Chronicle Books Blog

Welcome back to our guest blogger series from our sister company, 7×7, written by Michelle Konstantinovsky.

Let’s be honest: Those blacklight posters don’t really carry the same weight they did in your college days. Maybe it’s time to graduate from dorm life and upgrade to some legitimate artwork. But before you blame your apartment’s drab décor on the spiraling economy, check out this amazing site: 20×200. New York gallery owner Jen Bekman is bringing limited edition, covet-worthy originals to the masses through her online endeavor. Named after the project’s first batch of 200, $20 prints (in their own words, “200×20 just didn’t sound as good”), the site now offers a variety of editions and sizes.

Join Jen for the 20×200 San Francisco Collectors Confab this Monday, April 6 at Chronicle Books (680 Second Street, between Brannan and Townsend) from 6 to 8 pm. In honor of the event, 20×200 will be featuring editions from two Chronicle-published artists: Stuart Klipper’s The Antarctic: From the Circle to the Pole, and Mark Richard’s Core Memory. RSVP via Facebook, Upcoming or via email at rsvp@20×200.com.

We caught up with Jen to learn the art of transitioning from naïve newbie to qualified collector, without breaking the bank.

You’ve had a variety of jobs, and were successful as both a chief creative officer and a VP of User Development—why art?
It was sort of a spontaneous decision. I don’t come from an arts background, but a friend of mine was an artist and I saw how frustrating it was for her to get her work shown. So I decided to open a gallery! It was that simple. But it was a two-part thing: I saw how difficult it was for her to get her work shown, and I also realized, for myself, that I was dissatisfied with the existing galleries and I wanted to create a different kind of environment.

What motivated 20×200? Had you heard complaints on both sides (from consumers and artists) that the art world was difficult to maneuver?
I opened a physical gallery in 2003, and then in 2005, I established a photo competition called “Hey, Hot Shot!”, and then 20×200 launched in 2007. The genesis of that was based on my experience that a lot of people came into the gallery and fell in love with pieces of art, but couldn’t work up the nerve to take the plunge. I always describe 20×200 as the gateway drug to the art world. I thought if you could just make it affordable, people wouldn’t worry about taking the risk as much. The idea is that people will get hooked once they try it.

Some people only ever collect $20 prints, which is fine. But I’ve seen that buying art and understanding art is intimidating for people, and because it’s intimidating, it’s hard to find a way into it. We send out two to three newsletters a week, and try to sound serious but approachable at the same time. The broader approach is for people to learn to make decisions. Once you buy enough inexpensive pieces, you become more confident about what your taste is.

The responses have been great – I’ve had people tell me they’ve never collected art before this, and I also get sheepish emails from people saying, “You call that art?!” But I encourage people to disagree with me because that’s how you find out what you like and what you don’t like, and you especially learn your tastes based on what you don’t like. I like to give people the opportunity to accept and reject different pieces.

How do you determine your artists?
It’s a combination of things. It’s not specifically emerging artists that we feature, because more established artists also have the opportunity to make works for people who normally can’t afford them. It’s affordable work, but instead of being cheap, you get the unique opportunity to get something that is usually much more expensive at an affordable price. I find artists at benefits for organizations, the photography competition is where the bulk of photographers come from. One artist I found at a museum show, I’ve found them through Chronicle books. I’ll ask anybody, anywhere—the worst they can do is say no.

Photography seems to be an important part of your life – was it essential that 20×200 offer both a printed work and a photo each week?
One of the things that’s great about “Hey, Hot Shot!” is that I engage with photographers and do small group shows, and get to build relationships. It’s a big deal to engage in relationships with the artists, and 20×200 allows me to engage with artists in other media, aside from photography. When I opened the gallery, I gravitated to photography because I was more confident in it. Now that it’s been open for 6 years, I’m a lot further along in finding my own tastes in other media than when I started.

Have social networking sites like Twitter and Facebook made 20×200 even more accessible?
It’s been huge—the Internet in general—from the start. I definitely think Facebook and Twitter and blogs have all been important parts of how we spread the word about new editions. We’ll release new work, talk about it, and release images on Facebook – that’s been a big part of what we do. For me, it all falls in line with the broader goal, which is to create opportunities for people who wouldn’t normally look at art, to look at art.

How did the Chronicle Books partnership come about?
I’m friends with Nion McEvoy and Alan Rapp, who was an editor there, and I’ve done different things with some of their artists. The reason I love working with Chronicle is because I think there’s that shared responsibility of making beautiful books, and amazing objects, and they work with great artists. For me, it was perfect. It’s a publisher I admire and love working with. We’re releasing an edition with a Chronicle Books artist the day of the party, and we’re doing a bonus edition of another artist. It’s a nice opportunity. To me, I see books as a great introduction to learning about art. This is a way for people to understand the value of visual art, whether it’s because it’s beautifully made or because it features interesting artists.

