Appreciation post. 1/5 of the way there.
And a reminder that the call for submissions is eternal
(Pet portrait from forever ago)
Good evening! I just concluded painting number 9 in this series - I’ll share that in a week. But this marks a momentous occasion: I’m 1/5 of the way there for this Fishing in America book. It’s feeling real now. I’m aiming for 47 stories, and I have 9 illustrated. So I wanted to make a little celebratory post here with two aims:
This is a friendly reminder that I still have an open call for submissions, and will for another year or so. I want as many stories as possible flooding my inbox. Please spread the word far and wide to anyone you know that might care. Have them send stories to SamRobertsonArt@gmail.com - And if you have any ideas for places I should maybe reach out to who might champion this cause and be a source of some diverse stories, lemme hear it.
I want to take a moment to appreciate everyone who’s contributed stories so far. I’ve really loved reading these zany tales and making paintings for them. Some of the people who wrote stories have other projects I’m going to link to here. So take a gander at these people’s additional work! But not a “Gander Mountain.” RIP. Just a quick side note. I bought 6 pairs of lifetime warranty socks from Gander Mountain 10 years ago - merino wool… the perfect investment. I would never need to pay for socks again. But then when I went to send my well-worn socks with holes in the heels back to the company to get replacements… Gander Mountain was gone! What a dirty trick. Get people to buy your socks and then file for bankruptcy. It makes me sick to my stomach.
Anyway, take a gander at the work of these fun souls:
Joey Albanese - signpainter and artist from St. Louis
Lauren Allen - storyteller
Patrick Larkin - flyfisherman who makes vids about his excursions. He also ties flies and sells them. Also a musician.
Sam Pink - author and artist
Tyler Kutscheid - commercial Mississippi River fisherman
Thanks for reading. What will the next 10 fishing stories be? I can’t wait to read them and illustrate them. Thanks everyone. Hang in there.
Sam