tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23033382409484287592024-03-18T15:24:20.982-04:00Black and WhiteWords and Pictures:
A Blog About Block Prints and Juvenile FantasyAnne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.comBlogger1382125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-13213325935680732542024-03-18T10:01:00.002-04:002024-03-18T10:01:45.585-04:00Magical Botany A<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy46nYURFrK_P8g60NWD6bVv8D4x_FcmCqSD5lv3O3mYgkqJ-nzBDiZ8yYyigncD5fRkYU4jit5vs8sCAiyQPc276_OIyWDdwltyEJJiweGv0ZVVeR4mC-9L_4eOoW-sBdqOFA_k-dK5aJ6pSwsXuaL9bBLcOy1X19VGzJatCXgVjpKQDimk2DB3f1x6hs/s780/audrey-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="780" data-original-width="661" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy46nYURFrK_P8g60NWD6bVv8D4x_FcmCqSD5lv3O3mYgkqJ-nzBDiZ8yYyigncD5fRkYU4jit5vs8sCAiyQPc276_OIyWDdwltyEJJiweGv0ZVVeR4mC-9L_4eOoW-sBdqOFA_k-dK5aJ6pSwsXuaL9bBLcOy1X19VGzJatCXgVjpKQDimk2DB3f1x6hs/s320/audrey-1.jpg" width="271" /></a></div> Welcome to the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com">April A to Z Blog Challenge</a>! My theme this year is the <b>Botany of the Realms of Imagination</b>, in which I share a few of the magical plants of folklore, fairy tale, and fantasy. You can find the Master List of participating A to Z blogs <b><a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OazgiDABFDDzMDXznoh3epHPOFLJ7rKLmhBAZ6tDvVM/edit#gid=1344075563">here</a></b>, although I’m giving myself a head start and the others won’t be starting their alphabets until April 1.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I have three plants to share with you today, and they represent one traditional herb plus two very different flavors of modern fantasy.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> First is <b>Audrey II</b>, the carnivorous monster plant from “Little Shop of Horrors.” The version most people are familiar with is the musical made into a movie in 1986. According to the musical, Audrey II (who is named after its owner’s love interest) is an alien species that colonizes planets in order to feed on their inhabitants and ultimately destroy them. Described as a cross between a Venus fly trap and an avocado, its ever-growing pod opens to a huge mouth with vicious teeth, and the plant feeds on blood and eventually human flesh. When mature it also speaks (and sings) in English, and is, in fact, quite clever and conniving, getting people to provide its food for it.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yWQvcBp8piRNh8WTLMo_SpbnfNG3YiXttmlGjBm9JQSon0L4i8ncRVWaWku6U9P8tgHsKVYay8_j6mZ16P3zvfM9NKC7AOx0_6rdGdTUNrGhSvrqRBfgJET0jNhmAxiahnCmHaoQZVXy8bOTXu0CveHYe_-N-H-hpdkf8svtb9FvGGOaiqTR2W8_PWaV/s492/athelas.Pandemonia.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="477" data-original-width="492" height="259" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh2yWQvcBp8piRNh8WTLMo_SpbnfNG3YiXttmlGjBm9JQSon0L4i8ncRVWaWku6U9P8tgHsKVYay8_j6mZ16P3zvfM9NKC7AOx0_6rdGdTUNrGhSvrqRBfgJET0jNhmAxiahnCmHaoQZVXy8bOTXu0CveHYe_-N-H-hpdkf8svtb9FvGGOaiqTR2W8_PWaV/w268-h259/athelas.Pandemonia.jpg" width="268" /></a></div> Our second plant of the day comes from J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth. <b>Athelas</b>, also known as Kingsfoil, may be just the antidote you need when anthropophagus aliens start growing in your neighborhood. The sweet-smelling herb was brought to Middle-earth by the wise and noble people of old, but after many centuries its healing properties had been forgotten by most people and the lore was considered a mere nursery rhyme. Athelas is especially efficacious when administered by the king, and it’s the only cure for the Black Breath, which is poisoning by a Ringwraith. The name means “beneficial leaf” in Sindarin.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9SenGFhqI3BCh_MRZfM6Z1SVULZ2fBj4jWJXpSaI_GvdG8J8XS0B_ddNWpiYp2nwX7Z-OEZfNDTHYo_htvhBbF0wKPBZiuPrH2M726nI966fH9tH_pXchk02aWiQdZiW5d-dRzyWKo2OleTrBh4ZErdmnEINVyz3a4x3r9Fjpgge4k85VJguMuLv4QOW/s1712/aglaophotis.possibly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1712" data-original-width="1000" height="291" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ9SenGFhqI3BCh_MRZfM6Z1SVULZ2fBj4jWJXpSaI_GvdG8J8XS0B_ddNWpiYp2nwX7Z-OEZfNDTHYo_htvhBbF0wKPBZiuPrH2M726nI966fH9tH_pXchk02aWiQdZiW5d-dRzyWKo2OleTrBh4ZErdmnEINVyz3a4x3r9Fjpgge4k85VJguMuLv4QOW/w170-h291/aglaophotis.possibly.jpg" width="170" /></a></div> And finally, to head off in yet a third direction, we have <b>aglaophotis</b>, an herb with a very long and mysterious history. The first century Greek pharmacologist Dioscorides mentioned aglaophotis, which he said was used for warding off demons, witchcraft, and fever. An Herbal of 1597 says its seeds shine in the night like a candle. On the other hand, according to 1977’s occult grimoire <i>Simon</i> <i>Necronomicon</i> by Peter Levenda, the plant calls up dark forces, rather than repelling them. This is not an insignificant difference of opinion!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The moral of these plants is that you absolutely want to know how to definitively identify what’s growing in your garden. The little details make a big difference. Gardening tip of the day: root up the noxious plants when they’re small, or they really may take over the world.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzdk0dh-2hsAeY7CwwyTemdnKfBeReZ9wPYIX9enQ_wkFlSaSNe2-Q24Gya2nNzPSKay9qpTHjT_7MNl54t6mI8Tp9d1VhS-Ov2bePdsDWwJ7fvmuF4ppUg-euvQY1ahXvKvGLf025X9rRJcblhk7T4ZFiSdv3d3qp7DPlM8LEtlTLRgWYLul8tCGigSr/s1835/A.VenusFlyTrap2.24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; float: left; font-family: georgia; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1835" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDzdk0dh-2hsAeY7CwwyTemdnKfBeReZ9wPYIX9enQ_wkFlSaSNe2-Q24Gya2nNzPSKay9qpTHjT_7MNl54t6mI8Tp9d1VhS-Ov2bePdsDWwJ7fvmuF4ppUg-euvQY1ahXvKvGLf025X9rRJcblhk7T4ZFiSdv3d3qp7DPlM8LEtlTLRgWYLul8tCGigSr/s320/A.VenusFlyTrap2.24.jpg" width="174" /></a></div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> This may be the place to confess that I lovingly cherish a Venus fly trap. Here she is! But don’t worry - I don’t feed her blood (or indeed anything), and all she catches is little bugs. Do you grow any unusual plants in your home or garden?</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Feed Me - Audrey II</i>, linocut by Jacob of Low Road Press (Image from <a href="https://lowroadpress.com/product/little-shop-of-horrors-audrey-ii-linocut-original-art-print-feed-me/">Low Road Press</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Kingsfoil, Athelas</i>, design by Studio Pandemonia (Image from <a href="https://www.redbubble.com/i/sticker/Kingsfoil-Athelas-Numenora-Medical-Herb-by-PandemoniaLLC/148485982.EJUG5">Pandemonia shop on RedBubble</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Aglaophotis</i> (the role of Aglaophotis is actually being played today by <i>Paeonia Foemina Altera</i><i style="font-style: normal;">)</i>, wood block print from<i style="font-style: normal;"> </i><i>Florum et coronarium odoratarumque</i> by Rembert Dodoens, 1568 (Image from <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/188130#page/119/mode/1up">Biodiversity Heritage Library</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Venus fly trap, photo by AEGN, 2024.]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-20180510172330171522024-03-13T09:53:00.000-04:002024-03-13T09:53:11.870-04:00A to Z 2024 Theme Revelation!