An Old and New Topic

Our lives are constant blends of old with new. That's almost one definition of 'time' — old days / new days. We all own some old things and some new things.  New things become old things. We can acquire some old things and thereby make them new things, for us. We moved from our old house to our new house, bringing some old things and buying some new things. The old year became the new year, looking quite the same, except our old view is now a new view. The old computer became a new computer, looking much like the old one, but behaving in a new way. I've finished some old projects and begun some new.

Old and New are simultaneous. 

Where does one begin and the other end?

Milton Glaser — Old/New

House-Warming Party

The weather was pretty nice, and this is a pretty fair representation of what our house-warming party looked like in the back yard. 

Wish you could've been there.

Hendrik van Balen the elder — Feast of the Gods 
 date: I dunno, a long time ago

Hordes from Hades

Thank you to everyone who sent over their good wishes for a smooth move for the home, studio and new computer. Everything DID go smoothly, exCEPT for when I went to the new basement to put some things away, hordes from Hades came pouring out from the unfinished section—which really shook me up until they explained that they were from the Neighborhood Welcoming Committee, inviting us to worship with them (and you should see the basket of goodies they left!).

Virgil Finlay — Hordes from Hades (my title)

The Art of Living

Lao-Tzu

Moving

Moving into a new house, a new studio, a new computer. 

See ya in a couple of days.

Bloggy Blog Blog

This image is totally out of season, totally unrelated to anything—who cares? Right? Bloggy blog blog. Images, images, we're all hungry for images.

Sorry, I'm a little hyper. We're moving home and studio over the next couple of days, and then I pick up my new super-duper, top of the line, dee-luxe, 800 hundred horsepower, slick-trick magic machine. Yes, it's a Mac and I'm proud to say it.

Good golly, why am I so hyper. I moved a truck-load of furniture today and I'm dead tired. But change is exciting and I'm almost done with my 3 years in the making deadlines for 3 separate clients! And then what . . . I dunno.

Okay, this image is slightly related to something relevant. This is, of course, from a Mid-Summer Night's Dream, and we saw a terrific performance of same while we were in London! You just can't go to London and not do something Shakespeare related.

From an old print, don't know the artist, date or anything else. 
But look close at the elegant engraving lines— 
somewhat like paper currency.

Relax

Flawless.

Wenquan Liu — Relax

Life

And isn't life sometimes like this, where even good fortune (here in the guise of a unicorn) can chase you over a cliff . . . ?

George Herriman — Krazy Kat

Sometimes Life Just Feels Like This

Wallace Smith —Pendleton Round Up Association
1927

Warm/Cool

I love the warm/cool impasto applied to this sweet portrait among sunflowers, by FH Varley, one of Canada's "Group of Seven".

Frederick Horsman Varley — Child's Portrait

Nostalgic and Melancholy

A nostalgic and melancholy portrayal of a young American idol.

N.C. Wyeth —The Young Charles Lindbergh — 1931

A Kind and Gentle Soul

A really great friend of ours passed away very recently. It was after a long illness, yet still it was a shock to actually lose him. He was the guiding force of Middle Earth Publishing, which was famous for having published fantasy art portfolios in the 1970s, showcasing the likes of Frank Frazetta, Jeffrey Jones, John Severin, Barry Smith, Howard Chaykin, Mike Ploog, and a number of others. 

This was a man who actually art directed Frank Frazetta, staying at his house for a number of days at a time, and actually served as a model for one of the portfolios. I will be producing a tribute to this man as soon as I can make time, and you'll learn more about him then. In the meantime we are greatly saddened at his passing. He was a kind and gentle soul . . . and Harlan Ellison is still pissed at him. More about that later.

Barry Smith — Conan of Cimmeria — © 1975 Gorblimey Press

Mother and Child

Haddon Sundblom, creator of the ubiquitous and iconic Santa Claus image for Coca Cola, painted other marvelous pieces that are not as well known.

Haddon Sundblom — Mother and Child

A Magazine for Adults

I remember being obsessed with The Spirit when Harvey Comics published two issues of reprints back in the mid '60s, bringing the stories out of retirement for a new generation. Seeing those and the one reprint story in Jules Feiffer's book, also of the mid '60s, made me crazy to want to see more. Well, of course nowadays all the Spirit stories have been reprinted in DC's archive series—yay. 

Back in the '70s, Kitchen Sink Enterprises brought the Spirit further out of retirement and into an "Adults Only" version, which was only very mildly spicy. I bought those at a headshop as beat up dog-eared copies. Then one day in the '80s there appeared a notice somewhere that Eisner was selling file copies of his later comics. I sent in an order for the underground issues along with a praising letter to Eisner. I received back mint condition copies, autographed on the inside, and a personal thank you note from Eisner himself. 

Never be afraid to let your heroes know that you appreciate them!

 © 1973 Will Eisner

© 1972 Will Eisner

Early Works—Obscure Material—Unpublished Art

I love this book, signed by Eisner, and I especially love this cover, adapted from one of his early comics. This is one of those kind of books that they'll have to pry from my dead bony hands in some forlorn nursing home (assuming of course that I make it that far).

Will Eisner — The Art of Will Eisner 

Why Did She Make Strong Men Shiver?

Hmmm, why indeed? Al Capp loved to tease, in more ways than one.

Al Capp's Wolf Gal #1

Freedom—Fraternity—Federation

I love illustrated maps, evoking exotic and adventurous travel. I'm guessing that this one is illustrated by Walter Crane, preeminent illustrator/designer of the early 20th century.

Up to the Rooftop

Ah, come my friend, up to the rooftop, where we may take a load off our feet, fill our pipes with bitter-sweet opium and dream of what is and what might've been.

Jean Lecomte du Nouÿ — Dream of a Eunuch — 1874

As a eunuch, that putto with the knife has great significance.

Winter Has Its Moments

A Magnificent Gift

The start of a new year can be like opening a magnificent gift.

Moebius (Jean Giraud)