Stu Jenks' Fezziwig Press: My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror

November 25, 2019

As the Holidays approach...

[Some new images for y'all as we approach the Holidays. By the way, if you want any fine art prints from me, it's best to order them before Dec. 16th. 8.5 x 11s are $40 plus shipping (around $50) and 13 x 19s are $80 plus shipping (around $100). All images on this website are for sale, they're signed, and printed to order. Just give me the title and I'll print them up for you.

Hope your weird uncle Charlie behaved himself at Thanksgiving, and I pray your Christmases and Holidays are filled with wonderful times with family and friends, and many joyous mysteries and blessed certainties.

P.S. I'm having an open house at my studio, where I'll be showing my wall sculpture/walking stick series "The Extended Family." Sunday, December 15th, 2019. Email, message, text or call me for directions.

Ho, ho, ho...

Stu

Posted at 07:24 PM in All Souls' Procession, Arizona, Art, Cactus, Christmas and Winter Solstice, Current Affairs, Earth Spirals, Fezziwig Press, Flora & Fauna, Home, Hope, Love, Marriage, Mountains, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, Photography, Prayer, Sky, Spirals, Stones, The Arizona Trail, The Border, The West, Travel | Permalink | Comments (0)

March 11, 2019

Cherry Picking Leviticus, as a pdf and as an ebook for only $2.00

My new book Cherry Picking Leviticus is available for only $2.00, at the Fezziwig Press store, both as an pdf and as an epub file. You can also buy other Stu stuff there as well.

And below are some recent images from me. Hope you like. Have a wonderful day, and keep the faith baby, however you do that.

Love and light, Stu.

"Nannie's Mirror: Town Creek Indian Mound, Mt. Gilead, North Carolina" (c) 2019 Stu Jenks. [This structure is a re-creation of the religious building that stood here centuries ago, so I wasn't damaging anything by placing my grandmother's mirror within its ropes. Quite a spiritual place to visit, with the creek over there, the temple up there on that mound and the woods all around. Check it out if you are in the area.]

"Deer Skull along the Ararat River, Virginia" (c) 2019 Stu Jenks. [I found this white-tailed deer skull on the other side of the river from where I took these photos, not far from the grave of J.E.B. Stuart's great-great-grandfather who was murdered (not killed in battle but murdered in his home by a Torie), during the Revolutionary War.

This pristine skull sat atop a tall bluff, near a rusty old Model A Ford car door, both I'm guessing washed down stream during hurricane flooding. It was just sitting, on some grass, like it had been placed there. A lovely and welcome surprise.

"House on Rt. 831, Virginia" (c) Stu Jenks 2019

"The grave of the poet Randall Jarrell, a Quaker Cemetery near Guilford College, Greensboro, North Carolina" (c) 2019 Stu Jenks. [Randall Jarrell's poetry inspired me to be a writer when I was in high school. And yes, I place those flowers there. RIP Randall.]

"Confederate Water Skiers, Mt. Airy, North Carolina" (c) 2019 Stu Jenks [A clandestine image capture of a postcard in a consignment store. Was I going to pay $10 for this creepy postcard? No freaking way.]

"Nannie's Mirror at Turn Four, looking down the front straightaway, Martinsville Motor Speedway, Martinsville, Virginia" (c) 2019 Stu Jenks. [Holy ground to you gear heads out there. And when they aren't racing, you can drive right up to the fence. I kid you not.)

"A Fatal Figure on the wall, after 40 years, Art Lab Building, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" (c) 2019 Stu Jenks [After all these years, it's still there. Then again, I did spray paint this onto a porous brick wall in 1978, but still.]

Posted at 11:31 AM in Ancestors, Art, Black & White Photography, Books, Business, Civil Rights, Clouds, Current Affairs, eBooks, Emotions, Faith, Fezziwig Press, Good Folk, Greensboro, NC, Highways, History, Hope, Humor, Love, Memoirs, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, Native People, Nature, Night Photography, North Carolina, On The Rez, Other Writers, Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Performance Art, Photography, Politics, Prayer, Rivers, Rocks, Sculpture, Spirituality, Stu Jenks, The Road, The Sky, The South, Trees, Trouble With The Law, Virginia, Weather, Wildlife | Permalink | Comments (0)

January 02, 2019

Two things I resolve to do in 2019...

Two things I resolve to do in 2019.

Stay sober. Stay alive.

