Sketchbook journal of American illustrator Dan Price, published as a zine (1992–present)
After 10 years as a professional photojournalist, along with stints as carpenter, a cook, in a grocery store, as a waiter, a ditch digger, a truck driver, and a ski bum, Price began publishing his illustrated journals (he'd been creating them since he was a teenager). At first, he mailed them to his friends, and then, entered the world of self-publishing and distribution, sending his zine out around the world.
One of the great things about Moonlight Chronicles is that the writing isn't done expository-style, like a big essay/laundry list of his life. It's homey and friendly, seeming to be more of a letter from a friend than an unknown author. --Elizabeth Badurina
With a simple drawing style (akin to
Jeff Zenick, or even
Richard Scarry), Dan Price has been detailing the objects and
landscapes of his life as a wandering artist and
handyman for over a decade. Within the clean lines of pen and ink, readers can experience the flowers,
tools, people, street signs,
motorcycles, and bicycles of Price's life, and even the various alternative dwellings (
yurts,
tipis,
kivas) he has built as personal residences in Eastern
Oregon. His
handwritten comments attached to the drawing not only
reveal a
fascination with beauty in both natural and manufactured objects, but a commitment to enjoying life freed from the trappings of
consumerism.
One irony of Price's commitment and documentation of voluntary simplicity is the success of his zine has on more than one occasion captured the eye of retail marketers. For a while, in the mid-1990s, his zine was sponsored by, and Price drew ads for, Simple, a shoe company in Santa Barbara, California, which found Price's whimsical style and approach to living a good match for their product. In exchange for including shoe ads in his zine, and giving away his zine with their shoe catalog, Simple paid him to travel and journal. In 2002, WizWheels, a recumbent tricycle company approached Price, and asked him if he would journal a 4700 mile cross-country test run (he agreed). Sakura of America also features Price and his drawings as an example of how to use their pens.
Moonlight Chronicles ($5/issue) is still published roughly six times a year, and contact information for ordering can be found at <http://www.moonlight-chronicles.com/>. A "best of" Moonlight Chronicles collection is available from Ten Speed Press.
Sources:
"Fun Journaling with Dan Price," <http://www.gellyroll.com/craft/journal/danprice/dan.html> (18 December 2003)
"Great American Trike Tour." WizWheelz. <http://www.wizwheelz.com/triketour.htm> (19 December 2003)
Badurina, Elizabeth. "Quiet Observer... with a Pen." Review of Moonlight Chronicles: A Wandering Artist's Journal. Epinions.com. 23 September 2000. <http://www.epinions.com/book-review-7759-252ADA3-39CCD9C3-prod1> (18 December 2003)
Bushnell, Jeremy P. Review of Moonlight Chronicles #26 and #27. Invisible City Productions Zine District. 9 January 2002. <http://www.invisible-city.com/zines/2002winter.htm#moonl> (18 December 2003)
Price, Dan. Moonlight Chronicles Home Page. <http://www.moonlight-chronicles.com/> (18 December 2003)
Price, Dan. "Living Free (Homesteading)." Mother Earth News. December 2002. <http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1279/2002_Dec/94672192/print.jhtml> (19 December 2003)