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrZplWWatICkWIAtbcvZpkWt8xK6kN0Kv2-TdmG1ESZ8vnafyNbT-ZiWH0BRd_zm2bAlxq5ZeggPegYI38YVi_OUkjaJTIWqhZ9FT4SxnkkCTG8gSZBxzBILhjOvhU0e37fSCMKPHpBkxYWR3xSXRXN1oKu0f1MmAHzHUhu4-RwyrXM69M-4rZbbzl6hy/s1600/AtoZ.sq1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNrZplWWatICkWIAtbcvZpkWt8xK6kN0Kv2-TdmG1ESZ8vnafyNbT-ZiWH0BRd_zm2bAlxq5ZeggPegYI38YVi_OUkjaJTIWqhZ9FT4SxnkkCTG8gSZBxzBILhjOvhU0e37fSCMKPHpBkxYWR3xSXRXN1oKu0f1MmAHzHUhu4-RwyrXM69M-4rZbbzl6hy/w270-h270/AtoZ.sq1.jpg" width="270" /></a></div> This will be my eighth year participating in the <a href="http://www.a-to-zchallenge.com">April A to Z Blog Challenge</a> (plus one more year in which I did an alphabet series on my own). During the Challenge, bloggers from around the world post 26 pieces through the month of April, arranged according to the alphabet. Because this blog is about both <b>Fantasy</b> and <b>Relief Block Printmaking</b>, my themes in past years have been</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>2016</b> - Mythical Creatures, a general digest</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>2017</b> - Relief Block Printmakers</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>2018</b> - Characters in the Books I’ve Written</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>2019</b> - Mythical Creatures featured in my own book <i>On the Virtues of Beasts of the Realms of Imagination</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRySy2RjkUmf0kc4CwF0Zl89K9fIOeZsIACrqHlfFD8A3EdWkvLsL2QbuPW-8nSn7ZPa0nA204_ndiqdlc5tdPuiIJMSnEUGwruwB5bKViBDuxXogIxNg9E9ClHzkRedJla_vOxTvBvk8VTDy7CnFYpNjsSmd_yh021Kjy1TPazuEHfSQDU0NA78prvSq/s2363/pastA2Zthemes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1850" data-original-width="2363" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlRySy2RjkUmf0kc4CwF0Zl89K9fIOeZsIACrqHlfFD8A3EdWkvLsL2QbuPW-8nSn7ZPa0nA204_ndiqdlc5tdPuiIJMSnEUGwruwB5bKViBDuxXogIxNg9E9ClHzkRedJla_vOxTvBvk8VTDy7CnFYpNjsSmd_yh021Kjy1TPazuEHfSQDU0NA78prvSq/w377-h296/pastA2Zthemes.jpg" width="377" /></a></div> <b>2020</b> - Traditional English-language Nursery Rhymes and their block printed illustrations</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>2021</b> - Mythical and Imaginary Places</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>2022</b> - How to Make a Fantastical Creature (Traits common among monsters and marvels)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>2023</b> - Block Printed Alphabet Squared (an Alphabet of Block Printed Alphabets)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> That’s the history - feel free to revisit any of them (you can use the labels in the sidebar) and drop new comments. But now the time has come to reveal the future: the theme for… (sound the fanfare…)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> 2024 - The Botany of the Realms of Imagination</span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I’ve done many many posts on magical creatures, but not too many on magical plants… and that omission ends now! Presenting twenty-six posts lavishing attention on magical botany! To clarify, this is about mythical plants of folklore, fairy tale, and fantasy, not about real plants that are said to have magical properties (although occasionally those categories may blur slightly). As usual, I’ll give preference to block prints to illustrate the featured plants, but that won’t be possible for many of them, so there will be a wide variety of illustrations.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Gps2TQ4Fg-x0-NYn4pY5feJ-gdViT6XkxkrmQuEZiir1NdDYMZBUBiZ8wjGl899gUqI389cRkKj6qhrsisR-jAvTNffpbWK2x_dWTyNVpU0EwzVooh7bc67a2sM-868aum3zfKv6ah6wop-fdIhbuDiRZ58gi-4kfV7chRQoZr22BjB0lzl2hd4r5_C/s1579/AtoZ24reveal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1579" data-original-width="1504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN4Gps2TQ4Fg-x0-NYn4pY5feJ-gdViT6XkxkrmQuEZiir1NdDYMZBUBiZ8wjGl899gUqI389cRkKj6qhrsisR-jAvTNffpbWK2x_dWTyNVpU0EwzVooh7bc67a2sM-868aum3zfKv6ah6wop-fdIhbuDiRZ58gi-4kfV7chRQoZr22BjB0lzl2hd4r5_C/s320/AtoZ24reveal.jpg" width="305" /></a></div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> In my usual sanity-saving practice, I will be starting early in order to give myself a few days off during the month of April. You can come back next week for the letter A, or you can come back on April 1, and each day in April I’ll direct you to the officially scheduled letter with links. This year, however, in a new and desperate additional attempt to preserve my sanity, I really am going to rein myself in and feature just a few plants each time. And since my posts will be a little shorter than some years, you’ll have more time to read more of the other A to Z Blogs! Be sure to check out the Master List of all the participating bloggers, which you can find <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1OazgiDABFDDzMDXznoh3epHPOFLJ7rKLmhBAZ6tDvVM/edit#gid=1344075563">HERE</a>.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> So, put on your magical gardening gloves and get ready to dig in. Maybe you’ll discover some new plants to grow in your own fantasy garden! Or, if you’ve been around for a while, which was your favorite of my previous themes?</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: Assorted illustrations from <i>Libellus de Medicinalibus Indorum Herbis</i> by Martin de la Cruz and Juan Badiano, 1552 (Images from <a href="https://www.academia.edu/2777939/Libellus_de_Medicinalibus_Indorum_Herbis_Digital_facsimile_">Academia</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Garden Apartments</i>, rubber block print by <a href="http://nydamprints.com/original-block-prints.html">AEGNydam</a>, 2017 (sold out).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-9346561720836303642024-03-08T09:45:00.000-05:002024-03-08T09:45:06.391-05:00Eclipse Legends<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppgJvOrc3r3IEgd7VI9nnWO09eR23nbKW0N-Qlf9aU4AU0C7fD2XsNOxIagSKds3VonqjYduQuUDAV8GODAGF6BuES0HJXlKzkC7BDoo2TDtT95clC3vGTkrl1ZcsQZxG2T85ejDnQYt1oUgxt5zlSbY-kOIvTI4IQSv75BmYWWOKcuF5H8eLW0mKJIcE/s2281/eclipse.China.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2281" data-original-width="2185" height="347" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhppgJvOrc3r3IEgd7VI9nnWO09eR23nbKW0N-Qlf9aU4AU0C7fD2XsNOxIagSKds3VonqjYduQuUDAV8GODAGF6BuES0HJXlKzkC7BDoo2TDtT95clC3vGTkrl1ZcsQZxG2T85ejDnQYt1oUgxt5zlSbY-kOIvTI4IQSv75BmYWWOKcuF5H8eLW0mKJIcE/w333-h347/eclipse.China.jpg" width="333" /></a></div> Planet Earth is due for a total solar eclipse this year on April 8. I’ve got my astronomically-approved eclipse glasses, and I’m ready to view it! By the time the eclipse rolls around, however, I’ll already be ten letters deep into the April A to Z Challenge here on this blog, so I thought I’d better take the opportunity today to take a brief look at how humans have viewed eclipses through the lens of myth.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Not surprisingly, an eclipse is the sort of natural phenomenon that catches people’s attention, that is not readily explainable to the pre-Copernican understanding, and that is dramatic enough to suggest that something really wild is happening in the heavens. A situation ripe for legend!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The most widespread explanation that seems to have occurred to people around the world is that something must be devouring the sun. After all, we can see the bite being taken from the shining disc in the sky, and during a total eclipse it’s evidently been swallowed co</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;">mpletely.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Vietnamese legend holds that a giant frog swallows the sun.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Javanese mythology accuses the god of darkness.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Chinese culture attributes the eclipse to a celestial dragon’s maw.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">According to Andean cultures, it’s a puma; Choctow legend has a mischievous black squirrel; and Kwakiutl stories tell of some kind of sky creature.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Norse mythology claims the sun and moon are swallowed by giant wolves created by Loki.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Luckily, all these monsters always spit the sun back out again for one reason or another, sometimes because it’s too hot or because gods make them, but often because people scare the monster away with loud noises.