Teal Blake, Western artist of Fort Worth, recalls the curious look in his son Luca’s eyes when met with a kitschy stuffed jackalope head he picked during an outing in Wyoming.
A father’s imagination and a 1-year-old boy’s fascination would eventually lead to “J is for Jackalope,” a children’s book combining Blake’s rustic art style and the lore of one mythical jackalope said to inhabit mountains by a cattle ranch in the west. What started as a humble sketchbook meant to appease his son inevitably charmed family and friends, who all requested their own copies.
A Kickstarter campaign Blake started in April garnered a total of 363 backers who pledged $38,626 to help breathe life into the project. Special editions of “J is for Jackalope” and original artwork are in the works for supporters.
Growing up in Montana near the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, Blake was surrounded by a trove of western art in his father’s studio, including C.M. Russell paintings and Will James books. They were the right ingredients that led to vivid dreams of daring cowboys on ranch land, which is evident in the several large pieces Blake has painted professionally since 2005.
That same grit manifests itself in Blake’s work, he thinks.
“I wanted this to be authentic to the true cowboy lifestyle I was used to,” Blake says. “You can still see pencil marks and mistakes in the book, and I think that’s part of it -- everything not being perfect all the time.”
Within “J is for Jackalope” are 36 pages imbued with original watercolors by Blake. The children’s book is also complete with a glossary of Western slang kids can add to their own vernacular.
Keep an eye on tealblake.com for details on “J is for Jackalope.” Blake expects the children’s book to be available in the weeks to come.
