Unicorn Mountain: The Black Forest

During my time at the Small Press Expo this passed weekend I never was able to find the Unicorn Mountain table.  Luckily a very nice man by the name of Curt Gettman came up and talked to me and we chatted for a while.  We talked about the city of Pittsburgh, we talked about printing costs, we talked about the new Unicorn Mountain Book which he graciously donated to the library.  This book is massive.  From what I can remember of our conversation, the book took them 3 years to become fully realized.  It was worth it.  The Black Forest has taken UM into darker territory.  It seems that the majority of the artists and writers’ pieces for the book feed on those darker stumbling times in our lives.

From what I know about Unicorn Mountain, they are a loose collective of artists centered around Pittsburgh and Western Pennsylvania.  I may have a soft spot for the locale as I was raised in the state and have grown to appreciate the trees and land there.

This book is lovingly produced.  A mainly black and white book on ivory paper is interrupted by color sections and full-color pasted-in plates.  There are a ton of folks in here too numerous to name but here are a few faves of mine:

Sam Gaskin(CCS alum)

Theo Ellsworth(Capacity)

Elina Malkin

Andrew Davis

Frank Santoro(Cold Heat)

Bill Wehmann

-chuck FORSMAN