Stu Jenks' Fezziwig Press

Sarah Spencer and Charlsie Dickson

"Sarah Spencer, Ashe County, North Carolina" (c) image capture 2021 Stu Jenks.

 

"Charlsie Dickson, Ashe County, North Carolina" (c) image capture Stu Jenks 2020.

 

On Joe Thomas Road, not far from my wife's family farm, is an small cemetery. Atop a hill, surrounded by mountain pastures and farm land, this cemetery is a lovely spot to stop, walk, and look around.

I've walked the grounds a couple of times. The first time in 2020, I found little Charlsie's portrait, her having died in 1926 at age 8.

A few weeks ago, I found Sarah's grave. Unfortunately, I did not photograph her whole stone so I don't precisely know when she died and how old she was, but I recall she was in her 30's and she also died in the early 20th century.

I'm struck by Sarah's beauty and her passionate intelligent eyes. Speaking of eyes, and I may be projecting here, but Charslie looks so sad. Sweet and sad. But that could be my 21st century prejudices.

One thing I do know is the survivors pay for the grave stones. You can tell Charslie's parents loved her very much, enough to spend the money for a ceramic photo plaque. Those were not cheap, nor were the stones themselves. And Sarah's husband purchased a very fine stone too, and got a photo plaque made of her beautiful face.

Now I'm guessing here. I can see Sarah's husband visiting her grave often just to see her face. She was stunning with smart and kind eyes. I'm sure he missed her a lot. I can see why.

Off to the Zoom Room factory...

Off to the Zoom Room factory. It's all about from the waist up. The COVID mullet: Business from the waist up, party below the belt.

Alexa took these images. I did a little post-production fiddling afterwards.

Alexa also mentioned to me yesterday that it's hard to find my store from a Google search. You can easily find my digital stuff like my music and ebooks but not so much the hold-in-your-hands stuff. If you want to buy my real live books, CDs and prints, or want inexpensive epubs and pdfs of my books, or you just want to donate to the cause that is the Jenks, click on this link. For image rights licensing, email me or call me instead. ([email protected]). If you want to give to my Paypal account, use my email address too. For wall pieces and walking sticks sales, contact me via email or phone.

Beside the high humidity of the Southern summers killing us, money being tight, and global warming making storms more violent and prevalent now, Alexa and I are just fine.

Grateful we are, one day at a time, just to be here together on the planet.

Bottom image is a selfie of Alexa, taken a while back. Just so you know what the photographer looks like. I love my wife.

Elvis is leaving the building... (and cherry picking Leviticus)

Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Catalina State Park, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Come late September, I will have relocated myself, my wife and my business to North Carolina. My P.O. box here in Tucson will still be the snail mail way to get in touch with me. (P.O. Box 161, Tucson, Arizona 85702). My email, phone, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, my store, my bandcamp, my patreon, will all be the same. Ordering prints and books will be iffy for a while but I'll do my best during the time of transition.

And look for my 14th book for sale in November.

Cherry Picking Leviticus (Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Vol. 2).

It'll be available as a premium trade paperback and as a affordable e-book. Below is the preface to the book.

Anywho, see you on the flip side from the Piedmont of North Carolina. Wish me luck as I drive a Penske truck across the country. And don't forget to register to vote and cast your ballot in November. It's the most important election of our lifetimes.

Resist. Impeach. Pray. Renew.

Shooting Star/North Star, Almond Grove, California (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

The Ghost At A Distance, Coalmine Canyon, Hopi/Navajo Rez, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Coalmine Canyon, Hopi/Navajo Rez, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, The Painted Desert, Navajo Rez, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

God's Filling Station, Mammoth, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Guard Shack, Christmas Mine, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Vollis Simpson Whirligig, North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Five-Hour Star Circle, Navajo National Monument, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Self Portrait with the PBRC, Coalmine Canyon, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Alexa Jenks, Sonoita, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks.

Stu Jenks, Sonoita, Arizona (c) Alexa Jenks 2018

Navajo Horseman, Coalmine Canyon, Hopi/Navajo Rez, Arizona (c) 2018 Stu Jenks

 

 

 

“Let’s All Be Sweet.”
- Alexa McColl Smith Jenks

 

 

Preface by Stu Jenks

Cherry Picking Leviticus is my fifteenth book. Like my previous tomes, there are some semi-iconic photographs and such, but unlike my other books, this one is purposefully funny. And political. And spiritual. And a little sad. But funny is what we are mostly going for here, like a raspy chuckle in the night from a wounded man while the civilized world burns down around him.

Dark stuff. Fun stuff. Good times.

The dedication for Cherry Picking Leviticus is a quote from my good friend Karen Hardy who lives in the Northern Neck of Virginia. We were talking on the phone a while back, mostly about how her mother Victoria was doing, when I mentioned how I perhaps care too much regarding what other people think, and that I'm more than a little sensitive to snarky art criticism from strangers on the internet.

