In the Labyrinth

Arms Out: Mel Kadel at Merry Karnowsky Gallery

Anyone out in the L.A, area should make a point of stopping by to see Mel Kadel's gorgeous work "Arms Out" at the Merry Karnowsky Gallery (show runs from February 5 -- March 5th). I love these drawings with their whimsical female figures surrounded by intricate quilt like patterns. Kadel, often situated in the comics -- art world, has created a sort of iconic heroine, a lithe vigorous creature whose emotions are expressed in the tension of patterned cloth that is wrapped, pulled, shook out and flowing. It's just terrific. You can actually pick up t-shirts with his   her work on it, or purchase a print (at Fudge Factory Comics -- click on shop). For anyone working in textile arts, Kadel's work is fantastic, funny, evocative, and beautiful.

A Sign the World Needs a New Bordertown Anthology

 

No not that bordertown...the one between the Realm and the Human World. It is exciting to note that the forthcoming Bordertown anthology, edited by Ellen Kushner and Holly Black, has just about finished accepting stories from a stellar collection of next generation authors that includes Tim Pratt, Catherynne Valente, Cory Doctorow, and Chris Barzak. Of course the old guard is there too, represented by former B'towners Emma Bull, Will Shetterly, and Charles DeLint. The editors have also offered new items -- poetry and song lyrics. (Can the CD be far behind?) It's great to see this terrific shared world anthology getting a new life and a new interpretation. Working title is Welcome to Bordertown and start looking for it Summer of 2011.

Eric Orchard: Harry and Silvio and The Adventures of the Flying Boat

  
Just before we moved (and when things were already migrating into boxes) I received copies of award-winning Canadian illustrator and artist Eric Orchard's delightful new series which contained the adventures of two cloud dwellers, Harry (a bear) and Silvio (a raccoon) and their unexpected guests, the intrepid Maddy Kettle who arrives in a flying boat and the dangerous Goblin Gang who have been pursuing Maddy.  And there are other flying boat adventurers in the series such as Memphis Lemon Finch, his sidekick Stink Bat and the mysterious Thimble Witch who wears a fantastic beak mask. The whimsical tales are charming (for adult and younger readers) and the pen and ink drawings are so expressive and captivating that Eric won a Silver Award for this year's Spectrum 17, a yearly juried publication featuring the best in contemporary fantastic art.

 

I follow Eric on facebook and I enjoy reading his frequent updates that chronicle note only his work, but his life as a father and an artist. It has reminded me, especially after my recent post on the film Who Does She Think  She Is?, that these days there are many artist-fathers working just as hard to juggle parenting, nurturing, and creative work. In Eric's many updates along with quick posts about his process and his sketches, one can also read of the usual exhaustion, the acts of negotiating distractions just to have a few more moments of work, and the needs of a sick child that obliterates all other schedules and deadlines. But there is also the fun of slowing everything down and just enjoying the long afternoon, sitting on the floor and playing before starting work again.  It reminds us that making art and having children are not mutually exclusive enterprises.

 

Do stop by Eric's website and have a look at his beautiful color illustrations as well as his comics and his blog to follow up on his many new projects (including art for Jeff and Ann Vandermeer's new Steampunk Reloaded anthology and a tarot card for Super Punch's new exhibit of tarot cards produced by a wide variety of artists -- an amazing project by the way). You can become a fan of The Adventures of the Flying Boat on facebook and keep up on all the new sketches, stories, characters, and finished pieces. And...you can purchase the mini-comics here.

Encyclopedia And the Anatomy of Japanese Monsters: Shigeru Mizuki

 
I so want this book: Yokai Jiten (Encyclopedia of Monsters) which chronicles the lives and habits of 100 Japanese monsters from folktales.  Written and illustrated by manga artist Shigeru Mizuki in 1981, the book is a fabulous collection of weird and quirky (and dangerous!) monsters. The creature above is a suiko-- a sort of giant kappa-like water creature that lurks in lakes and likes to possess unsuspecting humans, driving them mad (as well as occasionally draining them of blood.) The Koboku-no-kai below are the quarrelsome spirits of old trees that come out a night and start fights. I recommend heading over to Pink Tentacle (a favorite haunt of mine for information on Japanese monsters and all manner of Japanese culture) to read the full post. One can also find there a post on Mizuki's very bizarre Yokai Diazukai (Anatomy of Monsters) which creates almost medical diagrams of the bodies and functioning organs of 85 monsters. Wonderfully outrageous and enough material to supply any writer with a very deep well of imaginative suggestions.