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Kwakiutl people light fires so that the smoke will make the sky creature sneeze and spit out the sun.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">In Hindu mythology the sun is occasionally swallowed by the decapitated head of the demon Rahu — but since the monster is just a head, the sun quickly comes out from the back of his throat!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6dNVESxqBqp5DYns5xirp9LCb5DeC5RGQkD9ly6tes1My66OHM48pLoeJ0DI4k3kwad4L92_0mR4DpvnaJW_OoVFHFmlSHmWzLdvy4Ex4QkS2O-OeX5lOduTWi8CcwmqdDKaDed-rOMxpvzg_R55iySKlLim3M1rDF4H7AGxffZorkURsn02-pAvjRaC/s720/eclipse.Norse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="488" data-original-width="720" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj6dNVESxqBqp5DYns5xirp9LCb5DeC5RGQkD9ly6tes1My66OHM48pLoeJ0DI4k3kwad4L92_0mR4DpvnaJW_OoVFHFmlSHmWzLdvy4Ex4QkS2O-OeX5lOduTWi8CcwmqdDKaDed-rOMxpvzg_R55iySKlLim3M1rDF4H7AGxffZorkURsn02-pAvjRaC/w404-h274/eclipse.Norse.jpg" width="404" /></a></div></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> But what if the sun weren’t being swallowed by a monster? Perhaps instead the eclipse is the result of love. In traditions of southeast Australia, the Moon chases the Sun across the sky and threatens to darken the world if she can’t catch him. In Inuit legend it’s the Sun chasing the Moon. In both German and Tahitian mythology the Sun and Moon are in a sort of “Ladyhawke” scenario in which they are lovers and the eclipse is one of the rare times they can actually be together. Some people of Benin add the idea that when the Sun and Moon do get together, they turn off the light for privacy! The Maya make loud noises to make the Sun and Moon break up their embrace, which seems kind of cruel. Surely you could wait patiently in darkness for just a little while, to give them a rare chance to enjoy each others’ company! (On the other hand, another source claims the Maya were in the sun-eating camp. It’s entirely possible that there were multiple legends. Also entirely possible that some of my sources for a shallow little survey post like this are not very accurate!)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> We get our word <i>eclipse</i> from Greek, and it meant literally “abandonment, forsaking,” because it happened when the gods were angry and the sun abandoned the Earth. The Inca also believed an eclipse was a sign of the wrath of the sun god, and in Transylvania it was said that the sun would cover herself in darkness when she was angry with human’s bad actions.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0UOF1k3K-B4JTCh4DWfDaZZvShp1F7isHLcZcJKqL1mfZJr7BgQwE7xOODjK-Z853PbukzMPq0xHd-yw43eBNFsUxIusGJmYnVMWc3e7byVKQvrWmQCwKd85reX1NIXlg-lauSw_vDw6Ez1JOgoI6BRsnYNsqhBpIN5iaJferbzPFOm2DdrbectB4hWd/s735/eclipse.Reedy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="735" data-original-width="735" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV0UOF1k3K-B4JTCh4DWfDaZZvShp1F7isHLcZcJKqL1mfZJr7BgQwE7xOODjK-Z853PbukzMPq0xHd-yw43eBNFsUxIusGJmYnVMWc3e7byVKQvrWmQCwKd85reX1NIXlg-lauSw_vDw6Ez1JOgoI6BRsnYNsqhBpIN5iaJferbzPFOm2DdrbectB4hWd/s320/eclipse.Reedy.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> Sometimes it isn’t the sun’s fault at all. Stories of the Aymara of South America say that an eclipse comes when the sun is sick. People have to light fires to keep the Earth warm until the sun gets better. The Ojibwa and Cree people of North America tell of a boy who catches the sun in a snare. Only the mouse gnawing through the ropes can set the sun free. Other indigenous North American stories suggest that the sun has dropped its torch or somehow gone out and needs to be rekindled with flaming arrows. Persians suggested that an eclipse was caused when a peri (like a fairy or jinni) hid the sun as a prank.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Perhaps the best take on it that I’ve read is the story from the Batammaliba of western Africa. They say that the eclipse is caused when the sun and the moon fight — and the people's response is to gather together and try to sort out all their own arguments, in order to encourage the sun and the moon, too, to work out their differences and go back to their usual peaceful routines.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> What’s your favorite explanation for an eclipse? And will you be able to observe the one on April 8?</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: Dragon and sun, detail from embroidered court robe, China, 19th century (Image from <a href="https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/60384">The Met</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Wolves pursuing the sun and moon, illustration by J.C. Dollman from <i>Myths of the Norsemen</i> by H.A. Guerber, 1909 (Image from <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/28497/28497-h/28497-h.htm#p008">Project Gutenberg</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Demon Rahu eating the moon, linoleum block print by Brian Reedy ca. 2018 (Image from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/Bf9bqGDjvVc/">@brianreedy on Instagram</a>).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-56756044098395024762024-03-04T11:54:00.001-05:002024-03-04T11:54:42.804-05:00Helbig's Holzschnitte<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyp_1hocWoNdh3u_44VAaxP4CXF9HnJqzXecGWTJS1iCY-1WsOJaNqZxISgAT-XZ72ClwD-X2yF6GcYl2oP4fomX1rl-isopQkiZOmluXysBT3WzzCLEzdfffBGWEvvxQPY8bvtaCRKx2ZQMe8QFb17BbzKsxw5y0j5qG5WrOePQyjaiGM7debokP4pyB/s1354/Helbig.Hauser.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1032" data-original-width="1354" height="275" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijyp_1hocWoNdh3u_44VAaxP4CXF9HnJqzXecGWTJS1iCY-1WsOJaNqZxISgAT-XZ72ClwD-X2yF6GcYl2oP4fomX1rl-isopQkiZOmluXysBT3WzzCLEzdfffBGWEvvxQPY8bvtaCRKx2ZQMe8QFb17BbzKsxw5y0j5qG5WrOePQyjaiGM7debokP4pyB/w361-h275/Helbig.Hauser.png" width="361" /></a></div> Walter Helbig (Germany/Switzerland, 1897-1968) was active during that artistic ferment of the Brücke, Neue Secession, and Blaue Reiter groups, and he even took part in the first Dada exhibition in Zurich. Indeed, he continued to work with all kinds of new artistic movements until his death in 1968. Today, though, I have a selection of wood block prints from a portfolio of 16 wood block prints that were made in the 19-teens and twenties. These </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CtN9DW9jsKdjOv5npgWQj66uP3xYHZyzeKwLjX45UQEbweRPSHbk2MCn5b2SbYGYIsVW0eDXQ9Ewf6jZY1S9ekJCHbF4MZaRpXlK2YdRDn3uBhy1153PykSzs_70zIsgA9CuK1pFR5li9AhEZcJCR8WRNMj4FgwdXW5YCqSz-xKarsjj3ipudq5vgW2Y/s1158/Helbig.Landschaft.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="950" data-original-width="1158" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5CtN9DW9jsKdjOv5npgWQj66uP3xYHZyzeKwLjX45UQEbweRPSHbk2MCn5b2SbYGYIsVW0eDXQ9Ewf6jZY1S9ekJCHbF4MZaRpXlK2YdRDn3uBhy1153PykSzs_70zIsgA9CuK1pFR5li9AhEZcJCR8WRNMj4FgwdXW5YCqSz-xKarsjj3ipudq5vgW2Y/w268-h220/Helbig.Landschaft.png" width="268" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">particular pieces are strongly influenced by German Ex</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">pressionism and Die Brücke, which means that on the whole I like the people less than the other subjects.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> My favorite is this scene of a cluster of houses, with its strong black and white, clean geometry, and rougher, more organic rocks and trees. The landscape is also fun, looking almost diagrammatic with tiers of simplified hills and trees.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEcUegXh4tuDpbl-O5nFoRDRpLpuLmP2tZlxqG9WmOVZs45vX4Xjn78kWKU7xwjSTgiZBKBmdadPxzGEap2MD3OiQi4wqhhweDc5mAyTelLUgETVx9w17rvVs3E32yTbqGPYBMAOYFtH1yQLYE6_7Qz34JNDOOAmi8oh2wihgBW401_0j5ksDpuoj6LaZ/s726/Helbig.Vogelpredigt.