Some Words of Wisdom for the New Year

The World Hotel

Checking out . . .

Checking in . . .

Oh, Hey!

Oh, hey! It looks like I've got my new machine on line.

I hear firecracker explosions all around, in honor of the new year. Handle them things with care, will ya?

Arline Judge — Girl Crazy — 1932

Love, Comfort & Good Will

Okay, here's one of those bad news/good news kind of things.

Bad news is that my computer is finally kaput once and for all, even after months of replacement parts and repairs.

Good news is that I have a brand new magic machine to get up to speed, so I can finish my immediate deadline and maybe get back to some sort of normalcy.

Bad news is that right now, I'm coming to you from my iPad until I get up to speed, so I can't post my new year's images that I was gonna do.

Good news is at least I can type one letter at a time to wish you all a GOOD new year---with love, comfort and good will!

Art Remains A Mystery

A Treasure

Mucha is a treasure for the world, it being a better place because of him. I take comfort in looking at his work.

Alphonse Mucha — Hearst's International — December 1922

St-St-Stunning

It doesn't matter how often you have seen a particular stunning graphic by Mucha, it's stunning every time you see it!

Alphonse Mucha — Zodiac Panneau — 1896

This is a print I bought at a private museum in London.

A Child's Dream

I dunno, perhaps, perhaps, just perhaps this poster might have been an inspiration for Winsor McCay to dream up Little Nemo in Slumberland—coming out several years before Nemo's debut. Y'know, Nemo's dream friend Flip was a sort of a clown . . .

Well, anyway, this is a fun approach for a circus promotion, although the graphic layout could have been done a wee bit better by not spreading all the characters out so evenly.

Barnum & Bailey — circus poster — 1896

Happy End of Year, Still Time to Be Festive Week

Bob Pepper — holiday greeting card — 1980s

Have Yourself a Merry Little Winter

Helen Dryden — Vogue — 1920

Fancy Dress Fashions

I wanted to post this cover on the 15th, just to be timely, but on that day my plans were foiled.

Frank X. Leyendecker — Vogue — December 15, 1913

Ever-Glowing

Because of computer problems, I wasn't able to post up, in a timely fashion, some Christmas stuff I had ready to go. So while it's still a holiday week, and the computer is temporarily behaving, this is a glowful book cover by the ever-glowing Scott Gustafson. 

Let's pretend that this shows Santa coming home after his journeys to a private celebration at the Claus abode.

©1993 Scott Gustafson

Miss Me?

I'm BAAAaaackkk . . . 

Brian Bolland — Wonder Woman #63

Enchanted Source

This is a thermal sort of iPad photo taken on Christmas Day at Kensington Gardens, the enchanted source of Peter Pan's origin, and one of Arthur Rackham's inspirations for his illustrations. When I get home and get back up to speed, I plan to do a special journal edition on this subject.

I'll be in transit for a couple of days, so see you in a few.

Cool Yule Jewel

Dignified, yet tasty.

Tree Ornament

Searching for a good souvenir tree ornament . . . This is the the favored choice so far . . .

Such Fun

Store displays are such fun. Tinker Bell seems to be overshadowing Peter Pan in the scheme of marketing.

Frenetic Festival

London is also a frenetic festival at the Winter Wonderland carnival, bombarded by cacophonous music, flashing lights and elevated voices of merriment. My favorite part was the hot mulled wine and roasted chestnuts.

Peaceful Wishes

Thank you to my commenting cyber friends---peaceful wishes for you . . . and, hey, all the rest of you too.

Christmas Eve in London is a luvely time and place.

Phido Christmas

Harrod's has a Christmas gift department especially for pets, and this is my favorite item in there. I wish I could've afforded it for my dog. He'll just have to be happy with a stocking full of treats.