Coley Brown

Coley Brown

Jam, Jelly, Honey, Wild Rice – Special edition book, 2008

Possibly my favorite discovery on my recent NY trip is this exciting first publication from Coley Brown. I was in Dashwood Books when Coley showed up to sign his books so I got this quick photo session with the photographer himself, yes he is very young, and looks like an angel, but his photographs are way beyond his age.

Taken over the course of extensive travelling in various places as well as his surroundings in daily life, Brown’s photographs document the moment with ease and beauty. (Gottlund)

Coley’s book, almost more of a magazine, is sof-bound with 48 pages and 31 color images. Each cover is slightly different as it was printed by hand on a letterpress.

There is no text except for the image titles. It has the feel of a road trip, or better yet a couch trip. From car crashes to smoke bombs to bon-fires to milk crate book-shelves, this visual diary will take you back to someplace in your past; a party, a camping trip, a day at the beach, a lover’s bed, a backstage pass, a sunset, a late-night jump  over a playground wall to climb the slide. Me, I was back at the Hohokam ditch. Midnight, rector pads, bloody shins…..

your’s truly, ca 1987. Photo Tom Schultz.

This publication is in a limited edition of 250 copies, each one signed and numbered by Coley. 

It is published by the Gottlund Verlag, a new discovery for me which is promising to be a nice supply of blog fodder.

I got my copy for the crazy price of 30,- USD at Dashwood.

Try the publisher as well. I haven’t had any luck finding a source in Europe, so let me know if you see one. If you are a bookstore owner in Europe, you should get a few.