Bibliomania. 2012 Egg tempera on panel, 23 x 15 x 21 x 13 inches.
The character books are, from left to right…never mind. Try to figure them out on your own. If you really want to know, message me through the contact page and I’ll send the answers.
Just Like Jane Austen
From the Imaginactory Archives
Every time I look at this handwritten book I imagine someone from a Jane Austen novel, though I must admit I’ve probably seen more Jane Austen novels on TV than read in books, which would be a humiliating admission with any other author but is understandable to anyone who has struggled through one of her ponderous tomes. Still, I have read enough of her work to know that there were always overdressed English folks flitting over hill and dale during the Regency period, drawing butterflies and painting landscapes, the women in highwaisted dresses and the men sporting tight suits with tails and collars so stiff they had to turn their whole body to see sideways, so this book may very well have been the work of Elizabeth Bennet or Mr. Darcy themselves. Whoever it was certainly loved butterflies and moths, for there are loads of notes about each, in addition to math exercises, tables of weights and measures, various scribbles, and quite a few drawings, some of which show genuine, if undeveloped, talent. The watermarks visible in the paper and the costumes depicted in the portrait drawings put the book in the Regency period, somewhere between 1796, when the paper was manufactured, and 1806, as indicated in various inscriptions. Who knows, perhaps it belonged to Jane Austen herself? (more…)
A Fairy Tale Castle
It seems that every little girl wants to b
e a princess, a fantasy that persists until she realizes most little boys have no intention of becoming a prince. Sure, they might consider slaying a dragon or two but as for humbling themselves on one knee to some bejeweled lacy female, it’s just not on the list of favorite fantasies. I was thinking one day of how my own girls would cajole me into “playing princess,” forcing me to participate in royal receptions, tea parties, and rescues from sinister ogres in which the only prize was their hand in marriage, reason enough for a prince to skip the ogre, grab his ale, and hit the hills in search of adventure. Some of the humiliating costumes and ceremonies I was forced to participate in I still shudder to think of. But then it occurred to me that a fairy-tale castle might be a wonderful idea for a set at Pick’s Photo so I scribbled this quick sketch and began to consider how we could implement the idea.