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="556" height="243" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPEcUegXh4tuDpbl-O5nFoRDRpLpuLmP2tZlxqG9WmOVZs45vX4Xjn78kWKU7xwjSTgiZBKBmdadPxzGEap2MD3OiQi4wqhhweDc5mAyTelLUgETVx9w17rvVs3E32yTbqGPYBMAOYFtH1yQLYE6_7Qz34JNDOOAmi8oh2wihgBW401_0j5ksDpuoj6LaZ/w186-h243/Helbig.Vogelpredigt.png" width="186" /></a></div> I have included two people, however. The first is entitled “Sermon for the Birds,” which may be St Francis. I really like the birds, especially in the lower left, but what I really like is the light. Although Helbig has placed a sun up in the upper right, the real light comes from the top center, where it seems to shine from behind the man’s head and upraised hand.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJbur0LigvOSrt3Qqoy8l8YR4m_juwJKD_1sI92UKJ3cZBTQrWxxixvyoALW736b-3BXHhEr2A_olgsZtGzSsbBAEqe4cy0erijn3pqxBK2GmMGCoCZb0yYWO7GXC3VnbVj3Ux6VeZaMU6mHQrqSK_atg0tIAjaqQB-P0XrbFX9gd6JwHXxxy1Jij2gMw/s914/Helbig.Kunstler.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="914" data-original-width="752" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghJbur0LigvOSrt3Qqoy8l8YR4m_juwJKD_1sI92UKJ3cZBTQrWxxixvyoALW736b-3BXHhEr2A_olgsZtGzSsbBAEqe4cy0erijn3pqxBK2GmMGCoCZb0yYWO7GXC3VnbVj3Ux6VeZaMU6mHQrqSK_atg0tIAjaqQB-P0XrbFX9gd6JwHXxxy1Jij2gMw/w182-h222/Helbig.Kunstler.png" width="182" /></a></div> The second person is “The Artist.” I can’t help laughing at this depiction of an artist so clearly confused and beset by so much going on. Are these external distractions interfering with his work, or is he overrun with too many ideas all clamoring to be created? It’s certainly an interesting image and I can’t help assuming it must be somewhat autobiographical.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I’ve included one last piece from Helbig’s portfolio: the table of contents, also a wood block print. Carving all the little letters for all the words is never easy, and these come out with a nice balance between clear legibility and hand-carved quirkiness. I always wonder what makes someone choose to carve a page of text like this when there are </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvCY0f11eS759GxLf4wWy7PBLZ0TxsYhpoDl9uTYupKZ6MrAkVmq5vrdHmM8aHGbCRMqn6C5R2nH4PiFjxv7-lJoBYYSqk5VPhMdj6S-Ewu3EE4jzIhSyXDSOPP3zyO3P3xuClhVcYJpsBCD865Fwvc3sw98CuyiYhAIwzX1JA0gfxL1LGR3Tx-pmdHx9/s814/Helbig.contents.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="814" data-original-width="690" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAvCY0f11eS759GxLf4wWy7PBLZ0TxsYhpoDl9uTYupKZ6MrAkVmq5vrdHmM8aHGbCRMqn6C5R2nH4PiFjxv7-lJoBYYSqk5VPhMdj6S-Ewu3EE4jzIhSyXDSOPP3zyO3P3xuClhVcYJpsBCD865Fwvc3sw98CuyiYhAIwzX1JA0gfxL1LGR3Tx-pmdHx9/w203-h239/Helbig.contents.png" width="203" /></a></div>certainly easier ways to do it! But it is undoubtedly fun for us to see it this way.</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Häuser</i>, woodcut 1911;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Landschaft</i>, woodcut 1912;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Vogelpredigt</i>, woodcut 1916;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Der Künstler</i>, woodcut 1918;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Table of Contents, 1926, all woodcuts by Walter Helbig from <i>16 Holzschitte</i> (Images from <a href="https://www.moma.org/artists/2582#works">MoMA</a>).]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-37302109886836252122024-02-28T11:18:00.001-05:002024-03-08T09:28:10.253-05:00Words of the Month - Petting our Pets<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCbmicZuKtHlU5powe1MY3NLC4R5rJjUO_jVyZfnKHbxj85-NgVofnWJ-lWaO88O_n-kughuF0ZxOHof46kNjImpVOEijKyDBMiGPHMbTJY4Op4TshI8lSH9Uar7dnUMuTQ3dhvyqPFhWdVi_3OD_aWL8Ts-LTRBZOJsyTXIYB7xla0dsV4I9uh-vkQnS/s1150/puppy.box.blog.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="1150" height="242" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBCbmicZuKtHlU5powe1MY3NLC4R5rJjUO_jVyZfnKHbxj85-NgVofnWJ-lWaO88O_n-kughuF0ZxOHof46kNjImpVOEijKyDBMiGPHMbTJY4Op4TshI8lSH9Uar7dnUMuTQ3dhvyqPFhWdVi_3OD_aWL8Ts-LTRBZOJsyTXIYB7xla0dsV4I9uh-vkQnS/w443-h242/puppy.box.blog.jpg" width="443" /></a></div><br /> The word <b>pet</b>, referring to a domestic animal kept primarily for companionship, is quite a new one in English. Originally a Scottish and northern English dialect word in the sixteenth century, and not appearing in other English dialects until the mid-eighteenth century, its origin is unknown. The best assumption is that it is related in some way to <i>petty </i>meaning “small,” which in turn comes from French <i>petit</i>. The usage of the word <i>pet</i> for a favorite, spoiled child is attested slightly earlier than its use for an animal, but it seems equally likely that animals were the primary usage and the record is simply not complete.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> For me the burning question this raises is, what did people call their pets before they had the word <i>pet</i>? And I can’t find this answer at all, much to my frustration. (I did discover the word <b>cade</b>, which is a new one for me. It means “a pet or tame animal, especially a lamb raised by hand.” This dates to the late fifteenth century, so it’s quite a bit earlier than <i>pet</i> in most English dialects, but I have no idea how widespread it was. I also don’t know whether it’s still in use at all today, seeing as I’ve never heard or seen it before.) My best guess is that people didn’t really refer to pets as a class, but simply named the specific creature in a particular circumstance, such as spaniel, cat, goldfinch, ermine, monkey, etc.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjzmMLIedSf2B63ejguOa_AYbE3o8uuh0feQ1zHj2oxhCYHytofugtb87Enoc8OAePw_OzIstBP7A97F2HQ68AiHxA4oGCEZWOjhkfoL6GYDQj-S_nFAnyEwU5S6UNLkUH0gPzbrcszRXM58tuGft3Bpm40iXFRvppSY2PK-07WqLVjg0CwmqVSBBu_BW/s1850/coy.sheepdog.blog.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1850" data-original-width="965" height="508" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvjzmMLIedSf2B63ejguOa_AYbE3o8uuh0feQ1zHj2oxhCYHytofugtb87Enoc8OAePw_OzIstBP7A97F2HQ68AiHxA4oGCEZWOjhkfoL6GYDQj-S_nFAnyEwU5S6UNLkUH0gPzbrcszRXM58tuGft3Bpm40iXFRvppSY2PK-07WqLVjg0CwmqVSBBu_BW/w265-h508/coy.sheepdog.blog.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> So let’s look at the two most popular of those pets. The word <b>cat</b> is quite ancient, dating back to Old English, and its various forms are nearly universal in European languages. Although I always think of the Latin word for cat as <i>feles</i>, in the first century this was generally replaced by <i>catta</i>. This, in turn, probably comes from Afro-Asiatic roots, since after all, cats had been domestic pets in Egypt since about 2000 BCE, while they were not particularly familiar as pets in classical Greece and Rome.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>Dog</b>, on the other hand, has a slightly twistier path. It does date back to late Old English, but seems originally to have referred to a specific large, powerful breed. No one knows why it pushed aside the original Old English general term <i>hund</i>, essentially trading places so that now <b>hound</b> refers to specific breeds, while <i>dog</i> is the general term. Oddly, Spanish <i>perro</i> and Polish <i>pies</i> are also of unknown origin. Why are cats universally <i>cats</i>, but dogs are called a whole variety of often-unexplained words? Is it because cats are all pretty universally similar while there’s an enormously wide array of different dog breeds? I don’t know.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> It’s also worth noting that while people have enjoyed domestic animals for companionship for millenia, throughout most of history, most domestic animals had other purposes which (except perhaps for the very wealthy) were primary. Most dogs and cats were working animals. That’s another reason that I’m guessing that there may not really have been a word for “pet” before the word <i>pet</i>. Still, if anyone has further information on this, I’d love to see it!