image, and I like the original quite a lot. A lot, a lot. Why, you may ask? Because this image, this exposure in 1996, started the whole thing.

I had left my creative life behind, even though I had a B.F.A. from Carolina, and had been pretty good at Art. I stopped making art, due to a bunch of reasons, some based in reasonable fears, and others in unreasonable shame. Then my friend Sterling sold me his old Rollei for a song, and I had an idea I would like to get serious about shooting nocturnal photography. So I did, ignoring reason and fear and telling shame to go fuck itself.

After not too long, I thought it would be interesting to bring flame and fire into my night images, not enjoying flashlights and flash that much. And off I went.

Seventeen years later, my life is very different, richer perhaps not in coin but definitely in light, love and with some pretty good artwork too, if I do say so myself. And I own it all to Sterling and that old Rollei and this one image.

Now, I shoot mostly digitally, but I still pull out the old Rollei for those long star circles, and for the occasional hoop dance and flame spiral. Long live film, I say, and the ones and zeros too.

And, friends and neighbors, expect in just a few weeks, a brand spanking new www.stujenks.com website. We will be combining the old Stu Jenks website with the new-ish Fezziwig Press website to make one easy, simple place to buy my wares and see my work. And there will be a lot of new work for you all to see and buy. All eight books will be there, and my four music CDs, and, at this count, close to 600 images. Yes, 600 photographs.

So stay tuned. Film at 11, as we used to say.

"The Shifting Light" now on Apple's iBooks...

After a long wait, The Shifting Light: A selection of sixteen stories taken from The Transpersonal Papers: 1861-2010; Flame Spirals; Bozo In Love; Hoop Dancing; and Dementia Blues is now available on Apple's iBooks. It's also available on Barnes & Nobles Nook and on Amazon's Kindle.

And best of all, it's only $2.99. I'm very happy with this sampler and it includes an introduction written by mythic fiction author Charles de Lint. Thank you, Charles.

P.S. Apologies to those who don't have digital access. The Shifting LIght isn't yet available as an analog book book, but hopefully someday.

 

 

All 8 1/2" x 11" A/P archival pigment prints by Stu Jenks for $25, shipping, handling and taxes included...

Image: "Queen Esther Baptist Church, Lancaster, Virginia" (c) 2011 Stu Jenks (Just down River Road from Victoria's house. Love that luscious red carpet. And for you nocturnals out there, it was handheld. Rare for me.)

In this time of making photos on iPhones and Macbook Pros and only looking on screens, I forget I'm a old-school guy. I make a 8 1/2 x 11 work print on archival paper of EVERY image I make. EVERY one. It's the only way, for me, to accurately check for color shift, density, composition, etc. I really like my iPad screen but it's no way to make a good print.

And I have hundreds, if not thousands, of work prints artist proofs at my studio.

If you see an image of mine on The StuBlog or on my old website or on the Fezziwig Press Store or in any of my books, there's a beautiful small print in a box somewhere, perhaps with your name on it. And since I'm organized, I can find it.

Many of you can't afford my larger prints. I understand. I don't have an extra 50 or 100 lying around either. But I do have an extra $20 for stuff I really like.

So if you see an image of mine on any of my sites or in any of my books and you want it, it's yours for $25, shipping, handling and tax included. (I believe in paying taxes, sales and otherwise.)

Just email me at my facebook page or through the StuBlog or at stujenks@gmail.com, and tell me what print you would like or just pull the jpeg and send that to me.

I was just watching the Tarhells lose today in basketball, working on images at my computer when I thought, 'I bet people don't realize I have boxes of work prints here.'

You all do now.

Love and light,

Stu

p.s. Ignore the catagories belows. The computer went wacky. Another reason why I prefer a print in the hand as opposed to an image in The Cloud.

"From The Saddle At Owl's Head..."

"From The Saddle At Owl's Head, Arizona..." (c) 2012 Stu Jenks

Many of y'all are familiar with my images of Owl's Head (See the image at the bottom), yet few of y'all have seen the view from Owl's Head. Here are a couple taken last week from the saddle.

Now available, on the Apple IPad: The Transpersonal Papers (1861-2010) and Bozo In Love

Been a long time coming for The Transpersonal Papers (1861-2010).

Three editors, two proofreaders, two designers, four printers, and hours, days, weeks, months, years, lifetimes, (I know I'm overstating), of writing, traveling, shooting, editing, remembering, hiking, and more writing, shooting, and editing, but I'm not complaining. No, no, no.

And apologies for not having the dough right now, to print The Transpersonal Papers as a coffee-table book as I had originally planned. ($10,000, it would have cost. Maybe someday.) But you now can buy it, for $14.95, as an Ebook on the Apple IPad, and I expect it to be available within a couple days on the Nook and the Kindle as well.

I just looked at it on my new IPad. The photos, text and design look grand.

And as an extra surprise, Bozo In Love is now up on IBooks too, ($9.95), as well as the rest of my catalog: Flame Spirals, Hoop Dancing, and Dementia Blues, on IBooks, Nook and Kindle.

Just in time for Christmas.

And don't worry. All but The Transpersonal Papers can still be bought as a book book through Fezziwig Press. I have plenty. Just go to www.fezziwigpressonline.com, for the hardbounds and paperbacks, but go to ITunes, today, (and Kindle and Nook, soon) for the ebooks.