Other things are of course important in my life: gainful employment, producing more income so I can support myself and my family; gradually getting out of the hole of debt; being sweet and loving to my beautiful wife; continue to make art, music and books; being kind and compassionate to my friends and family and even to those I do not like; being of service to my community and to the world; bringing social justice to my country, in my own small ways.

But without breath in my lungs, a heartbeat in my chest, and a head clear of mood-altering chemicals, none of the above is possible.

Stay sober. Stay alive.

It's really that simple sometimes.

"The Rev. Dr. William Barber II of the Poor People's Campaign, during the Watch Night Revival, Dec. 31st, 2018, at Pullen Baptist Church, in Raleigh, North Carolina" (c) 2018, 2019 Stu Jenks and The Poor People's Campaign.

Posted at 11:04 PM in Ancestors, Angel/Ghosts, Arizona, Art, Birds, Black & White Photography, Books, Canyons, Christmas and Winter Solstice, Churches, Civil Rights, Death, Earth Spirals, Emotions, Faith, Fezziwig Press, Fiction, Flora & Fauna, Forgiveness, Fun Facts, Good Folk, History, Love, Memoirs, Metaphysics, Money, Mountains, Nature, Nocturnal Photography, North Carolina, Photography, Politics, Raleigh, Religion, Science, Sepia, Sickness & Health, Snow, Spirituality, Stones, The Moon, The Poor, The Sky, The South, Travel, Trees, University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Virginia, Water, Women | Permalink | Comments (0)

November 02, 2018

Welcome to North Carolina.

Well, Alexa and I are here in North Carolina now. My studio is all set up upstairs. My art work hangs in the same house as a Rembrandt, an Utrillo and a Whistler. I'm looking for fuller employment. Alexa has a job she likes. I'm getting my bearings around town. Beautiful town, beautiful wife. I'm loving this small city of Greensboro.

My new P.O. Box is 10583, Greensboro, NC 27404. Email, phone, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, my store, my bandcamp, my patreon, all the same. Fezziwig Press is back open for business.

And look for my 14th book for sale later this month.

Cherry Picking Leviticus (Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Vol. 2). Here's the cover for the premium paperback. It'll also be available as an affordable ebook.

I'll keep you post on it's release. You'll have it in your hot little hands by Christmas. Promise.

And vote on Tuesday, November 6th, my birthday. Give me the gift I really want. A Democratic U.S. House of Representatives, no Republican super majority in the North Carolina General Assembly, and good Progressives down ballot in many states.

Below are some recent images.

Have a great Autumn.

And keep hope alive.

Posted at 05:34 PM in Arizona, Art, Beachs, Birds, Black & White Photography, Books, Callanish, Canyons, Christmas and Winter Solstice, Churches, Clouds, Current Affairs, Deserts, eBooks, Family, Fezziwig Press, Flora & Fauna, Forgiveness, Good Folk, Highways, Installations, Los Angeles, Love, Mountains, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, Nature, North Carolina, Other Artists, People, Photography, Pictorialist Photography, Prayer, Relationships, Religion, San Francisco, Sand, Sculpture, Sex, Sky, The Border, The Four Directions, The Moon, The Road, The Sky, The South, Travel, Trees, Tucson, Valleys | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 26, 2018

"A Chair in the Wilderness" is coming...

Above image: "Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, After The Flood, Sonoran Desert National Monument, Arizona" (c) Stu Jenks 2018

A Chair in the Wilderness, my 15th book, is coming. Like my previous tomes, there will be semi-iconic photographs of rocking chairs and such, but unlike my other books, this one will be purposefully funny. And political. And spiritual. And a little sad. But witty and funny is what we are going for, like a dark chuckle in the night from a wounded man while the civilized world burns. Fun stuff. Trump stuff. Good times.

The dedication for ACITW is probably going to be a quote from my good friend Karen Hardy from the Northern Neck of Virginia. We were talking on the phone a while back, mostly about how her mother Victoria was doing, when, as I recall, I talked about how I perhaps cared too much regarding what other people think of me, and that I'm more than a little sensitive to art criticism from strangers on the internet.

Then Karen spoke this chestnut:

"They talked about Jesus Christ, Stu. They are going to talk about you and me, too."

Look for A Chair in the Wilderness before Christmas, wherever you buy your books.

Love you guys,

Stu.

(P.S. below are some images from the past couple of months and some older ones. If you have an questions, don't hesitate to call. Or email. Or tweet. Or message me. Or heaven forbid, talk to me, face to face, like they used to do back In Olden Days. Don't lose hope, y'all. Resist.)