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Finally, the <i>verb</i> <b>pet</b> first meant “to treat as a pet,” and arrived about a century after the noun. The meaning “to stroke” isn’t attested until 1818, well after the noun had gained currency throughout English. So yes, we pet our cats because they’re our pets, and not the other way around! On the other hand, we could <b>pat</b> the bunny about a hundred years earlier. That word seems to be unrelated, coming from a noun that originally meant “a blow or stroke” (so yes, we can also <b>stroke</b> our pets), and eventually came to be specifically “a light tap.” I can’t help suspecting that the verb meaning of <i>pet</i> was helped along in its shift to “stroke” by the similarity with <i>pat</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Do you have a pet or pets? And do you like to pet them?</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i><a href="http://nydamprints.com/puppy-love.html">Puppy Love</a></i>, rubber block print by AEGNydam, 2012;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><a href="http://nydamprints.com/cat-in-a-box.html">Cat in a Box</a></i>, rubber block print by AEGN, 1999;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><a href="http://nydamprints.com/tiny-prints.html">Coy</a></i>, rubber block print by AEGN, 2023;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><a href="http://nydamprints.com/old-english-sheepdog.html">Old English Sheepdog</a></i>, rubber block print by AEGN, 2013.]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-81296530177887845812024-02-21T12:29:00.004-05:002024-02-21T21:58:26.783-05:00Tiny Doodle Blocks<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0xC3YoVN13Elt8Cb-xw7gj-RQ5he8ard00SFuo93j_e1zgX30_EHREkYirOBmLPsVeO8nEU26zhCtq4yJ5stWREs5f-eVSKJ94OGq36pFI7q_Hh6AFg9z9VkU5ikbWVwW_zzfnL5LwjzLEvVnzvvs1Ertb2DB8h0e9555Dho22zRKGUzttsC8NCxvhJ9/s3000/bw.doodles.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="2500" height="381" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij0xC3YoVN13Elt8Cb-xw7gj-RQ5he8ard00SFuo93j_e1zgX30_EHREkYirOBmLPsVeO8nEU26zhCtq4yJ5stWREs5f-eVSKJ94OGq36pFI7q_Hh6AFg9z9VkU5ikbWVwW_zzfnL5LwjzLEvVnzvvs1Ertb2DB8h0e9555Dho22zRKGUzttsC8NCxvhJ9/w318-h381/bw.doodles.jpg" width="318" /></a></div> In the past few months I’ve been playing with a handful of tiny doodle blocks. I carved these little scraps of rubber doodlewise, without any particular plan to their design, but for at least some, I did plan to make them combinable. To that end, some of them were cut (more or less carefully) into tessellating shapes. Then I learned about @PrinterSolstice on Instagram, which is giving a theme per week for block print experimentation. This year the themes are all different color schemes, and (given the title of this blog) you can guess that isn’t always my thing when it comes to block printing - but it worked particularly well to use my doodle blocks to play with the color schemes, because it was all just fooling around anyway.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As it happened, some of the results were quite ugly, but others please me a great deal. Today I share a range of the little designs I came up with — far from a comprehensive record, but a sampling to demonstrate some of the various combinations I came up with.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e3Zrtm_Iri69MByrbah6xz40Mx7aFDETuzPhpr7eMwJY7RR_xoFBkkjB6h6VvTZX5HBdbiStmEnvZ1fN5rUvXQlf_VABf9G4nCHQp8OpRiQuE0ToKKrPSwZvMKwpLmQC-0JwlnAfbOsXqZLA7ySouQYxrSojJgc28DIUOSVBNVK2AKgiO0jbD69gYhl6/s2300/tinydoodleblocks.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2300" data-original-width="2300" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0e3Zrtm_Iri69MByrbah6xz40Mx7aFDETuzPhpr7eMwJY7RR_xoFBkkjB6h6VvTZX5HBdbiStmEnvZ1fN5rUvXQlf_VABf9G4nCHQp8OpRiQuE0ToKKrPSwZvMKwpLmQC-0JwlnAfbOsXqZLA7ySouQYxrSojJgc28DIUOSVBNVK2AKgiO0jbD69gYhl6/w225-h225/tinydoodleblocks.jpg" width="225" /></a></div> First up, here are some designs without color, so you can see more clearly what the blocks were, and how they combine. I made a diamond with 60° points, so it could be turned into a six-pointed star. In fact, as you can see, it could be turned into several different six-pointed stars, depending on which points are in the middle. (It could also be turned into a complete tiled field, but I haven’t played with that yet.) I also had a skinny little scrap that could be fit into half of that same diamond, so that’s block 2. Block 3 was actually made last summer, I think, and is a little scalene right triangle. Block 4 is a heart. Later I cut the diamond block apart so that the two parts could be inked separately, and that’s what you can see in the upper right and bottom left designs in black and white.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc65NEi0xx2J3_Hi1iujsI8P4k5FIjWMDSC4IdVC8_svyOgYK6MqtY-2mfEZ-gxi6Y7VwGj7hYGXgiwCq9yBA0MXlZ54Wo8nm1CYJjHzSkmXvG4P64vthtdgh5qhh4YxhyDGCpKg5vKrQuPhJwVviz47wefZGRvjvJreofdHubb6Xt6BvF6P55guECbp1/s3750/multicolorstars.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="3750" height="284" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPc65NEi0xx2J3_Hi1iujsI8P4k5FIjWMDSC4IdVC8_svyOgYK6MqtY-2mfEZ-gxi6Y7VwGj7hYGXgiwCq9yBA0MXlZ54Wo8nm1CYJjHzSkmXvG4P64vthtdgh5qhh4YxhyDGCpKg5vKrQuPhJwVviz47wefZGRvjvJreofdHubb6Xt6BvF6P55guECbp1/w428-h284/multicolorstars.jpg" width="428" /></a></div><span style="text-align: left;"> As I said, the Printer Solstice themes were all about color schemes, and here are a bunch of stars I made for some of their prompts. They’re cool colors, primary colors, analogous colors, and triadic colors. Then the pale blue one is just being a snowflake, because that’s what the block pattern suggested to me. And the final star is one that I used as the base for an illustration that’s going to be in my upcoming book.</span></div></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGemsaDtIGuTykFiytv1LbDd-Y582b7cIa51XWUn3N81EB5JpXkN2KQqTWNLWHalmbFB6y2wOAzebw1DUyhsIVFi7JX-QNeTi2moASWHN6PCOq90IUB0A7UXzTGMJ8MlH7IMRz8sRnNQtt-5Z1zyU15j9LYqAi2BJctx0WjL8nOJ-VjcS60j1w28wxJE3g/s2500/othermulticolordoodleshapes.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2500" data-original-width="1775" height="374" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGemsaDtIGuTykFiytv1LbDd-Y582b7cIa51XWUn3N81EB5JpXkN2KQqTWNLWHalmbFB6y2wOAzebw1DUyhsIVFi7JX-QNeTi2moASWHN6PCOq90IUB0A7UXzTGMJ8MlH7IMRz8sRnNQtt-5Z1zyU15j9LYqAi2BJctx0WjL8nOJ-VjcS60j1w28wxJE3g/w265-h374/othermulticolordoodleshapes.jpg" width="265" /></a></div> Not all the playing was just stars, though. Here are a few more designs, using other blocks and combinations. The triangle is a split complementary color scheme, printed with block 2 and half of block 1. The square diamond is analogous/warm colors, made with block 3. The flower circle is a full spectrum printed with the heart. You can see that I intended the heart to have a 60° angle also, but obviously didn’t get it quite accurate. (That’s okay - I plan to print it as a little free-standing block anyway.) And that final thing, which is cool colors, is an even scrappier scrap just carved with a few stripes and swirls, plus the tiny butterfly I chopped out of a larger block that got abandoned.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> These are all printed with stamp pads, some of which are higher quality than others, mostly on scrap paper of various sorts. They’re not intended for show or sale, but thanks, @PrinterSolstice, for giving me a push to spend some time playing around with them. And in the end I’m pleased enough with a few of them that I’m considering making a set of notecards with an assortment of colorful star designs. What do you think?</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: all rubber block prints by AEGN, 2024.</span></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">You can see "Tiny Doodle" and "Sing from the Heart" <a href="http://nydamprints.com/tiny-prints.html">here</a>.]