Art & Artists
ASK ANYONE WHO KNEW ME when I was younger what I was going to be and they would have said, “Artist.” I always intended to make it to art school, mostly to paint. But things just kept getting in the way.
Now, I don't even draw anymore, but I do occasionally write a piece about an artist, usually someone not all that well known by most folks. And this is where you would find that piece.
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psychedelic mushrooms and the origins of santa claus
THE IMAGE OF SANTA CLAUS in a sleigh pulled by flying reindeer that allows him to visit billions of households around the globe in a single night is usually taken for granted. It is so much a part of “traditional” western pop culture that Santa’s origins—especially the magical parts—are rarely considered by most people. [Continue reading]
I can only think of one question I would pose linda ronstadt
I DON’T MEAN TO IGNORE THIS, my primary blog, but I have been pre-occupied with several other projects and most of my energies and attention have gone there. One of them was finding a new theme for my blogs, which regular readers should have noticed I did find several weeks ago. [Continue reading]
patrick chappatte and will eisner and graphic journalism
I DON’T FOLLOW EDITORIAL CARTOONING, although I certainly appreciate the fact that we may be living in its golden age. There are so many brilliant individuals who combine political and social insight with intelligence and with along with the ability to draw! [Continue reading]
just another rhetorical question about God
THE SPORT OF TYCOONS is the title of the 1974 painting of Scrooge McDuck by legendary artist Carl Barks. Barks was a Disney Studio artist who made his way into comics in the early 1940s. Like other artists who worked for Disney at the time, his work was unsigned and so he was known only as “The Good Duck Artist” to fans. [Continue reading]
we might wonder what benefits impeachment is likely to yield
WE MIGHT WONDER what benefits impeachment is likely to yield, ponders Andrew Bacevich in “The Real Cover-Up: Putting Donald Trump’s Impeachment in Context.” As to the benefits of impeachment, Bacevich believes that answering that question “requires examining four scenarios that describe the range of possibilities awaiting the nation.” [Continue reading]
michael sowa is composed surreally cryptic
WHILE I WAS PLAYING with themes in search of a new look for Rather Rare Records over the past few weeks, I posted a page with a note of apology and explanation for all to see. To make the post eye-catching, I found this surreally cryptic painting by Michael Sowa and used it as the page’s featured image. [Continue reading]
wild wild western washington
THE CASCADES are a range of mountains that cut a wild and wide slash through the state of Washington from top to bottom. That part of the state between the Pacific Ocean and those mountains is Western Washington; that part between the mountains and the rest of the United States is Eastern Washington. [Continue reading]
the astounding creatures of masayoshi matsumoto
MASAYOSHI MATSUMOTO uses balloons only! He has taken care to keep a very low profile: he is 25-years-old and a recent graduate of Tokyo Institute of Technology, where he studied organic polymer materials. I did find what appears to be his website at Isopresso. [Continue reading]