Then Karen spoke this chestnut:

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

 

 

From the road, east and south...

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

 

"Nannie's Mirror, The Arboretum, University Of North Carolina at Chapel Hill" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Eno River, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, The Haw River, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Nannie's Mirror, 85-Year-Old Maple Tree, The Old Courtney Farm, Lancaster County, Virginia" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Nannie's Mirror, Harley Jenks, The Vietnam War Memorial, Washington, D.C." (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair [with Guiseppe Panone's sculpture 'Stone and Elm'], North Carolina Museum of Art, Raleigh, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, North Carolina Museum of Art, Art Park, Raleigh, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Pittsboro, North Carolina" (c) 2017 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.

 

"Playful Newborn Colt, Lancaster County, Virginia" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

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

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Memphis, Tennessee" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Why Not, North Carolina" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Pamela's Baby Rocking Chair, Merry Point Ferry, Lancaster County, Virginia" (c) 2017 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.

 

"Nakayama Canyon, Hida by Kawase Hasui", Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks. Photograph by Stu Jenks.

 

"Night by John Stanhope", Virginia Museum of Fine Art, Richmond, Virginia" Photograph by Stu Jenks.

 

"Trees by Milton Avery", The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C., Photography by Stu Jenks.

 

"The Wake of The Ferry by John Sloan", The Phillips Collections, Washington, D.C. Photograph by Stu Jenks.

 

"Nannie's Mirror, at the feet of Rodin's Balzac, Hirchhorn Museum, Washington, D.C." (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Nannie's Mirror, at the Brown vs Board of Education Monument, Virginia State Capitol Building, Richmond, Virginia" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks.

 

"Nannie's Mirror, Cold Harbor Civil War Battlefield, Virginia" (c) 2017 Stu Jenks. [Assisted by Alexa Smith]

 

 

"The Saum Children"

"The Saum Children, Virginia" (c) 1930?, 2012, Earl Saum?, Stu Jenks

From left to right: Mary Saum Jenks, Courtney Saum, Nan Saum Haddad, Virginia Saum Edmonds.

Thanks to Becky Edmonds for find the photo and for her friend for image-capturing the original photograph. I desaturated, cropped, cleaned and fiddled with the file I recieved from my cousin.

This was taken at the Saum Farm outside of Alexandria, Virginia. From what my mother told me, this was not a happy time. Earl Saum, her father, was a violent alcoholic who would beat poor Courtney to an inch of his life in front of the entire family. Often. Very Often. The Saum kids were not happy or maybe just Mom wasn't, but I'm guessing everyone was scared.

My mother would occasionally exaggerate. Her unhappy childhood I don't believe was something she was hyperbolic about. Notice how all the children are standing at attention, how only one is smiling, how none are holdling hands. They were frightened of the photographer, their dad. A striking photograph of my family.

Mary Jenks died a year ago on July 7th, 2011. Rest in peace, Mom. Your ashes rest beside your husband's and behind your daughter's. And your son's ashes will be there someday.

"The Jenks in 1971"

"The Jenks in 1971" (c) ???, 1971 and Stu Jenks, 2012

Found this in my mother's wallet. Was taken at some photo studio in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1971. I was 16 or 17, Pamela was around 21, Dad was 49ish, and Mary was in her early 40's.

I put this up on the StuBlog primarily to show that my sister was once quite the pretty woman. Those horned-rimmed glasses though don't help my parents' looks, and sweet Jesus, did I have terrible teeth back then with the braces and such or what? Yikes. And my long hair just drove my Dad nuts. This was 1971 in the South, you know. And no, I don't know exactly why I decided to part my hair on the right, making a big blob of hairishness. My guess it was I knew if I parted it in the middle, my father and I would come to blows.

But wasn't Pamela a pretty girl?

And i did fiddle with this image a little, but I don't believe in photoshopping away the cracks and lost paper in old photos. They are the lovely scars of time in pictures. And yes, this once was a color photo. Guess it wasn't printed on archival paper (chuckles).

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.

 

"Unknown Parisian Photographer"

"Unknown Parisian Photographer" (c) 1900, 2011 Anonymous & Stu Jenks

[This small photograph of what looks like a man biting into a bagette in Paris at the turn-of-the-century was for sale at an anonymous art gallery in San Francisco for $4,800. $5,161 with SF city sales tax. Or you could buy a high-end 17" 2.2 GHz MacBook Pro for $2,500, two 64GB IPad for $700 each and have plenty left over for dinner at The Tonga Room at the Fairmont Hotel. My guess is a lot of rich people are chosing the gear and dinner these days, instead of one very odd, very expensive photograph.]

"Stu at Golden Gate Park"

"Stu at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California" (c) Cathy Spann & Stu Jenks 2011

"Mary's Reflection In Apples"

"Mary's Reflection In Apples, Tucson, Arizona" (c) 2011 Stu Jenks