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-87540511682263426382024-02-16T14:19:00.002-05:002024-02-16T14:19:36.118-05:00Year of the Wood(block) Dragon<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryb0XuRHLQJKskVqpTbgoIrq6ufk1jT1ojqzhMxpzQxMjp-JBYxbTLocKExnbV28QLzWnei8Y1QNHsZX3FPSImwoV7ELiVyZGLZl4Qh045w7GamAc_tlIkbYI_nxxx1WTATSIIOQgPNoS4ODE4qPAbQnyWUxtY17m1aENYGu4uljGjMqNmbE8gc-YZ3BE/s1957/Jackdaw.dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1957" data-original-width="1505" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryb0XuRHLQJKskVqpTbgoIrq6ufk1jT1ojqzhMxpzQxMjp-JBYxbTLocKExnbV28QLzWnei8Y1QNHsZX3FPSImwoV7ELiVyZGLZl4Qh045w7GamAc_tlIkbYI_nxxx1WTATSIIOQgPNoS4ODE4qPAbQnyWUxtY17m1aENYGu4uljGjMqNmbE8gc-YZ3BE/w280-h364/Jackdaw.dragon.jpg" width="280" /></a></div> Now that we’ve embarked on a new lunar year, of course we have to celebrate with some block prints of dragons. But since I’ve been blogging long enough to have celebrated the last dragon year, you can start by going back and seeing the <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2012/01/happy-new-year-of-dragon.html">examples I found in 2012</a></b>.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As for 2024, I’ll start out with a New Year greeting that’s up-to-the-minute - and with a Texas twist. This linocut print includes some other auspicious symbols in addition to the dragon (and of course the color red), but I can’t help thinking there’s just a touch of arid lizard in the look of this one!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDx2llGTv-lpAjXUVl8VYh4qztu28Jnxg-w3dq8rEw-K3SnxdM2fefpLyguqCjfnQ7YCu3x61w-tWNuX5roeLsQFfcX-KQhe15asekrXMOcAHZe_6jdp_gdXQ-33RpS-tU19GThqofREXJ0sPpzaAcw63NwgRSbVh6Z8T5u5GtahOcUggzdPLRueWjkZL/s1800/Gakutei.dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1515" height="372" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuDx2llGTv-lpAjXUVl8VYh4qztu28Jnxg-w3dq8rEw-K3SnxdM2fefpLyguqCjfnQ7YCu3x61w-tWNuX5roeLsQFfcX-KQhe15asekrXMOcAHZe_6jdp_gdXQ-33RpS-tU19GThqofREXJ0sPpzaAcw63NwgRSbVh6Z8T5u5GtahOcUggzdPLRueWjkZL/w313-h372/Gakutei.dragon.jpg" width="313" /></a></div> We’ll turn now to something more traditional: a dragon with a sage. This dragon seems like a reasonable size to be a pet or a familiar, and I like how sage and dragon are both grinning. The artist Gakutei specialized in pieces combining illustrations with poetry, which was often light verse or clever aphorisms. Unfortunately, I don’t know what poem this piece is illustrating, although I’m curious! It certainly seems like some interesting stories could be told about these two.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM911kEJexMAYNqGFTFf_9ZBvZy-Hm5J4GUQhu56R18jpFMGf2Hw2Ch7i4CCANC9R2iqGbFd_MMsQK93yFND7AI5naUZbfDOruERqutCb-WJByLFwsu0ry_piYjWTYl6rKFib3dmry8aY3XqzFO3TYZ7718VvRoDOC0ONYKuOPMsi0ZVmrmc2jEAlE9wR/s1617/Fukami.dragon.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1617" data-original-width="1142" height="361" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHM911kEJexMAYNqGFTFf_9ZBvZy-Hm5J4GUQhu56R18jpFMGf2Hw2Ch7i4CCANC9R2iqGbFd_MMsQK93yFND7AI5naUZbfDOruERqutCb-WJByLFwsu0ry_piYjWTYl6rKFib3dmry8aY3XqzFO3TYZ7718VvRoDOC0ONYKuOPMsi0ZVmrmc2jEAlE9wR/w255-h361/Fukami.dragon.jpg" width="255" /></a></div> Back to the lunar zodiac, but with once again a very different look, here’s another quite modern dragon. The face looks a little cartoonish, the colors look wild and bright, and the sky looks rather stormy. This is not your traditional dragon, and it’s certainly got plenty of verve, but I have to confess that it’s not my favorite. Which of these dragons do you like best? And does your answer change depending whether you’re thinking of the dragon as art, as a companion, or as a protector of the new year?</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Year of the Dragon</i>, two-color linocut by Jackdaw Russell, 2024 (Image from the artist’s Etsy shop <a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/1634112402/year-of-the-dragon?ga_order=most_relevant&ga_search_type=all&ga_view_type=gallery&ga_search_query=year+of+the+dragon&ref=sr_gallery-1-11&bes=1&sts=1&search_preloaded_img=1&organic_search_click=1">JackdawFolkArt</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sage and Dragon, woodblock print by Gakutei, c. 1825 (Image from <a href="https://www.roningallery.com/sage-and-dragon">Ronin Gallery</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">The Year of the Dragon: Like the Wind, woodblock print by Gashu Fukami, 2015 (Image from <a href="https://www.roningallery.com/The-Year-of-the-DragonLike-the-Wind">Ronin Gallery</a>).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-40753886047655603842024-02-12T10:54:00.001-05:002024-02-12T13:08:00.823-05:00A Desperate Little Exhortation About (Bitter)Sweetness and Light<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3S9NOQ6AwAIiNA2u7cAjqFYpf_3GJ0F69llwT9nQe9mTZtXes2ayRG-2yI0hdaLs5qYZJUNHzL2gYG3sNPu8UcWDlcvcTFig8DJElxqmpkvqPuztovT7nZkioom2Y-bL4aoaJSlH6lXw3RHsO0KUJ7NbxjlI3boP6amZlYevJ0ADOZTKk_ECfY3hwpEA8/s3300/BL.exhortationposter.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3300" data-original-width="2325" height="561" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3S9NOQ6AwAIiNA2u7cAjqFYpf_3GJ0F69llwT9nQe9mTZtXes2ayRG-2yI0hdaLs5qYZJUNHzL2gYG3sNPu8UcWDlcvcTFig8DJElxqmpkvqPuztovT7nZkioom2Y-bL4aoaJSlH6lXw3RHsO0KUJ7NbxjlI3boP6amZlYevJ0ADOZTKk_ECfY3hwpEA8/w395-h561/BL.exhortationposter.jpg" width="395" /></a></div> Hooray! My <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">Kickstarter campaign</a> is fully funded, and my book <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i> will really be happening! I’m so glad and grateful that this project will be shared with the world… And yet… let me share a couple of recent conversations that gave me pause…</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> During a reading I was explaining that my book was meant to give hope and joy, and that my stories are always guaranteed to offer some sort of “happy ending.” A lovely and well-meaning person responded eagerly, “Oh yes! Sometimes you just need a fluffy beach-read! And other times you need something with more depth to really engage in, so it’s so important to have both kinds of books.” In another conversation a couple of days later I suggested that movies and other media that are nothing but unrelieved doom and gloom, misery and blame, don’t necessarily motivate people to work for good. The immediate reply was a disparaging, “Right, Ignorance is bliss.” The automatic assumption I keep facing is that anything that isn’t dark and painful must be shallow and mindless; that happiness is “fluffy;” and that only violence and misery are “real” or worthy of serious engagement.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Well, I’m serious about joy. I absolutely believe that joy and hope are real, important, engaging, and worthy of deep consideration. I have no problem with “fluffy beach-reads” and the occasional escapism (and indeed, some of the stories to be included in my book are certainly “fluffier” than others!) But it drives me crazy and breaks my heart that people can’t even <i>imagine</i> that a “happy ending” could have substance. It doesn’t even cross their minds that anyone serious, intelligent, well-informed, and rational could share causes for joy or reasons to hope; if you’re not wallowing in misery, you must be burying your head in the sand.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVWQBvFDjoAldKE21BTDizv8Y07Dj38PrpLTGogUwuez9xczihyphenhyphenSm2LgwMBT6JEpA2aTiZTmtF8PIgID2itrDsequhxkWrldhwVPbRDXwZmbD9W3vkxePShPS3_G2IhQy4Z9Ev5mMBeP3rVPi6u_E_2mV8eUezeOxJkze29Q_KYDQbr7h4po6ZqhUeKZG/s2000/JoyDefiance.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2000" data-original-width="2000" height="269" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfVWQBvFDjoAldKE21BTDizv8Y07Dj38PrpLTGogUwuez9xczihyphenhyphenSm2LgwMBT6JEpA2aTiZTmtF8PIgID2itrDsequhxkWrldhwVPbRDXwZmbD9W3vkxePShPS3_G2IhQy4Z9Ev5mMBeP3rVPi6u_E_2mV8eUezeOxJkze29Q_KYDQbr7h4po6ZqhUeKZG/w269-h269/JoyDefiance.jpg" width="269" /></a></div> Let’s break down these assumptions. For some time now the whole world (and certainly myself) have been suffering from unhealthy levels of stress, trauma, and anxiety. Obviously this is partly because there are so many real, serious things going on that <i>of course</i> cause stress — but it’s also because we are so immersed in the bad news that we never get a chance to focus on the good things. It’s because there are forces in this world that actually benefit by keeping us too depressed and cynical to stand up against injustice. It’s because our species is actually hard-wired to be hyper alert to every possible danger and focus more on the things that might go wrong. It’s because even when we try to fight injustice, we just end up beating ourselves up and burning ourselves out. In the face of all these reasons, it is actually an act of fierce defiance to acknowledge joy. To stand up and claim that Goodness does exist, that Love is powerful, that Joy is possible, and that we all need to work harder at finding that joy, and sharing it with each other.