Any final thoughts for amateur art collectors?
Because I own a gallery, when I started 20×200, it was never an option for us to make cheap prints. The prints are beautiful – you can get beautiful, archival prints for $20 that are worth much more. I had a friend say to me, “You start your newsletters with, ‘Hello Collectors,’ but I’m not a collector – I just bought one thing.” But I think the minute you buy a print, you’re a collector. I want people to have the experience of collecting art, and we’ve thought hard about every aspect of the experience. Our pieces cost the same as posters, but are worth much more. The hope is that once people get a print from us, they’ll never just be satisfied with posters again.

See the original post here.

Popularity: 5% [?]

What’s your favorite cut of meat, and what delicious way do you cook it? A random commenter will win a copy of Lobel’s Meat Bible.

Stuffed Lamb Breast

Because lamb breast is relatively flat and doesn’t have a lot of meat, it is an ideal cut to stuff. This Italian-inflected recipe is great as we present it here, but it would also be delicious covered in a simple tomato sauce or sitting atop a pile of braised white beans. It is good served warm or cool; a salad on the side completes the meal.

Serves 3 to 4

3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped, plus 8 cloves garlic, unpeeled
4 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, finely chopped
1/2 pound ground lamb
1/2 cup fresh or frozen green peas
Kosher salt
One 3 by 3 by 1 inch-thick slice of crustless country-style bread
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh marjoram, oregano, or rosemary, plus 2 fresh sprigs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
3/4 ounce finely grated Parmesan or similar cheese
1 large egg, beaten
1 bone-in breast of lamb (about 3 pounds after trimming), trimmed of most external fat and opened up by your butcher to create a pocket the entire length of the breast (see Note)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine
Tomato sauce

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, chopped garlic, and pancetta. Cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the ground lamb and cook until the meat is lightly browned, for 3 to 5 minutes, breaking it up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Add the peas, 1/4 teaspoon salt, a few tablespoons of water, and cook 1 minute more, scraping the skillet to loosen any browned bits. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and let cool slightly. Soak the bread in water or milk until soft. Break up to form a coarse paste. Drain excess milk and crumble bread into bowl with meat. Add the chopped marjoram, parsley, cheese, and egg and combine thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 450ºF.

2. Fill the lamb breast with stuffing, spreading it evenly and into the corners (it should plump up nicely but don’t pack too firmly). Either sew up the opening using a trussing needle with kitchen string, or tie the breast as for a roast, spacing the loops between each rib, pulling each loop fairly firmly to keep filling in place until it firms up during cooking.

3. Generously salt and pepper the lamb breast and place bone-side down on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan or baking dish just large enough to contain it (there should be space enough to fit a basting spoon between the rack and the pan). Drizzle top with a tablespoon or so of oil and roast for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and roast for 45 minutes. Carefully pour off fat from roasting pan and add whole garlic cloves, marjoram sprigs and wine. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes more, basting lamb breast every 20 minutes or so. Remove lamb from the oven and let rest 15 to 30 minutes to firm up filling before slicing.

4. Place lamb on a cutting board. Snip and discard strings and, using a sharp, heavy knife, cut breast into slices between the ribs, carefully cutting through the filling and then pressing firmly to cut through the breastbone. If breastbone won’t easily separate into ribs, the meat and filling can be lifted off the bones instead – either in one whole piece or in portions. With the filling removed, it’s easy to cut the breast into individual ribs. Serve these alongside the meat and filling. If serving with tomato sauce, spoon warmed sauce over each portion and serve.

Note: One length of lamb breast (a half breast), trimmed, weighs between 2 and 4 pounds. If you can’t find a single piece that weighs about 3 pounds after trimming as called for, you can make this dish with two 1 1/2- or 2-pound pieces, have a pocket cut in each, and divide the stuffing between them. Your butcher can cut the pockets for you.

Purchase Lobel’s Meat Bible.

Click here for more great recipes.

Peter Perez
Senior Marketing Manager

Popularity: 3% [?]

Welcome back to our guest blogger series from our sister company, 7×7, written by Ella Lawrence. She’s dishing out tips on how to be a better diner, something about which she has a lot to say. Listen up.

As a waitress, I do not often consider actually taking a tableside flirtation to the next level. But recently I was hit on with such tact that I thought I would pass along this gentleman’s method for those of you out there who might ever want to ask your waitress (or waiter) out.

Rule #1: Err on the side of politeness. Being obvious about your attraction to your friendly server will only turn him/her off completely.

Rule #2: Buy whatever your server tells you to. If you’re willing to drop coin, and you’re listening to everything I say, I’m going to notice both of these things. (And you’re going to have a nice dinner because I know what I’m talking about.)

