A TOAST!

To our cyber-friends all over the world:

May your year ahead be filled with love, comfort, and loads of wondrous images!

Artist unknown — 1946 calendar page

December 31

Directly below, I do believe Charles Addams' New Year baby was reflecting the attitude of America, facing Kennedy's New Frontier. It was the birth, not only of a new year and a new decade, but of a new post-war era.

In his acceptance speech at the Democratic convention earlier in the year, Kennedy said:

We stand on the edge of a New Frontier—the frontier of unfulfilled hopes and dreams, a frontier of unknown opportunities and beliefs in peril. Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered questions of poverty and surplus.

In the words of Robert D. Marcus: “Kennedy entered office with ambitions to eradicate poverty and to raise America’s eyes to the stars through the space program"

Above, somebody always grabs a magazine to solve a math problem.

Hail Britannia

A humble announcement of Britain's supremacy of the seas:

Wm Dyce—Neptune Resigning To Britannia the Empire of the Sea—1847

Retro Look at the Future

Another big influence earlier in my career, for both fashion and general illustration was George Stavrinos. His softly modeled pencil drawings were a mainstay of Bergdorf Goodman and Barney's fashion ads, though Stavrinos did not consider himself a fashion illustrator. He was an artist, photographer, commercial illustrator, and filmmaker.

The fashion drawing below was slightly atypical, as it is more mechanical than organic. Almost an homage to the Maria robot of Metropolis, it evokes a retro look at the future.

More of Stavrinos' work also coming up here in the new year.

Fashion Giant

Antonio Lopez, mostly known as just plain 'Antonio', was a giant in the field of fashion illustration, dominating the trade from the late 70s until his death in 1987. His work was larger than life and many times had a surrealist element to it. Many times he worked from live models, such as this example of Jerry Hall, and built sets much as a photographer would.

I did some fashion illustration in the early 80s, and he was my primary inspiration, even though my style did not emulate his.

Antonio — For Italian Vogue — 1981

More of his work to show up here in 2011.

December 30

FYI: A new year's a comin'. Just so ya knows.

Old Man's Lament

Good Golly Miss Molly, but I miss the days when every third book on the drugstore book spinner had a Jeff Jones, Frank Frazetta, or Roy Krenkel cover. And the stories were fun TOO!

Jeffrey Catherine Jones — The Moon of Comrath

December 29

Above, the Winter Fiction issue

Where the Wild Things Were

Maurice Sendak — Stages — theatre poster — 1978

America's Graphic Design Magazine

For all you artists out there . . .

Marcellino — Print Magazine — January-February 1979

I especially like the crayons in there. I use crayons a lot.

December 28

A Favorite Illustrator

A really early cover by a favorite illustrator of nearly everyone:

J. C. Leyendecker — The Inland Printer — December 1897

Cover Girl

Marion Davies was a major cover girl in her day, not all just because of her association with William Randolph Hearst.

Hamilton King — Theatre Magazine — June 1920 —Marion Davies

December 27

Time is running out for the old guy directly below, but I'm going to post it again on January 3rd and it'll be like new.

Bazaar

Leonor Fini — Harper's Bazaar — June 1947

Victorious Humanity is Coming!

Jeffrey Catherine Jones — Dark of the Woods

Year End Clearance

Alright, it's that time of year—Year End Clearance—where I feel I can post individual images with no more explanation than what I know off the top of my head. So, for the next week, scattered among the New Yorker covers, will be miscellaneous little treasures that don't quite fit a larger theme. Images that have maybe been separated from their mother ship, so to speak. Images that may not be immediately identifiable.

Let's see what surfaces.

Armando Drechsler — Dos Amigas — 1941

Whoa—Pearl Harbor Day took place in there!

Sparkling with Diamonds

This card by Mary Engelbreit seems appropriate for between Christmas and New Year's. And I loved the new Chekov in the last movie . . . oh waitaminnit . . . wasn't there a writer or somesuch with that name?

December 26

Maybe you think cuz Christmas is over that I'm through posting the New Yorker covers.

No sir, think again. Because of the magazine's publishing schedule, sometimes the cover date shot a bit over the holiday date, but still had holiday art. And sometimes, in the later years, two weeks would be combined into one, with two cover dates. And besides, New Year's is coming up, as you well know, and there's plenty covers covering that theme.

The long and short of it is that you're gonna see New Yorker covers for at LEAST another week. Oh you'll still see other stuff as well, so tough it out—grin and bear it ; )

Have I mentioned how I especially love the William Steig covers?

Christmas Number

Happy holidays to all my cyber-friends around the world!

May all your days be filled with comfort and joy.

W. Heath Robinson — December 1929

December 25

Thinking Homeward

Thoughts of home, all warm and comfy, are with so many people at this time of year. The ad below addresses the hopes of those in service, true today as it was in 1943.

Prior to that time, home was a holiday topic used with great charm, demonstrating that happiness is a warm chimney:

Below, a modern card by Mary Engelbreit, seemingly inspired by cards like those above.