Books by Jay Senetchko
Books by Jay Senetchko
Jay Senetchko is not only an artist and educator, but also an author. His essays and editorial works focus on the theory and practice within the fine arts, but his books reflect the a much wider scope of interests. His titles thus far fall within two very different genres: textbooks and storybooks.
His educational text Making Pictures Speak is two decades worth of insight gained as an instructor of image theory, into the creation of imagery and an explanation of how pictures affect an audience. The contents of the book provide historical and psychological background for how imagery impacts a viewer, instruction on how to create effective pictures, and thousands of beautiful illustrations from a wide range of mediums that give practical proof to theoretical explanations. This is an essential text for both the amateur and professional image-maker alike, and a great book to have for anyone interested in how images work in general.
Senetchko's storybooks are something totally different. They are strange, surreal, full of metaphor and wider cultural insight, beautifully drawn and illustrated, and above all, fun. The original of each book is hand drawn and lettered, deeply personal in its origins, and only available in limited edition hardcovers, or high-resolution digital pdfs. His first title, Fishes and Wishes, is a story about a character who loses their pet whale and goes on a surrealistic adventure to find it. His most recent project, The Dragon and the Unicorn: An Ideological Fairytale, is in development, and will be available soon.
Both types of texts provide insight into the wider range of interests of Jay Senetchko the artist. His immediate concerns can be glimpsed through his primary pursuit creating and exhibiting narrative paintings for the fine art world, but Jay Senetchko the person, is better understood through examining the entire array of his interests and creations.
