Masters Series
2024 Portfolio Spotlights
Studio Arts: Photography
Rex Wilder
RITES OF CALIBRATION: Images & Excerpts
Click on the title to explore or download the free PDF.
Copyright © 2024 by HIGH BUTTON PRESS
An imprint of OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L)
All rights reserved on behalf of OJAL Art Incorporated, O:JA&L/BHP/HBP, and Rex Wilder.
OJAL Art Incorporated, publishing since 2017 as OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L)
and its imprints Buttonhook Press, HOT BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Issues, and HIGH BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Art,
OAI supports writers and artists worldwide.
Set in Garamond and GARAMOND ALLCAPS and formatted in CreateSpace.
Made available online and/or printed by license in the USA and elsewhere as a novelty and commemorative document celebrating the publication of Rex Wilder’s chapbook.
About the artist:
Rex Wilder is a representative of the New Pictorialist movement, which looks at photography as a springboard to traditional art. As a New Pictorialist, Wilder believes, as Stieglitz did nearly a hundred years ago, that the image should be an aesthetic symbolic record of a scene plus the artist’s personal comment and interpretation, capable of transmitting an emotional response to the mind of a receptive spectator. It should show originality, imagination, unity of purpose, a quality of repose, and have an infinite quality about it. Wilder is also a poet with four books to his credit. A fifth book A Quiet Place to Land that combines his images and his verbal reflections is out now. In it he explores the process of recovery from serious mental illness. He is now Chair of the Board of Directors at The Maple Counseling Center in Los Angeles.
About the artist’s projects:
A QUIET PLACE TO LAND
Recently released from the hospital that treated him through two mental collapses, critically acclaimed poet Rex Wilder began going for daily walks around his home in Venice, California, as a means to quiet his deafening mind.
While on these walks, he found moments of solace whenever he paused to watch the birds. Overwhelmed by the urge to capture the birds’ beauty through art, Rex plunged into the world of Pictorialism; the process by which he used his own photography as a canvas to paint, carefully adding digital colors, layers and textures that would highlight the true beauty of a moment.
The process of digital overpainting proved to be a therapeutic breakthrough. Rex learned how to apply this same method of “overpainting” much more broadly.
If a situation in life felt unsatisfactory, he closed his eyes and tried to highlight different attributes, carefully reframing and coloring so that he could see the situation in the most beautiful way possible.
A Quiet Place to Land pairs Rex Wilder’s pictorial art with lyrical, earnest reflections: “These are the thoughts and moments that carried me through a transitory time in my life. I hope they help carry you, too. Even if just for one, beautiful moment.”
Softcover $35.00
Limited Edition Hardcover, $125.00.
We are pleased to share that the Limited-Edition Hardcover copies of A Quiet Place to Land will include an original, signed print from Rex Wilder.
Now available for from Chatwin Books.
Reactions to Rex Wilder’s A Quiet Place to Land
“A Quiet Place to Land is a stunning mix of soothing words and compelling images which offers readers a portal into the world of emotional safety, empathy, exquisite natural beauty, imagination, and a merciful release from our woes. Rex Wilder’s book is a poetic and visually heart-opening book that shows his path towards emotional balance as he was healed by walking though the iconic Venice Beach canals, with its wondrous world of egrets, row boats, and the changing moods of weather and light on water. Highly recommend this book. It is a balm for the soul.”
—Judith Orloff, MD NY Times bestselling author of The Empath’s Survival Guide.
“Rex Wilder has given us a remarkable and creative gift of images and poetry in A Quiet Place to Land… this book reminds us that when we slow down, there is beauty to be taken in all around us.”
—Ken Duckworth, MD, Chief Medical Officer, National Alliance on Mental Illness.’
Hey there, fellow bookworms! If you’re looking for a dose of beauty and serenity in your life, then A Quiet Place to Land by Rex Wilder is your golden ticket. This book is like a tranquil escape, with breathtaking photographs that will transport you to a world of joy and connection. The author’s digital brushstrokes are like magic, turning everyday moments into art that tugs at your heartstrings. It’s a reminder that even in our busy lives, we can find solace in the beauty around us. So, why should you read this book? Well, it’s a visual and emotional journey that’ll make you pause, breathe, and appreciate the little things in life. Trust me, you don’t want to miss out on this slice of tranquility!
—Sue, Goodreads
A captivating blend of stunning photographs and heartfelt reflections. In this collection, Rex Wilder akes inspiration from early 20th-century Pictorialists and skillfully transforms his images into mesmerizing works of art. The combination of evocative photography and lyrical prose creates a sense of serenity and connection that resonates with readers. Rex’s ability to capture moments of joy, beauty, and safety in his digital canvases is truly remarkable.
—Abigail, Goodreads
Dive into the pages of A Quiet Place to Land by Rex Wilder, where every page is a brushstroke painting a picture of beauty, resiliency, and self-discovery.
—Maple Counseling Center for Mental Health
OJAL Art Incorporated, publishing since 2017 as OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters (O:JA&L) and its imprints Buttonhook Press, HOT BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Issues, and HIGH BUTTON PRESS Contemporary Art, supports writers and artists worldwide.
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series (from OPEN: Journal of Arts & Letters and its Buttonhook Press imprint) gathers acclaimed writers for concise, downloadable chapbooks that pair fresh work with candid reflections on craft. Each installment—often framed by an interview with an associate editor—opens a window onto how masters of poetry, prose poetry, flash fiction, and related hybrid forms build voice, compression, and surprise. Designed as a reader’s invitation and a writer’s toolbox, the series celebrates literary art that moves fast, cuts deep, and lingers long after the last line.
Click on the titles below to explore or download the free PDF chapbooks.
Prose Poetry and Flash Discourse
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Brian Clements on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Mark Budman on Flash Discourse
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Ray Gonzalez on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Michael Martone on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Roberta Allen on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Master Series: Peter Conners on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Maxine Chernoff on Prose Poetry
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Pedro Ponce on Flash Fiction
With an Interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Kent Dixon on Flash Fiction & Nonfiction
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
MIixed Forms: Haibun, Haiga, & Tanka Prose
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Roberta Beary on Haibun
With an interview by Associate Editor Pamelyn Casto
Experimental Discourse
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Jim Meirose on Experimental Discourse (XP)
With an interview by Associate Editor Warwick Newnham
Poetry: All forms & styles
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Poetry from Bruce McRae
With an Interview by Associate Editor Jeff Streeby
The Buttonhook Press Masters Series: Poetry from Richard Widerkehr
With an Interview by Associate Editor Jeff Streeby
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