The Infant King Limited Edition Giclee Print.

A print edition of my first tintype is now available on Etsy at my PaulNitscheArt shop for $35.00.

The Infant King- Limited Edition Giclee Print on Photo Rag Paper of Original Tintype, copyright 2021.

This is an unframed 9 x 11.5” giclee print of an original 8 x 10” tintype, limited to 35 prints.

Of an original 2021 sculpture, the tintype was made using my large format Korona View Camera and 1860s Darlot lens. The chemical clouding, imperfections, and dust artifacts are a natural part of the tintype process and, in fact, adds to its visual interest.

The giclee prints were printed by Picture Salon in Madison, WI, to my specifications and are signed and numbered. Great care was taken to match the colors and proportions of the original tintype.

Included with the print is a signed and numbered letterpress printed certificate by Flying Rabbit Press in Madison, WI, featuring an embossed Infant King skull. This paper of authenticity and an artist illustrated giclee print care instructions are bound in silk ribbon with an Infant King wax stamped seal.

Tintype Darkroom

I’m excited to share my finished darkroom, created in order to pursue my interest in making tintypes. This has been a long time in the making and I’m excited it’s finally finished. I hope you enjoy seeing how this room was put together.

In 2000, I bought an 1895 church to make into a home and studio. The room that was recently turned into the darkroom was originally the men’s basement bathroom. This picture was taken when I was first looking at the building for purchase.

In January 2022, work began on the bathroom to become a darkroom. The first step was to remove some of the concrete to add a new floor and sink drain. The field stone walls are the original outside foundation of the church, where an addition was added around part of the foundation in the 1960s. The brickwork in the upper center of the picture is a remnant of the original chimney, no longer in existence.

This room will be a  darkroom for several years, after which I will move the darkroom to another location in the building. In planning this remodel, I am also thinking how this room will return to being a half bath at some point in the future.

For about two years, I had been looking for a used darkroom sink. The rare ones I occasionally came across were the wrong size or in poor condition. I even drew up plans to have one custom made by a local metal fabricator, but that went nowhere. Eventually, I learned that Regal/Arkay are still in business in Milwaukee, WI, and in driving distance from where I live. A new sink seemed like a luxury, but I didn’t really have another option. Customer Service at Regal/Arkay  helped me find a product for my needs and in April 2022, I drove to their very unassuming building to pick up my darkroom sink with support stand.

The original 1960s single pane window was at a questionable height and position within the room. In August 2022, a new double hung window was added, centered in the wall.

After the outside wall was framed out and insulated, and wiring completed, new drywall was hung on the walls and ceiling in August 2022.

I took a break to work on some other projects for nearly a year. In July 2023, I began work on the darkroom again. Where the drywall met the stone walls, I really took my time getting a neat clean edge.

After the painting was finished, new lighting and a robust vent was installed.

For the crown molding to follow a straight path, I had to remove some portions of the field stone foundation wall. The above photo shows my rough chisel marks which I then followed with a bush hammer for a smoother, naturally worked finish.

Once I finished the crown molding, I shaped additional rock pieces to add into the larger spaces between the trim and wall.

All remaining gaps between the stone wall and trim were filled with a color matched tuckpointing. I purposely kept my work loose to match the original work on the wall.

The floor was tiled in October 2023. Great care was taken by the installer to follow the live edge of the stone wall.

Once the floor was in, I began upon the remaining trim work. I stained, finished, and did the trim carpentry for the base boards and door.

To block out the remaining light from the door, a custom curtain was made. The curtain is stored on the wall to the right of the door when not in use.

Also in October 2023, Regal/Arkay the darkroom sink was installed.

The window was made lightproof and a simple box with shelves was made to fit the window space for storage.

The floor was covered with a protective mat, which will hopefully guard the tiles from the occasional chemical spill. To maximize space, I created a folding table that can be placed over the toilet when the darkroom is in use. The table can then be folded onto itself and stored in the slot in the workbench.

The cabinet I made to cover the drainpipe was in part made with FRP for water resistance.

In July 2024, I finally finished the remaining FRP sink cabinetry and installed red LED rope lighting for a safe light. Now on to making plates!

