Published on the occasion of an exhibition in Milwaukee, Thomas Cvikota’s, Landfall Press: Five Decades chronicles the press’s fine art publishing achievements, as recounted in interview
format by its founder/owner Jack Lemon. Supplemented by extensive photographic
documentation, images of the prints themselves, and a useful checklist of projects executed at Landfall by over 225 artists representing a range of aesthetic movements and stylistic approaches, this in-depth case study on Lemon’s professional life demystifies an oft-ignored area of artmaking. Cvikota's introductory chapter provides an historical examination that deepens one’s understanding of contemporary American printmaking’s roots and its development. This discussion is followed by a series of accounts on the many editions created at Landfall and the workshop's innovative use of printmaking's operational processes, with descriptions of the pioneering methods and tools Lemon and his team introduced. Through both conversations with Lemon and under separate sub-headings, the author also conveys Lemon’s business model for establishing and sustaining a print workshop and publishing business for 50 years, and conversely, the entrepreneurial challenges presented by the exponential growth of the art market in the 1980s and 1990s. Interweaving biography, how-to wizardry and art history, Landfall: Five Decades not only offers a vivid portrait of a remarkable career but also demonstrates the vital role of fine art print publishing in the larger art world, and the skill, craftsmanship, and knowledge required for creating prints.