Mariah Nielson, Blunk’s daughter, has edited a collection of photographs and essays that introduce the artist and his body of work to the twenty-first century through a transdisciplinary lens. A design historian and curator, Nielson brings a curatorial acumen to this book, which honors her father and his legacy as a boundary breaking artist of the sixties and seventies. Punctuated by essays, the photos filling the book range from formal documentation of Blunk’s copious creative output, to historical records of the California logging industry. Most engaging though, and exegetical, are the images that bring us into the home and compound that Nielson refers to in the book as “One Big Sculpture.” The enclave of Bishop Pine Reserve in Inverness, California, where Blunk’s friend and patron cum benefactor, painter Gordon Onslow Ford, gifted him land for his home and studio, is a marvel.
... Living room of Blunk home, circa 1985 and 2018. Photo Credit: Daniel Dent, Concept; Åbäke, Copyright: JB Blunk Collection