Crossing Swords Tintype in Black and White Magazine

My second tintype, Crossing Swords, was included in the special issue of Black and White photography magazine as part of their 2023 Single Image Contest Winners. Currently available where magazines are sold, it is Issue 165, April 2024, and I’m on page 208. My many thanks for all at Black and White for including me, and I especially like that they used my image to begin their Mindscape/Surrealism section.

Pulling a Torch From the Sky Book Cover

Through my relationship with author JM White and the William Gay Archive, I was asked to do the book covers and design for his latest project on the life of Radical Dzogchen Buddhism teacher and scholar Keith Dowman. Author of many books on Buddhism himself, Mr. Dowman has lived a unique life.

From Amazon: Keith Dowman's life has been totally unconventional, and his role as an unorthodox master of Tibetan dharma has been recognized by traditional lamas and their adepts. He began as a pilgrim, became a translator, then a peripatetic teacher and finally a lineage holder. The Tibetans acknowledge Keith's role in the lineage of Drukpa Kunley in which the teacher appears as a traveler on the road, independent from institutions or ceremonial conventions. These are not the tulkus or the geshes; these are the wisdom holders, the divine madmen, the itinerant yogis, perpetually traveling, teaching, and writing.
Keith's teachings draw on his many translations and his extensive reading of Tibetan Dzogchen philosophy. He is strikingly unadorned and one hundred percent himself. He is sharp, deep, humble, transparent and unwaveringly confident in his view of Radical Dzogchen. He has no institutional links, so there cannot be any institutional lineage or formal certification. There will be no transfer of a "title" in a formal ceremony. As Keith has stated, "It will be a matter of simply pulling the torch out of the sky".

Watercolor was used for the landscape and sky, as well as the Tibetan styled clouds. The blue skinned being, Samantabhadra, was painted using acrylic. The circular torch design was sculpted and made into resin, then gilded in gold leaf. All the elements were photographed by William Lemke and separated digitally, which allowed me to collage them together in a precise way with any typography.

Thank you to JM White and Anomolaic Press for the opportunity.

Buy on Amazon

Illustration for Awildan Pub Ale

For the collaborative Spring beer release from Awildan Distilling and Karben4 Brewing, I did a Celtic/Irish variation of the Awildan Distilling animal crest. It’s opportunities like this that allow me to research and draw different images than what I usually would do. It’s been so enjoyable to look at historical Celtic art and see how I can translate it.

For the Awildan Pub Ale, I drew the circular knotted crest, as well as the corner knot ornaments and little beast heads. Label design by Aislinn Bartholomay. This was a limited release to pair with Awildan’s Poitin, an Irish-style Single Pot Still Whiskey.

Crossing Swords

Crossing swords, my second tintype, was sculpted over the summer and fall of 2021, and finally photographed a year later on July 31, 2022. During the time of its creation, I was thinking about union, division, and civil war. The skeletons were fabricated out of Epoxy Sculpt, resin, and acrylic paint. The miniature sword props were made from steel, aluminum, wood, and acrylic paint. The Hoplite sword was chosen for its graceful leaf shaped blade and Greek origins. Greece, being the cradle of democracy.

The sculpture was photographed with my 8x10 Korona View camera and Darlot barrel lens, Paris, FR, circa 1860. Invaluable assistance was again provided by photographer Eric Baillies, who opened his studio, darkroom, and collodion skills to me.

Crossing Swords
2022. 8x10.
Tintype of an original sculpture. Photographed with an 1860s Darlot lens.

Awildan Distilling

I am excited to finally be able to share a project that has been years in the making. In 2018, I was approached by Jeff Olson, head brewer of Karben4 Brewing, to help produce the branding for a new distillery that he wanted to create, Awildan (ah-WILL-den). Jeff had a few rough sketches and a vision for the themes and look he wanted. What followed was an enjoyable back and forth of ideas between the two of us, refining and elaborating the look of the distillery.

Once the emblem logo design was solidified, I sculpted it out of wood and epoxy resin. I then made a silicone mold of the sculpture, and produced a wax version for the bronze foundry. The bronze was poured at Art Casting of Illinois, with cleaning, refinement, and liver of sulfur patina by me. In late 2019, the final sculpture was photographed by Bill Lemke.

