A BRUSH WITH DEPTH – The Art of Rick Sealock
256 pages, 350 plus illustrations, $35 Cdn.
Published by Frontenac House
www.frontenachouse.com

Rick Sealock has been creating wild and wacky illustrations for clients as varied as Rolling Stone, Texas Monthly, The Washington Post, Natural Health Magazine, and GQ Magazine. His work has been used to skewer politicians, fitness fanatics, and death. This book, while a retrospective of his life in illustration, is also a how-to guide. How to keep your work fresh. How to deal with pesky and not so pesky clients. How to keep yourself in front of those clients. How to survive! Packed, with personal commentary on most of the pieces, which are MANY. And MANY too are the contributors in A Brush with Depth. Included on this visual safari are the wise and witty words of awesome art directors, daring designers and fantastic fellow illustrators (Julia Breckenreid, Doug Fraser, Dan Page, and Sam Weber to name a few) who contribute their thoughts on different aspects and perspectives of illustration. They provide suggestions, personal experiences, and interpretations of a career in visual communications. Completing the list are the nods from greats Sandra Dionisi, Blair Drawson, Anita Kunz, and Joe Morse.

SOMEWHERE Over The RAINBOW

Welcome to A Brush with Depth, a compilation of illustrations spanning a 30 year plus freelance career and counting. For those who love my work, please enjoy the depth of concepts, creativity, and imagery splashed across each page throughout the book. For those who don’t, please enjoy the title!
This is a book on why – and how – I LOVE ILLUSTRATION!
Although illustration possesses few secure signposts pointing the way to success, it offers enormous freedom – of medium, style, and content. And on a societal level, illustrators are expected to be the seers of contemporary culture. They pick at the many threads making up our various cultures – political, social, economic, artistic, etc., – and weave them into challenging images that are both read and responded to. Illustrators have the freedom to simultaneously consume and create, and their work does exactly the same. It is a profession that draws from and adds to our cultures, with the potential to effect immense change, and then there’s my work!
A Brush with Depth is neatly digestible in its interactive format, clean lines, and curb appeal.
Enjoyably defined showcases offer a variety of themes and imagery from advertising to editorial, institutional to publishing clients. A check list includes Angels & Agents, Businessmen & Bulls, Bovines & Bears, Bowlers and Blues, Country & Culinary, Celebs & Cavemen, Cats & Dogs, Devils & Doctors, Elvis & more Elvis, Fish & Chips, Guitars & Gangs, Halos & Health, Idiots & Innards, Jazz & Jaws, Lawyers & Lunatics, Lovers & Losers, Mermaids & Madmen, Mariachis & Maps, Naughty & Nice, Owl & Pussycat, Presidents & Preachers, Rock Stars & Rat Pack, Roosters & Reapers, Singers & Saints, Santa’s & Salesmen, Tears & Tarts, Undies & Uglies, Vixens & Vipers, Wrestlers & Whales, XXX, Yahoos & Yodelers, and more!

A Brush with Depth was WINNER of the BOOK ILLUSTRATION Category at the 2021 Alberta Book Publishing Awards. Written by Rick Sealock and Christina Vester. Frontenac House, 2020.