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I keep trying to spread that message, but honestly, these conversations coming one after another gave me a bit of a crisis of confidence. Clearly whatever I’m saying doesn’t seem to communicate the point I’m trying to make: that one can look at a world that is broken, full of suffering, and feeling ever more precarious, and yet <i>still</i> see that there <i>also</i> exists infinite beauty, capacity for love, and possibility of redemption – and more than that, we <i>need</i> to take a long, hard, serious look at all that beauty, love, and possibility if we’re going to have any chance of surviving these threats and making things better. Maybe I’m not the right person to be the messenger, if apparently I don’t seem to be very effective at expressing the message. Still, I have to keep trying – because I <i>do</i> still have hope - and <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i> is part of how I’m still trying, as one small person with just a small voice.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Kyx-TUs9c6OBeCVCxHLUZQFgeG50EMWFeOZmUEuid7Fx4V3RfVpzARN-czukNDz2UPiZHUfEnDDTEKAaSA-BX-pyeZAiWX_h5NA0lVD3BTJunN969Qwm5iQEnCW86wPVN9R9cYfFmkQnTKB8GLReVyxtB3NsGpkw_4GGtG_c-DV5gFWc5LRAFt53F7Bh/s1535/dedicationprizeBL.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1535" data-original-width="1316" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Kyx-TUs9c6OBeCVCxHLUZQFgeG50EMWFeOZmUEuid7Fx4V3RfVpzARN-czukNDz2UPiZHUfEnDDTEKAaSA-BX-pyeZAiWX_h5NA0lVD3BTJunN969Qwm5iQEnCW86wPVN9R9cYfFmkQnTKB8GLReVyxtB3NsGpkw_4GGtG_c-DV5gFWc5LRAFt53F7Bh/s320/dedicationprizeBL.jpg" width="274" /></a></div> So, <b>I’m serious about joy, but that absolutely does not mean that I’m now turning “joy,” too, into something drearily dutiful.</b> This collection of stories, poems, and art is serious in the sense that I hope it will engage you, make you think, and reach somewhere deep in your heart – but that doesn’t mean it has to be serious in the sense of somber, dark, and depressing. <b>I hope this book will be make you happy and lift your spirits! I hope it will be entertaining to read, fun to look at, and delightful to your mind, heart, and soul.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I suggest you try a little exercise: pay attention as you go through your day and start noticing how often you encounter those assumptions that only the bad, mad, sad stuff is worthy of serious consideration – or tend to make such assumptions yourself! Start pushing back against them, and keep reminding others (and yourself) that <i>joy is real</i> and that we <i>need to share it</i> with each other. Let me know how it goes, because I need all the help I can get! <b><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">And if you do want to join in the Kickstarter campaign for <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i>, you have just one more day!</a></b> The campaign ends just before the stroke of midnight on February 13, so procrastinate no longer, but come share my joy in this!</span></span></div>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-75876063261911486872024-02-07T11:59:00.002-05:002024-02-11T09:03:19.905-05:00Resources for Boskone Panels<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9aR6Hj6jd8aSmplx4uorhyphenhyphenmc8gf0yjE7XidTbvcqSXJehCqt0ZHW7_46PdyNSIix351BQiLH1Ohnch3uQNFzvU4-F0J3hFFMNFUO5Id3h_vVN2MX6IcNbfP-9kVMc36ybWx5Y0XWXFzDgSe0XW1sAgfdBKj-SKzunWh5YHZ9iPMpRtKcRpDr-5UcjTtN/s4756/Nicholson.barmaid.tif" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4756" data-original-width="4287" height="330" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz9aR6Hj6jd8aSmplx4uorhyphenhyphenmc8gf0yjE7XidTbvcqSXJehCqt0ZHW7_46PdyNSIix351BQiLH1Ohnch3uQNFzvU4-F0J3hFFMNFUO5Id3h_vVN2MX6IcNbfP-9kVMc36ybWx5Y0XWXFzDgSe0XW1sAgfdBKj-SKzunWh5YHZ9iPMpRtKcRpDr-5UcjTtN/w297-h330/Nicholson.barmaid.tif" width="297" /></a></div> This weekend I will once again be at the <a href="https://boskone.org">Boskone</a> sci fi/fantasy convention in Boston. As usual I’ll have work in the Art Show (63 pieces, which I think is an all-time high!); I’ll be participating in the Broad Universe Rapid-Fire Reading (sharing a preview of something from <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i>) and taking shifts at our book-selling table; and I’ll also be participating in four panels on a variety of writing topics. It’s that last facet that’s providing the reason for this post. This is a map and guide to various previous posts likely to be of interest to anyone attending those panels and looking for more details about anything I might reference.</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;"><b>A Protagonist Walks Into a Bar…</b> </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="color: black; font-kerning: none;"><i>“</i></span><span style="font-kerning: none;"><i>…what does it look like? Who's in the room? How is it decorated? What does it smell like? How loud is it? We discuss just how much detail you really need.”</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’m in the pro-description camp, as a reader and therefore also as a writer. The following posts are arguments in favor of plenty of lush description:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/07/in-defense-of-purple-prose.html">In Defense of Purple Prose</a></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2017/09/non-violet-prose.html">Non-Violet Prose</a></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Here are a couple posts that have to do a little more loosely with how to choose words and description to express more than just bare bones of plot:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2014/05/words-of-month-joe-and-dog.html">Joe and the Dog</a></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2013/11/how-to-know-that-jim-hates-spiders.html">How to Know that Jim Hates Spiders</a></span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">And something on balancing how much information to share in world-building:</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/08/praised-be-fathomless-universe-fantasy.html">Praised Be the Fathomless Universe</a></span></b></span></div>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">•</span></span></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b>Uncommon Creatures from Fairy Tales</b> <i>“What about the creatures we don't hear so </i></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgqLkuPQZmxYNkqsLHPjBYmSWekAknEYJvCAr0Gune5NAK9R9X2xtg3OF72BZF7qzJQxTcKmSMvhPO5G-mEvBoVPhaIcU4VkLAarMkrrJCon7zWhiutMO8mESbazpV64SznAOk4tkbgH_5cCRiYteAAvOgJ476Vr6ORhsR4wAi9nb3hsP6MtZB5VDWKRT/s400/polypodrolleryweb.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="227" data-original-width="400" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpgqLkuPQZmxYNkqsLHPjBYmSWekAknEYJvCAr0Gune5NAK9R9X2xtg3OF72BZF7qzJQxTcKmSMvhPO5G-mEvBoVPhaIcU4VkLAarMkrrJCon7zWhiutMO8mESbazpV64SznAOk4tkbgH_5cCRiYteAAvOgJ476Vr6ORhsR4wAi9nb3hsP6MtZB5VDWKRT/s320/polypodrolleryweb.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>much about? Who are they and what role do they play in the realm of the fair folk? Are they getting short shrift in the literary realm in favor of their more common cousins? Let's scan the globe for other instances of curious creatures with poor PR.”