During this time Jeff and I were also working to create the typography logo for Awildan. While we referenced many styles of historical type, we wanted the distillery’s logo to be a unique font. My final hand drawn type incorporates a Celtic knot and hammer of Thor into the design.

In the summer of 2020, I produced a silver version of the emblem by making a resin copy and carefully silver leafing all the sculptural elements. The silver version was also photographed by Bill Lemke.

Due to the pandemic, the distillery experienced delays but eventually started production in December 2021. The first release is a genever, a distilled single malt spirit with juniper and other natural flavors. At the same time Jeff and Karben4 Brewing released a collaborative limited edition Wyrtian Ale, a beer brewed with Angelica root, juniper and coriander. For the Awildan bottle, my sculpture was made into a vector image for the embossed silver foil label. The bottle really looks beautiful in person, and label designer Aislinn Bartholomay did a fantastic job.

I’ve always wanted to be involved in a project like this, and I cannot understate how fun it is to see my illustration and typography not only on bottles, but on merchandise, ranging from glassware to clothing. The releases by Karben4 are an unexpected bonus, as they are one of my favorite Wisconsin breweries. The spirits I’ve tasted so far have been extraordinary, and I can’t wait to see how the distillery grows with the ideas and creative palate of Jeff Olson.

We have future plans for me to give the individual spirit bottles unique illustrations. Jeff and I have already been talking ideas about what is to come. Cheers, everyone!

Awildan.com

The Infant King

In late 2019 I began researching the possibility of doing tintypes using the original techniques developed in the 1850s. Having long been a collector of antique photographs, and I’ve tried to emulate their look in some of my design and illustration work. Over the last couple of years, I have slowly aquired the necessary antique gear and the right people to show me the techniques. The ongoing assistance and guidance of Eric Baillies and Anton Orlov make this new exploration possible. Without them I would be lost. This body of work is coming along slowly, but I am excited by it’s possibilities. I’m currently building a darkroom, and that will help accelerate the making of images.

My camera is an 8x10 Korona View, by the Seebold Invisible Camera Co., Rochester, NY, circa 1920s. I have several lenses, but the one I am most excited about is the oldest, a Darlot barrel lens, Paris, FR, circa 1860.

The Infant King is my first tintype. The figure is a sculpture fabricated by me out of Epoxy Sculpt, resin, silver leaf, and acrylic paint. It is a portrait of a figure in power who speaks lies to his trusting followers, showing them a different face as it suits his needs, corrupting their own truths and values for his own end.

The tintype was shot at Eric Baillies’ studio on May 29-31, 2021. Many thanks to him for his patience and willingness to share.

Available for purchase at my Etsy shop, is a print edition of this image, as well as three alternative takes.

The Infant King
2021. 8x10.
Tintype of an original sculpture. Photographed with an 1860s Darlot lens.

Stories from the Attic Published

The final book from the William Gay Archive has been released. What began as This Ride Ain’t Over Yet, an early attempt at collecting posthumous short works, Stories from the Attic contains previously unpublished short stories, memoirs, and fragments. The book includes a preface by JM White, and concludes with a question and answer with the team of editors that have worked on the publication, including myself.

Stories from the Attic is a wonderful closure to a decade of working on the posthumous works of a great author and man. The project has been one of the unexpected honors of my life. I will be forever grateful to Michael White and William’s family for letting me contribute as much as I did.

Rest well, William.

From Dzanc Books:

“From a celebrated master of the Southern Gothic comes a last collection of hard-hitting short fiction, his final posthumous work.

Beloved for his novels Twilight, The Long Home, and The Lost Country and his groundbreaking collection I Hate to See That Evening Sun Go Down, William Gay returns with one final posthumous collection of short stories, adapted from the archive found after his death in February 2012. In addition to previously unpublished short stories, Stories from the Attic includes fragments from two of the unpublished novels that were works in progress at the time of his death.

Marked by his signature skill and bare-knuckled insight, this collection is a must-read for William Gay devotees and fans of Southern short fiction.”

$26.95

Publication Date: July 17, 2022
Hardcover: 348 pages
ISBN: 9781950539451

Order from Dzanc Books HERE.