Rule #3: Subtlety, subtlety, subtlety. When the gentleman asked me (being emboldened after consuming two bottles of my well-chosen wine with his friend) what nights I worked, I knew what was coming. But I quickly turned the conversation around to the fact that I work days somewhere else, and told him and his friend what a nice restaurant it was and that they should dine there. The gentleman then turned the conversation back around to me by remarking that it was nice that I have most of my evenings free, and I realized again what was coming and quickly excused myself from the table.

Rule #4: Leave any sexual overtures at the door. When I’m serving you, it’s my job to talk to you and if you’re overtly hitting on me that makes it hard. We’re not in a club or a bar, you’re out on the town and I’m in my place of employment. Don’t put me in a sticky situation.*

(*Once, at a venerable four-star institution in the Wine Country, a table of two young men (attractive, wealthy, but overall despicable) got drunker and drunker, and more and more forward. One of them asked, “So, what time are you off?” (never, ever, ask your server this) and wouldn’t take no for an answer when he asked me to join them for a cocktail in a far-off town, which included a couch that I could sleep on—unless, what I really wanted was to get in bed. I responded tartly with, “Oh! Well, if that’s the case, why don’t I just give you my phone number and you can come over later and we’ll have sex?” The gentlemen looked at me, astounded, meekly paid their bill, and left the restaurant.)

Rule #5: Tip 20%. This is a good tip amount. Any less and you’re a cheapskate, any more and you’re desperate. On his way out the door, the gentleman handed me a folded piece of paper, saying, “This is for you,” He could’ve left it in the check presenter, but I appreciated his boldness (brought on by my exceptionally well-selected wine).

The note read: “His Name” and then his telephone number (he was visiting from Chicago). Next line: 415 (the name of the restaurant I’d recommended). Next line: Tuesday night (my next night off). 8pm. Dinner? Next line: Call me!

This is the perfect way to ask out your server. Put everything completely in his/her hands, leave before you embarrass yourself (because the server will most likely share all details of the interaction with his/her coworkers), and don’t be too disappointed if he/she doesn’t call you back. This man was attractive, nice, well-spoken and polite. Under other circumstances, I probably would have called him.

See the original post here.

Popularity: 4% [?]

We’re on a countdown towards summer, but it’s still officially spring, and no time like the present to get kids excited about doing—oh no!—chores.

In honor of spring cleaning season, we’re giving away 10 copies of The Chore Board, which comes with a magnetic board, colorful character pieces, and a dry-erase marker. Just leave a comment below and we’ll choose winners at random on Friday, June 5th!

Good luck!

Jessica Levy
Children’s Marketing Associate

Popularity: 3% [?]

Last week, Marketing Manager Hannah Cox and I got to see an advance screening of Pixar’s next feature film, Up. I saw the first 45 minutes at WonderCon in February, so I had already been hooked by the story of elderly dreamer Carl Fredricksen and his youthfully idealistic sidekick, Russell. The recent showing was held at Pixar’s headquarters in Emeryville, CA. Since cameras and cell phones were not permitted inside, we were only able to snap this photo at the event:

The Pixar theater is behind me.

While the invitees waited for the doors to open, we toured a gallery display of concept art, character study sculptures and other behind-the-scenes artwork that Pixar set up for viewing. I recognized several pieces from our book, The Art of Up. It was a real treat to see up-close the sculptures, dioramas, and detailed treatments that went into the creation of the film.

Pixar set up a table where kids could pick up a worksheet with all of the Wilderness Explorer badges on it. Badges were hidden throughout the gallery. The kids tracked them down and checked off their list. When you watch the film, check out Russell’s badges and see if you can spot one that looks like Luxo Jr.’s rubber ball.

When our time came, we shuffled into the Pixar theater and were treated to some cool facts about the film. Did you know that there are no eyelashes, nostrils or ear openings on any of the characters in Up? As the lights went down to start the show, the theater’s ceiling lit up like a starlit night sky, complete with shooting stars.

Even though I had already seen the first 45 minutes of the film, it was a treat to see it again. I was impressed with the realistic textures and light, the luminosity and depth to Carl’s skin, the expressive voices, and the film’s ability to make me both laugh out loud and reach for my tissue to dab a tear.

Up opens Friday, May 29th. If you can’t wait until then, you can get some behind-the-scenes info on the film and the writing of The Art of Up by checking out these two interviews with book author Tim Hauser: The Unofficial Pixar Blog and Flip Animation.

Also, if you live in the greater Los Angeles area and are a fan of Pixar animation, check out an appearance and book signing with Pixar artist Ronnie Del Carmen at Nucleus in Alhambra, CA on Saturday, May 30th.

CONTEST!

Want to win a copy of The Art of Up and a poster from the film? Post your answer to the following question and we’ll randomly select two winners who submitted the correct answer. Enter through Wednesday, June 3rd.

Question: In Up, what animal is never seen on screen, but distracts Dug and the other dogs from what they are doing?

April Whitney
Publicist

Popularity: 3% [?]