Heavy sigh from my third story apartment balcony. I look out onto the Tucson city lights in the valley below. Cold, dry air embraces me. I inhale deeply. Exhale.

A very good night in the desert.

Think I'll make a cup of coffee with egg nog and play some Angry Birds on my new IPad.

Time to celebrate.

 

"Flame Spirals: The Second Edition" is now available at the Fezziwig Press online store.

Flame Spirals: The Second Edition is now available at my studio in Downtown Tucson, at Tucson Touch Therapies, and at Fezziwig Press Online.

I'm extremely happy with how well Taylor Publishing printing the book. It's a lithograph book, printed in The United States, hardbound, and reasonably priced (as opposed to the lulu.com First Edition, that was digitally printed and a bit too expensive for many.)

In this, The Second Edition, I've added a couple new flame spiral images, some new Thanks You and a new dedication to "Ghost Dad, Ghost Mom and Ghost Sis."

And I can't say enough about how wonderful Bill Homan at Taylor Publishing in Texas was, as well as Gail Cross, my amazing book designer.

The price is $29.95 plus shipping and handling, or you can pick it up at Tucson Touch Therapies, or catch me at BR-549 Studios.

Finally, expect an ebook version of Flame Spirals soon, on the Kindle, Nook and IPad platforms. We are hoping for Christmas but it may be early 2012.

And thank you all for your continued support.

Love and light, Stu.

The Pier Spiral: 2011

"The Pier Spiral, Rappahannock River, Virginia" (c) Stu Jenks, 2000, 2011 [A new cropped and modified version for Pamela and Mary Jenks]

Just a reminder. Funeral for Mary Jenks is tomorrow, Saturday, July 30th, at Grace St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Tucson, Arizona, at 2:00 p.m.

Enjoy the pier image. Everything changes. A hurricane took it out eight years ago. And Death has taken Pamela and Mary, but I'm still here as are all of you. Until we're not. Live for today.

Blessing to you all.

Stu

P.S. My website www.stujenks.com is down temporarily. Should be up by next week. Fezziwig Press and Fezziwig News are still up and running but www.stujenks.com is down, because I didn't see that the domain renewal was up. Been a little busy and a little scattered, don't you know. Thanks, y'all.

 

Flame Spirals: The Nocturnal Photography of Stu Jenks: Chapter Seventeen: “Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona"

Flame Spirals: The Nocturnal Photography of Stu Jenks:

Chapter Seventeen: “Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona" © 2007, 2008

[December 21st, 2007: The Night of the Winter Solstice]

     The Mount Lemmon Road is closed at the base. Too much snow for travel to the top, to anyone other than residents of Summerhaven. I wasn't happy about that but I wasn't that mad either. OK, a little angry maybe, for I do prefer to pray at Solstice Rock on this day and I knew that I could make up there in my 4 x 4 truck, but it's really only important to me, that I pray on Solstice Rock. God doesn't care where I am when I do my Big Prayer. Actually, my God doesn't care if I pray at all. He's that loving of a guy.
    So I trusted my gut and headed to Tumamoc instead.
    It's around 7 p.m now. It's dark up here at the summit but bright as Christmas below. The view from Tumamoc Hill to the East is of the whole Tucson Valley. Tumamoc is literally in the center of the city, a protected nature preserve, two miles east of downtown. Lights are on in the nearby skyscrapers. I’m guessing that immigrant cleaning crews are emptying the trash on this Friday before Christmas. Semis with red and yellow running lights, roar on the Interstate below me. The street grids can easily be seen, of Broadway and 22nd Street and even of the diagonal Aviation Parkway. And thousands of sepia brown streetlights twinkle below, like a old photograph of a Christmas tree.
    The Big Prayer was for Open-Heartedness this year. Unlike other years, I started with myself. I usually end with asking God to hear my personal prayer, but I was pretty annoyed with not being able to get up to Solstice Rock. Then that brought up some anger and disappointment regarding some friends and then some frustration with my family at Christmas Time and before I knew it, I wasn’t even walking up Tumamoc anymore but living in the blind illusion of my own expectations and thoughts. I became aware of my own insanity about halfway up Tumamoc and said loudly “God, help me be Open-Hearted to them!” Then I smiled and realized I had my Big Prayer. By the time I reached the summit I had prayed for Open-Heartedness for everyone from Catalina, who live just over there, to the Universe itself.
    I don’t want to leave. It’s so beautiful up here tonight. I take a deep breath and smile. Just a bit longer. The wind picks up, chilling me through my polar fleece. I pull down my Boo Boo hat to warm my ears. I breathe in deeply again. The smell of creosote and mesquite is on the wind, a scent created by yesterday’s rain. The Catalina Mountains loom to the north, capped with new snow.
    I feel very blessed. Very rich, with little cash in my pocket. Very loved, with no loved ones close by. Very fulfilled, with no personal accomplishments near me.
    Time to go. Catalina and I are going to do a bit of Christmas tonight, since I’ll be in Virginia for the holidays. Hope she likes the photograph of Laxmii I made for her.
    I stand, blow Tucson a big kiss, and then head down the hill to my truck.