Fugitives of the Heart Published

I’m proud to have helped edit the last posthumous novel by William Gay, Fugitives of the Heart. It has been published by The University of West Alabama’s Livingston Press and is currently available at their store or at Amazon.

Buy on Amazon

With this writing, William Gay has offered admirable homage to Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn. Marion Yates, a teenage orphan, is taken in by an ex-schoolteacher named Black Crowe. The boy in turn cares for Crowe when he is temporarily disabled by a dynamite blast. Every hardscrabble thing we have come to expect from Gay lies in this novel, including an offbeat and dark humor. With a forward by Sonny Brewer and afterward by JM White.

The William Gay Archive’s own Dawn Major has written an excellent review of the book herself for the Southern Literary Review.

The Fetal Crown

Figure Twenty Two.-The Fetal Crown
2018. 15.5”h x 9”w x 9”d.
Human fetal tibias and ulnas, Bronze, Mahogany, Resin, Blown glass, Gold Leaf, Silk, Acrylic, Hardware.

A crown of leaves upon the crown of the head. The cross of mending fetal skull plates and the crossing of bones. Youth and death, the echos within life.

Custom bell jar by Richard Jones at Studio Paran.

Front view

Back view

Side view

Detail of front view

Detail of side view

2019 DUMA Biennial

I’m excited to announce that my sculpture Experientia Nostra Ossiferous has been accepted into the Dubuque Museum of Art’s 2019 Biennial. The exhibition runs from May 18 to September 8, 2019, with the reception and awards ceremony on June 7, 2019, 5-8pm. I’ll be there for the opening and look forward to talking about my work.

Many thanks to juror Sarah Humphreville, senior curatorial assistant at the Whitney Museum of American Art, and Stacy Peterson, associate curator at DuMA.

Experientia Nostra Ossiferous

Illustration for Skryptor's Luminous Volumes

It was a pleasure to return to black and white pen and ink illustration for my contribution to the band Skryptor’s Luminous Volumes record and book set. I did a two page spread for author Maria Gabriele Baker’s short story Slaughterhouse Vision. For a while now, Aqua Lamb Records have been releasing illustrated books that accompany the music releases, and I love the idea.

Skryptor is a NYC trio featuring members of craw, Dazzling Killmen, and STATS. Luminous Volumes is the band’s debut album in a joint venture between renowned record labels Skin Graft, Sleeping Giant Glossolalia, and Aqualamb.

The record is available in vinyl, CD, and digital formats, along with a deluxe, illustrated, 100-page book featuring original horror stories curated by Skryptor bassist David McClelland. I got my advance copy of the book and it is a wonderful addition to the brilliant music.

View fullsize

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Nocturne Group Show at Abel Contemporary

I’m currently included in the Nocturne group show at Abel Contemporary Gallery.

My 2015 lithographic paper doll piece The Somnambulist is on display.

The show runs from January 11 - March 3, 2019.

From the gallery website:
”As we emerge from the darkest days of the year, we reflect on the beauty and serenity of night. Artists in a variety of media create works based on this ephemeral time of day. “

The Somnambulist. 2015. 7.5” w x 10.5” h. Lithography, Acrylic, Bristol paper, Silk.

Three Person Show at Quad City Arts Airport Gallery

The gallery inside the airport is a beautiful space and I welcome the opportunity to exhibit nine sculptures, ranging from 2014 -2018. The space is a formal contemporary design, with more than 1,600 square feet of floor-to-ceiling glass cases. Nearly one million visitors view the artwork here annually. The show will be up from January 3 to February 28, 2019.

Upon entering the Quad City International Airport, the Art @ the Airport Gallery lies just across from the gift shop and restaurant and before the security check point. The exhibition space never closes and parking is only a dollar.

View a map for driving directions to the Quad City International Airport. For more information, visit the Quad City International Airport website.

Below are some pictures of setting up the show. Please note the lighting had not yet been finalized.

