More Border Designs and Influences

 Border Design, acrylic.

As promised in a post a few weeks ago--more borders!

This one actually has a subject within the proscenium, but I've removed it for this post. Been working on a crop of new pieces, and this is one of them. I like imperfect, almost-symmetry much more than the opposite.

Antique toy theaters are definitely an influence, and some of my strongest childhood memories are of going to the old theaters in Denver--before most were torn down--and looking at the amazing plaster and tile decorations.

Book covers used to have great designs--I like to hunt in old bookstores and antique shops, and photograph them.

And there's always the internet.

This is a border--the interior also removed--done for a show at Helikon Gallery...

...and the amazing Sendak artwork (from his Nutcracker) that inspired it.

Old engravings, like this book plate by P. Voight, are also great catalysts for new works.

This owl, a fragment of a larger acrylic work, sits atop a clutch of oak leaves.

Leaving you with one of my favorites; a watercolor border that in fact holds a Cupboard Goblin instead of my watermark.

I could go on and on, but that's plenty. If you missed the previous Borders post, here's the link:

Borders Part One

Thanks, as always, for your interest and support of my work!

A (New-to-Me) Rackham

Arthur Rackham. From Poor Cecco, by Margery Williams

I've studied Rackham's work since I was 16, and I'm not alone in the fascination--

his work is everywhere on the internet, and rightly so.

Many of his images are reproduced over and over, and I sometimes have to force myself to study those with fresh eyes in order to re-appreciate them. That's always worth the effort, because those pieces have become classics for a reason. 

When I find one I hadn't previously seen though--what a pleasure! This one, from 1925, is more colorful than many of his works. There's a lot to check out here--the use of the black silhouette, the wooden dog and crate which keep the eye from wandering out the corners of the page, and the sweet watercolor work on the up-turned bottle. But I most love his use of the faded characters in the background. The delicate greys and those spider-webby ink-lines are pure genius.

Thanks for the visit!

Creativity Sparks: The Twenty (at present)

Illustration to Reynard the Fox and Other Fables, by John Rae 

Scrolling through picture after picture on the internet can be a double edged sword. Looking at illustrations keeps my creativity flowing, but looking too much can make me glaze over sometimes, and I lose the point of examining admirable works.

 The Gruegach, by John D. Batten

I've found that limiting it once in awhile helps. Gathering ten to twenty illustrations that have caught my eye, then sticking with them--examining them for why they arrested me--helps me to limit and learn. 

Illustration from his Bill the Minder, by W. Heath Robinson

So I offer three of my current Twenty here. The reasons for the choices are personal, but when I examine them and think about the techniques, no surprise that they've sparked my imagination.

If you are interested in seeing the others, find them here:

Sarmo's current Twenty

 

And thanks for reading!

Pinocchio Versions from 1883 to 2014

Roberto Innocenti, 1988

Pinocchio kills the talking cricket.

 

Yup, Pinocchio smashes the cricket with a mallet in the original tale by Carlo Collodi. I like Disney's version, but am pretty much enthralled by Collodi's book. Unlike Disney's interpretation of a naïve and gullible Pinocchio, Collodi's puppet is a saucy, selfish, woodenheaded brat throughout most of his horrific adventures, which include being stabbed and hung by the fox and cat.

 

Roberto Innocenti's illustrations remain favorites of mine. They are gorgeous, dramatic watercolors that don't shrink from the violence within the tale, and also celebrate the evolution and eventual redemption of Pinocchio. Check out the atmosphere in these:

 

Pinocchio meets the fox and the cat.

 





Pinocchio is hanged by the assassins

 

The magical piece of wood from whence came Pinocchio.

 

The book is tough to come by, but be sure to see more of  Roberto Innocenti's artwork at http://www.robertoinnocenti.com/

 

Many illustrators have tackled the irritating little puppet's story. Here are a few of my favorites, which range from early black and white engravings to lushly detailed paintings:

 

 



Enrico Mazzanti, 1883

 

Carlo Chiostri, 1901

 

Charles Copeland, 1904

 

 

Attilio Mussino, 1911

 

 

Luigi Cavalieri, 1924

 

Gianbattista Galizzi, 1942

 

And last, this inspiring, fresh illustration by Kayla Edgar, 2014.

It blew me away when I first saw it!

Please enjoy more of Ms. Edgar's amazing work at http://kaylaedgar.com/ 

 

Thanks, as always, for reading!

 

*Pinocchio, by Carlo Collodi, compiled by Cooper Edens,

was my source for most of the illustrations in this post. You can buy it used at

 http://www.amazon.com/Pinocchio-Classic-Illustrated-Carlo-Collodi/dp/0811822834/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1407873433&sr=1-1&keywords=Pinocchio+cooper+edens