(Redwood Valley, CA) — The  INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD recognized ‘Lost and Found: Assemblage Artists of Northern California’ in the category of ‘Arts and Entertainment’ as a distinguished favorite winner.

The competition is judged by experts from different aspects of the book industry, including publishers, writers, editors, book cover designers and professional copywriters. Selected IPA Award Winners and Distinguished Favorites are based on overall excellence.

‘Lost and Found’, at over 200 pages of visual jazz, is a personal gallery tour of eight accomplished northern California assemblage artists. Authors Esther Siegel and Spencer Brewer worked for three years putting together this collection of assemblage art featuring 330 photographs. The artists featured in this book have embarked on the strange and risky path where they never quite know what they are making until it is finished. In treating the reader to their personal artistic vision, they throw off old societal rules regarding what art should be. They create pieces that might remind you of something you had once yourself imagined. 

Everyone came from a variety of locations to settle in northern California where inspiration and a culture of individuality and creativity are a way of life and is rich with artists, musicians, authors, and visionaries. Readers are awed, surprised and even inspired by the repurposing of everyday items as these artists display their collections, speak about what inspires them, what makes them tick. This is a visual feast for the eyes as the artists and their unique sculptures harmoniously come together to deliver a wondrously ‘wow’ experience. 

In 2023, the INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD had entries worldwide.  Authors and publishers from countries such as Australia, Canada, Germany, India, Japan, Norway, Scotland, and South Africa, participated.

Books submitted included writers based in cities such as Atlanta to Los Angeles; London to Nova Scotia; from Cape Town to Mumbai; from Albuquerque to New York City as well as others.

“We are proud to announce the winners and distinguished favorites in our annual 2023 INDEPENDENT PRESS AWARD.  This year included an array of quality and diverse independent books,” Olczak said. “Independent publishing is pushing on every corner of the earth with great content.  We are thrilled to be highlighting key titles representing global independent publishing.” said awards sponsor Gabrielle Olczak.

For more information please visit independentpressaward.com; and to see this year’s list of IPA Winners and Distinguished Favorites, please visit the website pages:

2023 WINNERS:  https://www.independentpressaward.com/2023winners

2023 DISTINGUISHED FAVORITES: https://www.independentpressaward.com/2023df

Esther Siegel creates assemblages exhibiting beauty, humor, and eye-catching whimsy. Some pieces reflect her background in book art while others reveal an intimate depth of human experience, born from her work as a psychotherapist. Equally influential is how her love of horses and admiration for Frida Kahlo manifest subtly, or not, in various pieces.

Just as she has always enjoyed putting together ingredients in the kitchen to create, she loves the alchemy of assembling unique combinations of objects in the studio facilitating their new “perfect home”. She often works in stages, starting with a flurry of ideas and arrangements, most likely having two or three pieces started, moving from one to the other. Giving herself time to ponder each one keeps the creative process alive for her. Making the final commitment to adhere the objects together is likely the most difficult aspect of the creation process. As a glass half full person, you will often see whimsy, optimism, and lightness in her work.

Spencer Brewer creates ‘High Whimsey’ – fantastical pieces of sculptures out of vintage or unusual objects inspiring viewers with a sense of delight, surprise and wonder. His passion has been as an accomplished composer/pianist as well as a piano technician working on over 20,000 pianos. Working on pianos, crank phonographs, tube era electronics and old player mechanisms has been an inspiring lens into how well-crafted mechanisms were made. This all translated into Spencer’s skills recrafting vintage objects into sculptures.

He has been creating art and music his entire life, participating in dozens of art & museum shows, playing hundreds of concerts, lecturing musical master classes and having his work featured across streaming services, movies, TV, The Olympics & radio globally. With two #1 selling records as a composer, he has 15 solo records, is a featured artist on dozens of others, has produced hundreds of albums, film scores, radio commercials as well as concerts and festivals.