Case 1:

To Stand Alone in Witness, The Ephemeral Knot, Of Skin and Coiled Shell

Case 2:

Quod Somniare Ossis, Experienta Nostra Ossiferous, The Fetal Crown

Case 2:

Quod Somniare Ossis, Experienta Nostra Ossiferous, The Fetal Crown

Case 3:

The Marrow Feeders, Ossis Fateor Memoria, Effigy Fragment I

If You Only Knew Exhibition

My sculpture Experientia Nostra Ossiferous will be exhibited for the first time at the Freeport Art Museum in the If You Only Knew show.

From the shows announcement:
Have you ever looked at a piece of art and wished you could talk to the artist to better understand what you were seeing? What stories lie behind art and what exactly does it all mean? If that's the case, If You Only Knew may be the exhibition for you. Beginning on September 8th, viewers have the rare opportunity to discover truths behind one of a kind works of art from the artists themselves. From what originated as a 5 week group exhibition showcased at the Old Court House Arts Center located in Woodstock, IL, FAM is proud to present this intriguing exhibition. If You Only Knew breaks down the barriers between artist and viewer through letters personally written by each artist. Steeped in mystery and surprise, these letters hold the key to unlocking revelations about each artist and the work they have created. Whether funny, heartfelt, shocking, or private, it is up to the visitors to discover what lies behind the art displayed before them. Who knows what mysteries await?

The exhibition opening will be on 5-8 pm September 8, 2018 and the show will run to November 3, 2018. I will be there at the opening and look forward to discussing my sculpture.

Freeport Art Museum
121 N. Harlem Ave.
Freeport, IL
815-235-9755

Special thank you to Joe and Kathleen Isacson for curating the show.

Figure Eighteen.- Experientia Nostra Ossiferous (Our Ossiferous Experience)
2014-2018. 9”h x 16.5”w x 16.5”d.
Human mandible, Bronze, Mahogany, Resin, Blown glass, Gold leaf, Silk, Acrylic, Hardware.

Experientia Nostra Ossiferous

Figure Eighteen.- Experientia Nostra Ossiferous (Our Ossiferous Experience)
2014-2018. 19”h x 16.5”w x 16.5”d.
Human mandible, Bronze, Mahogany, Resin, Blown glass, Gold leaf, Silk, Acrylic, Hardware.

Experientia Nostra Ossiferous is a sculpture that blends the forms of the reliquary with the anatomical display. In a parallel sense, it draws its visual inspiration from myth, the Roman god Janus, and a rare congenital defect, diprosopus. Janus is the god of time, beginnings and endings. The Janus Head is characterized by two faces, one looking to the future, one to the past. Diprosopus, also known as cranialfacial duplication, is an extremely rare disorder whereby facial features are replicated to a certain degree.

Bone holds its history and can be read like rings on a tree. As it grows and lengthens, as it breaks and mends, all can be told in diagnostic imaging. The title of the sculpture could be translated to "Our Ossiferous Existence", an existence we all move through, and like the Janus Head, hold one face to the future and one to the past.

Bell jar made by Richard Jones at Studio Paran.

Front view

Detail of 3/4 view

Detail of side view

Back view

The Lost Country

Ten years after it was first announced, The Lost Country was on June 10, 2018 from Dzanc Books. I began work on this book in 2014. At the time, I was told I was the fourth or fifth person to read the first rough manuscript. What an honor and ultimate gift for a fan like me.

When I received my advance hardcover copy, it was an emotional moment to take the book in my hands and feel its weight. All the time working on the manuscript, all the worry about making it right for William. And here it was. I hope everyone agrees it is the masterpiece we feel it is.

Many thanks, William. I hope we did you proud.

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE LOST COUNTRY

“The language and the imagery Gay uses is so vividly haunting that I want to savor it all. Definitely a must-read for fans of Southern Literature.”
—Catherine Bock, Parnassus Books

“Like so many fans of Gay's, I've been waiting to read this seemingly mythical work, The Lost Country, for quite some time....Gay's elegiac prose sings once again as he breathes life into his characters and mines his patch of soil with the skill of the old masters. The Lost Country is the story of Billy Edgewater and his hard journey through a post World War II South filled with the downtrodden—hucksters, racists, drunks, bad or lost men and women, all trying to make it in a harsh rural setting that is unforgiving yet beautiful. It's a helluva good ride and I can't wait to recommend it.”
—Cody Morrison, Square Books

