Born under a wolf moon in Southern Kentucky, in 1924; Henry Faulkner was propelled into the world of art with a magical imagination. His professional art career began in 1958, and from that point on the demand for Faulkner art has never ceased. Patrons’ requests grew throughout his meteoric career until his untimely death in 1981, at which time his legacy expanded exponentially.
The Gift of Color: Henry Lawrence Faulkner is a visual overview that chronologically unfolds, giving the reader a sense of Faulkner’s evolution as an artist. The artwork is accompanied by his poetry and selected writings, allowing the reader additional access to the feelings and moods of this prolific thinker and artistic technician.
The Gift of Color is presented in two editions. The boxed Limited Edition is a larger selection of art than the 12” x 12” book in a commemorative leather clamshell that includes a giclée print inset inside and is a limited edition of 500; the bookstore edition is a hardbound 12 x 12 First Edition coffee table book with over 100 paintings presented inside a beautiful French-fold dustjacket. Both versions include a selection of his poems and writings including 25,000 words of researched stories that recount his international career in the fast-paced world of mid-century European-style American art.
This long-awaited compilation chronologically presents Faulkner’s art year by year as his professional career unfolded and has been beautifully crafted to fine art publication standards. The compelling narrative throbs with Faulkner’s passions and breaths the breath of his colorful life, involving more than a decade of research that included the Greene A. Settle collection papers and memorabilia, The University of Tennessee Special Archives, Charles House papers including his 1988 book, The Outrageous Life of Henry Faulkner. This momentous effort was made possible based on interviews with living friends, confidants, and patrons who shared their collections of artwork.
This is a well-designed, amazing collection of art, poetry, selected writings, and a lifelong history of the man himself. He was an author, a poet, and, as this book puts most of its focus, a gifted painter. This 289-page hardbound 12 x 12, first edition coffee table book, includes images of more than 100 of the Kentucky-born artist’s paintings. It also contains personal photos, poetry in Faulkner’s handwriting, and a chronological narrative of his development as an artist.
I have always liked coffee table books as they provide a good conversation starter and I own several, but this is by far my favorite. This is not just a conversation piece, this is something that can provide hours of entertainment stemming from several different vantage points. It has original photos, actual poetry in Faulkner’s handwriting, and lots of biographical material spanning all the years of Faulkner’s life. And, most impressive of all, more than 100 beautiful, colorful, intriguing, remarkable paintings.
I have read this book from end to end, and I still find myself picking it up and thumbing through the pages time and time again. I highly recommend this book.
It was with the generosity of patrons that Henry Faulkner’s artistic career was possible. And it is with the collaborative patronage of The First Southern National Bank, which underwrote the efforts of John S. Hockensmith and Fine Art Editions Gallery & Press, that this labor of love has been completed.
Hockensmith, author and publisher of Gypsy Horses and the Travelers’ Way and Spanish Mustang in the Great American West, and his coalition of artists and writers are proud to present The Gift of Color, Henry Lawrence Faulkner which will be initially available at Fine Art Editions Georgetown, Kentucky 40324 1-502-863-2299 www.finearteditions.net.