Posted at 09:47 PM in Ancestors, Arizona, Art, Babies, Black & White Photography, Books, Business, California, Canyons, Current Affairs, Dying, Emotions, Fezziwig Press, Forgiveness, Good Folk, Grand Canyon, Home, Hope, Humor, Love, Medium Format, Metaphysics, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, National Parks, Nature, Night Photography, Nocturnal Photography, Oklahoma, Politics, Prairies, Prayer Towers, Rivers, Rocks, Spirituality, Stars, Stu Jenks, The Arizona Trail, The Border, The Road, The Sky, Tucson, Valleys | Permalink | Comments (0)

July 14, 2017

Recent images...and a snippet from the upcoming Christmas album

All image rights are for sale along with fine art prints, personally printed by me. I don't do internet third-party printing, because they pretty much suck. Hard contrast, poor quality control, blacks are too black. All prints signed. All image rights reasonably priced.

Hope you enjoy these images and look for new releases from Fezziwig Press: a new photography book, Nannie's Mirror (My Family Owed Slaves) and a new music CD, Snow: A Christmas Album, both in the Fall of 2017. A free download from Snow is at the bottom of this post.

Images from Robert E. Lee's tomb at Washington and Lee University, Lexington, Virginia (c) 2017 Stu Jenks (And I hate racism, sexism, violence and slavery, but I'm a Virginian and a part of me will always love Robert E. Lee. He denounced slavery soon after the Civil War, but yes, he did fight on the wrong side of things, but later in life, he knew it and regretted it.)

New images for the book, Nannie's Mirror (My Family Owed Slaves), to be released October 1st, 2017.

From top to bottom:

"Newspaper Rock, Utah", "Four Corners Area, Utah", "The Needles, Canyonlands National Park, Utah", "Hovenweep National Monument, Utah", "Arches National Park, Utah", "Delicate Arch, Arches National Park, Utah", "Confluence Trail, The Needles, Canyonlands National Park, Utah." and "Four Corners Monument, Navajo Reservation, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

And a ton of Nannie's Mirror images can be found on this website. Just hit the button on the left marked "Nannie's MIrror".

And below is a track from my soon-to-be-released Christmas album, Snow. The piece is called Nogales Christmas Eve Snow Waltz.

Hopefully this pensive music will provide some Summer comfort to you. As the old Southern expression goes: "Sad music makes you happy, and happy music makes you sad". Enjoy, y'all.

Nogales Christmas Eve Snow Waltz (Jenks); a free download from Stu

Posted at 06:39 PM in Angel/Ghosts, Arizona, Art, Atmospheric Music, Black & White Photography, Books, Canyons, Cds, Current Affairs, Fezziwig Press, Flora & Fauna, Love, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, Nocturnal Photography, North Carolina, People, Politics, Sculpture, Sky, Spirals, Stu Jenks, The Four Directions, The Poor, The Road, The West, Travel, Trees, Tucson, Valleys, Virginia, Washington, DC, Women | Permalink | Comments (0)

June 20, 2017

It's a 110 in Gila Bend. In Buckeye, it's a 102. Summer's here and I just can't find a way to stop loving you...

It's a 112 in the shade in Tucson right now, and I'm almost done the initial recordings of my Snow album, an Christmas/Winter Solstice CD of original ambient and instrumental pieces. I'm keeping the music under wraps for now, but here are some images for the front and back covers of Snow and other winter images too. Visual air-conditioning, don't you think? Also below are some other photographs from the last month or so.

Snow will be available on CDbaby, Bandcamp and iTunes in early Fall. It'll also be available as a physical Hi-Fi CD as well. It's coming along nicely I think. A very odd experience recording Christmas music when it's 112 outside. Living the life in the Sonoran high desert.

"It's a 110 in Gila Bend. In Buckeye, it's a 102. Summer's here and I just can't find a way to stop loving you..." - Heatstroke by Dusty Chaps.

Images from the recent Dragoon Fire, Dragoon Mountains, Arizona. (c) Stu Jenks 2017

[Needless to say, the photo images of Mr. Marshall's work is not for sale. Not from me at least. All other images and rights of my work are, as always, for sale. Needless to say too.]

The books Nannie's Mirror and A Chair In The Wilderness are at the book designers now. Expect them to be released, as hardbounds and as ebooks, in the early Fall too.