“The Lost Country lands like a shimmering gift from the beyond. For those of us who cherish and honor Gay's tremendous talent, his bold method of seeing the waste and wonder we are, this posthumous novel is a reminder of what we miss: the language pitched toward the sublime, his men and women grappling for redemption in a world that has damned them, his understanding of grace in the presence of human badness. When Gay died too soon, we lost much, but The Lost Country gives a piece of him back to us.”
—William Giraldi, author of Hold the Dark

“The novel exposes us to a deliciously dark southern underbelly, one that, when paired with its sparse, lean prose and quiet intensity, becomes incredibly mesmerizing.”
—The Next Best Book Club

For ordering and more information, please visit Dzanc Books.

Collaboration Show at Abel Contemporary

A Change of Heart
Painting by Karen Halt, Sculpture by Paul Nitsche
2018. 21" x 13" x 3"
Acrylic, Resin, Gold Leaf, Wood

My piece with Wisconsin painter Karen Halt will be shown as part of the Collaboration show at Abel Contemporary Gallery, July 27th to September 9th, 2018. The opening reception will be July 27th. A catalogue of all the collaborative works, along with commentary from the artist pairs, will be available for purchase.

From the Gallery Website:
"Abel Contemporary Gallery invited artists in our collection to collaborate with one another on an art work that blends their unique styles and themes. Though the process of creating art is often thought of as a solitary process, compelling artists to work together transforms this trope as pairs communicate and cooperate. Encouraged to leave their comfort zone, sometimes working with materials they are unaccustomed with, the artists create work with a new emphasis and unique results."

Detail of sculptural elements by Paul Nitsche.

Painting by Karen Halt.

The cover of the Collaboration show catalogue from Abel Contemporary.

Stoneburner

Stoneburner, the second posthumous novel from William Gay, is now out and is available through Amazon.com. The book is published by the William Gay Archive, under the imprint Anomolaic Press. I am credited with the jacket and book design, as well as editing and proofing the manuscript.

From the description at Amazon:
"Stoneburner is a hardboiled detective story written as only William Gay could do it. The story is set in the mid 1970s and includes a jaded private eye named Stoneburner, a redneck Vietnam vet named Thibodeaux, a beautiful young blonde named Cathy Meecham and an ex-Sheriff named Cap Holder loosely based on Buford Pusser. Stoneburner is the private eye who has abandoned his office in Memphis to live on the banks of the Tennessee River where he is building a cabin. The story follows him as he meets a local retired sheriff who made a fortune when Hollywood produced a movie based on his exploits cleaning up the drug dealers in his rural county. However, now the Sheriff, Cap Holder, has run through the money on ill conceived business plans, fancy cars, big boats and expensive young girlfriends. He comes to Stoneburner when his plans to recoup his losses on a coke deal goes wrong and the young girlfriend turns up missing, both at the same time.

Cap wants Stoneburner to find both the money and the girl. The redneck named Thibodeaux just happened to be in the right place at the wrong time and was able to make off with a briefcase full of drug money and the young blonde. Thibodeaux and the girl are on the run, moving across Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas, leaving a trail a mile wide with Stoneburner not far behind. Thibodeaux and the girl buy a Cadillac purportedly owned by Elvis which eventually ends up in the top of a tree in the Ozarks. Stoneburner quickly figures out that he is not the only person that wants to find Thibodeaux. The drug lord, a local Nashville music producer, who was supplying the cocaine is on the trail as well.

The book follows two tracks, starting with Thibodeaux who is living in rural Tennessee and getting by as best he can. He is a town drunk constantly in trouble with the law, leaving behind a string of wrecked cars and trucks. However, his luck changes one night when he figures out someone is using an abandoned airstrip to fly in drugs and cases it out until one night a plane lands and he is able to make off with a briefcase full of cash. Once he has the money he is able to pick up the blonde, who was double-crossing both Cap Holder and the drug dealers, and away they go."

The manuscript was edited by J.M. White, Lamont Ingalls, Paul Nitsche, Sheila Kennedy, and Susan McDonald.
Jacket cover painting by William Gay.
Jacket design by Paul Nitsche.
Book design by Earl Madden and Paul Nitsche.