More Art in the Mail: João Lemos, Portfolio

  

Almost exactly a year ago I posted on the Endicott blog about a terrific Portuguese comic book artist João Lemos who recently sent me a copy of his limited edition {Portfolio} a collection of sketches, comic book art, drawings from a twelve part series he has been working on, short story illustrations (below), and just all around gorgeous stuff. (And many, many thanks for this lovely volume!)

João has done some beautiful work for Marvel's "Avenger Fairy Tales" series, including an homage to "Peter Pan." He has also been working with author C.B. Cebulski on a twelve part series, Shiki, an ecological/magical journey, a sample of which can be seen in the teaser video below. And finally, I am looking forward to seeing a new illustrated anthology of Portuguese fairy tales which is due out later this year.

Stop by Sete-Estrelo, João's blog to see more of his work -- including pages from the "Peter Pan," more sketches of Shiki, a short story illustration of "Dance," (which appeared in Actor Comics Presents) and all sorts of cool bits, like pages from his sketchbook/journal. The blog is in Portuguese, but art is universal so I think you will find it compelling.  (And I just realized, he translates much of it into English below the Portuguese!) There's a lovely elegance to Lemos's work which strikes me as similar to some of art-deco designer Erte and his sylph-like figures. (Right side is "High Priestess of Food of the Gods Cult" and left is "Autumn.")

Inspiration and the Rabbit

American poet laureate, Billy Collins has a wonderful article in Saturday's Wall Street Journal on his principal source of influence, the Warner Brother's Saturday morning cartoons that he watched as a child. He writes: "Plus, characters could jump dimensions, leaping around in time and space, their sudden exits marked by a rifle-shot sound effect. Anticipating the tricks of metafiction, these creatures could hop right out of the world of cartoon and into our world...This freedom to transcend the laws of basic fiction, to hop around in time and space, and to skip from one dimension to another has long been a crucial aspect of imaginative poetry."

The article also includes some of Collins' wonderful poems -- a tribute to the mythic inner natures of these well known cartoon figures -- Bugs Bunny, Porky, Daffy, and Elmer (all of which were first published in Pokerface (1977).

And as a huge fan of Billy Collins' poetry, here's a terrific animated version of his poem "Forgetfulness." You can see eight other animated poems on YouTube if you type his name into the search box.

Savage Chickens do Scrabble

As someone who plays Scrabble with multi-lingual friends (and where yes, multiple languages are permitted in the game!) I could not resist posting this hilarious Savage Chickens cartoon from Canadian humorist Doug Savage. Savage produces one new Savage Chickens cartoon every weekday -- and all on yellow post-its. They are absolutely outrageous and should come with a warning not to view while drinking any beverage you don't want up your nose.

Persepolis Trailer

I am really excited about finally seeing Persepolis, the animated film based on the graphic memoir of Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi. It's about a modern (and fiercely independent) girl coming of age during the Islamic revolution in Iran in the late 70s.  Brilliant. (Once the film finishes playing this first clip -- check out the other little clips -- especially the 2nd one-- that appear in the You Tube window in a band at the bottom of the screen. )

Virgil Partch's Wild, Wild Women

ASIF-Hollywood Animation Archive has a fabulous collection of cartoons from 1950's artist Virgil Partch's book Wild Wild Women. These hilarious, whimsical and wonderfully naughty cartoons remind me of an edgier James Thurber.

A-HAA says this about Virgil's work: "Throughout the 50s, he published small collections of his cartoons, grouped by themes. "Bottle Fatigue" dealt with the spell of alcohol, "Here We Go Again" was a collection of cartoons dealing with Army life, and "Wild, Wild Women" and "Man The Beast" dealt with the battle between the sexes. Partch's cartoons are absurd, visually delightful and wicked. Most of all, they are unique."

Stop by the A-HAA archives and enjoy viewing many more of these wonderful cartoons. If you've never been to the Archive you are in for a treat. This is one of my favorite places to visit regularly and I am incredibly grateful for all the art they've made available to viewers. Stop by and consider a little donation to keep them going. (Just check out all the fairy tale illustrative art offerings  -- like this post on Tenggren's beautiful illustrations of D'Aulnoy's fairy tales or Lorioux's Fables de La Fontaine)