"1960's Postcard, Washington Monument, D.C." Photographer Unknown. Image Capture by Stu Jenks.

Stay cool and hydrated out there folk. It's a hot one.

Posted at 05:12 PM in Arizona, Atmospheric Music, Books, Business, Canyons, Cds, Christmas and Winter Solstice, Current Affairs, Earth Spirals, Fire, Music, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, Other Artists, Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Rocks, The Arizona Trail, The Road, Tucson, Valleys, Weather | Permalink | Comments (0)

May 08, 2017

From the road, south, east, and west...

[One of the best images from my trip south I think, because you can make up your own story about this woman and this chair. Mystery and magic are good things in art and in life.]

[John B. was largely unbanked, and had much hidden gold or so folks thought. I couldn't find his small headstone, but I think John would have found this image amusing, given his views on God, the financial markets, and the world at large. Rest in peace, John B.]

[I worked as a magician at Tweetsie Railroad, near Boone, in 1981. I lived in a mice-infested house just up the hill from Noah and Effie's graves. My old house is still there, looking about the same. Still kinda shitty.]

[Note to those wanting to be professional landscape photographers: Sit in one spot and wait for the light to come to you, and take tons of images. I took around 30 images to get the desired depth of field and to get those green pine needles in the mirror in proper focus. It just takes time, like all good things.]

[A rare moment at the Lincoln Memorial, when there wasn't a ton of people. Perhaps it was because it was late in the day and raining. One of my favorite spots in the District. Fun fact: My mother saw them building the Memorial when she was a child, living just across the river in Alexandria.]

[I bought these silk flowers at a Walmart in Oklahoma expressly for my mother's grave. My mother liked the color purple for it was the color of royalty. Been thinking many kind thoughts about my deceased, very complex mother. She was mostly a pain in the neck, don't you know, but she taught me some wonderful things when I was a kid, and frankly, she, along with her mother Nannie, were the only family members who gave a damn about Little Stu. Fun fact: Mary gave me $30,000 in 2008, before she got sick, so I could quit my day job and be a photographer and a writer full time. It was 10% of her worth at the time. That was very generous. The money is gone now but it gave me a very good kick start. Rest in peace, Mary. The Nannie's Mirror series is now as much about you as it is about your mother.]

[Was this image photoshopped? You bet your sweet bippie it was.]

[An incredibly tragic thing happened here. Google it and read all about it. Ghosts wander these plains.]

[I trespassed and spent all of ten minutes at John's house. The property is now owned by the man who owns K3 Lumber. K3. Get it? A very strong unwelcoming vibe was all around me, both at the house and all throughout the town. I'm guessing they has all heard the S-Town podcast by now. The property felt especially haunted and I don't use that word lightly. Everything is gone from John's house and his clock workshop. I didn't even go searching for the hedge maze, I was that spooked. I said a prayer for John, took photos of a lonely wooden chair on the porch and the three old chimneys and made my exit. As I drove away, I blew a kiss at the South Forty Trailer Park sign and made my way to the Cahaba River. Rest in peace, John B. and much love to all the folks in Shit Town, the good, the bad and the in-between.]

Posted at 07:28 PM in Alabama, Angel/Ghosts, Art, Birds, Black & White Photography, Blues, Buildings, Clouds, Current Affairs, Dying, Emotions, Flora & Fauna, Good Folk, Highways, History, Hope, Love, Mary Jenks, Money, My Grandmother Nannie's Mirror, Nannie's Mirror, National Parks, Nature, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Other Artists, Pamela Jenks, Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Rivers, Sexuality, Sickness & Health, Sky, Spirituality, The Poor, The Road, The Sky, The South, Travel, Trees, Trouble With The Law, Virginia, Water, Women | Permalink | Comments (0)

April 27, 2017

From the road, east and south...

"Oklahoma, Rt. 66" (c) 2107 Stu Jenks.

"Tears For America" by Mark Hewill, Pittsboro, North Carolina. Photograph by Stu Jenks.

"Sea Dog by Andrew Wyeth", North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina. Photograph by Stu Jenks

"Side Porch Pot by Mark Hewitt", Pittsboro, North Carolina" Photograph by Stu Jenks.

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Little Rock Central High, Arkansas" (c) 2107 Stu Jenks.

"Charlotte Skyline from Grandfather Mountain by Hugh Morton" North Carolina Museum of History, Raleigh, North Carolina. Photograph of a photograph by Stu Jenks.