</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If you click the Label “<b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/search/label/mythical%20creatures">mythical creatures</a></b>” in the sidebar, you’ll find over 200 posts on all manner of creatures, but for the posts which give information specifically about various creatures from fairy tales, folklore, and mythology, here are some categories that pare it down (slightly):</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> 26 alphabetical posts on collected creatures here: <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/search/label/A-Z%20Challenge%20%2716">A-Z Challenge ’16</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> 26 more regarding the creatures in my own bestiary <i>On the Virtues of Beasts of the Realms of Imagination</i>: <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/search/label/A-Z%20Challenge%20%2719">A-Z Challenge ’19</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> And 26 posts on creatures arranged according to particular traits, with lots and lots of examples from all around the world: <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/search/label/A-Z%20Challenge%20%2722">A-Z Challenge ’22</a></b></span></span></div>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">If what you’re looking for is resources to do more research of your own, the following posts include lists and reviews of encyclopedias and other reference books that feature magical creatures:</span></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2019/06/creature-collections-encyclopedias.html">Creature Collections: Encyclopedias</a></span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2018/03/creature-collections-more-merrier.html">Creature Collections: The More the Merrier</a></span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2012/12/creature-collections-for-young-and-old.html">Creature Collections: For Young and Old</a></span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2012/07/creature-collections-touch-of-science.html">Creature Collections: a Touch of Science</a></span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2012/02/creature-collections-artists-edition.html">Creature Collections: Artists’ Edition</a></span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/11/field-guides-to-creatures-of-fantasy.html">Field Guides to the Creatures of Fantasy</a></span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2011/07/more-field-guides-part-ii.html">More Field Guides</a></span></b></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Plus, a great on-line resource can be found here: <b><a href="https://abookofcreatures.com">A Book of Creatures</a></b></span></span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">•</span></span></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AxVGaS_JxPMuIaJkqMA3Yjyx1A1wvcv03XNPvBKHbhpO-x_ZullQeDt_itojDyaoqXKOHfq5FRnsMU047bC_yMbCtXMx3MYvVlS5acdE3qBvTbudgpgqAbzTI2lpyS9KOQUdn-gQyGvnDhcu0JWpgQZOTNPLdOlj_SVFOGk5ELQt-LFbaLss9DZHlK1F/s2032/badische-landesbibliothek-st-peter-perg-92.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2032" data-original-width="1823" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-AxVGaS_JxPMuIaJkqMA3Yjyx1A1wvcv03XNPvBKHbhpO-x_ZullQeDt_itojDyaoqXKOHfq5FRnsMU047bC_yMbCtXMx3MYvVlS5acdE3qBvTbudgpgqAbzTI2lpyS9KOQUdn-gQyGvnDhcu0JWpgQZOTNPLdOlj_SVFOGk5ELQt-LFbaLss9DZHlK1F/w335-h373/badische-landesbibliothek-st-peter-perg-92.jpg" width="335" /></a></div>Language in SFF</b> <i>“From </i>The Languages of Pao<i> to </i>Embassytown<i>, authors from all eras have explored the limits of humankind's greatest invention: language. In this panel, linguists and language experts discuss what works and what doesn't, and where one draws the line between science and science-fiction with respect to language.”</i></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> My posts on this topic tend to be a little more tangential, but a few stories and issues related to SFF exploration of language are mentioned in the post <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2022/04/l-is-for-language.html">L is for Language</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> One facet of the use of fantasy languages appears in <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2019/03/poetry-for-worldbuilding.html">Poetry for Worldbuilding</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> And some of the issues around using made-up languages in your fiction are the same as those involved in <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2011/09/character-names-in-fantasy.html">Character Names in Fantasy</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (Since it came up during the panel) a post about writing swearwords as<b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2019/09/words-of-month-grawlixes-and-other.html"> </a></b></span></span><span style="caret-color: rgb(34, 34, 34); color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2019/09/words-of-month-grawlixes-and-other.html">Grawlixes and Other Maledicta</a></b></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">(Plus, if you’re interested in linguistics more generally, and especially in etymology, just click the Label in the sidebar for “<b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/search/label/words">words</a></b>” and find all my monthly posts on tidbits of language.</span></span></div>
<p style="color: #262626; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">•</span></span></p>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><b><span style="font-family: georgia;">Alternative Publishing </span></b></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I haven’t written so much about this, but we’ll start with an essay on <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2011/03/why-i-chose-to-self-publish.html">Why I Chose to Self-Publish</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> You can see my current Kickstarter campaign here: <b><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">Bittersweetness & Light</a></b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> And you can also still visit the page for my first Kickstarter campaign, if you want to see what that looked like: <b><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/a-bestiary-of-fantasy-creatures?ref=user_menu">On the Virtues of Beasts of the Realms of Imagination</a>.</b></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> If you have any questions about any of this stuff, I’m always happy to do my best to help, so feel free to contact me.</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Barmaid</i>, lithograph based on linocut by William Nicholson from <i>London Types</i>, 1898 (Image from <a href="https://www.clevelandart.org/art/2010.625">Cleveland Museum of Art</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Polypodrollery</i>, rubber block print by AEGN, 2019 (<a href="http://nydamprints.com/tiny-prints.html">details here</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Two scholars discussing books, illumination on parchment from <i>Brevicum ex artibus Raimundi Lulli electum - Codex St. Peter</i>, 14th century (Image from <a href="https://digital.blb-karlsruhe.de/blbhs/Handschriften/content/pageview/105562">Badische Landesbibliothek</a>).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-42024664644494001112024-01-31T16:57:00.002-05:002024-02-01T12:19:43.864-05:00Words of the Month - Kickstarter<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGcL7e1W4-CNvBwjdvPh22-t08X4oNBS4QSfiGBzxrszPMjs8pUfJy0T9bd2k_ngBe16XyPXWd2toyxO2ar8fZ5rzwPAWVFLyVoZPV9qJ8e3yb__brAhvb3Yi1Av8Lt7NRRBybV3Y3rsPLlZ2Eyo7xVbvjpljLHlWolCshn0f6cT9AYMUDEGVyQOkg5_B/s1969/JustFunded.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1969" data-original-width="1969" height="349" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipGcL7e1W4-CNvBwjdvPh22-t08X4oNBS4QSfiGBzxrszPMjs8pUfJy0T9bd2k_ngBe16XyPXWd2toyxO2ar8fZ5rzwPAWVFLyVoZPV9qJ8e3yb__brAhvb3Yi1Av8Lt7NRRBybV3Y3rsPLlZ2Eyo7xVbvjpljLHlWolCshn0f6cT9AYMUDEGVyQOkg5_B/w349-h349/JustFunded.jpg" width="349" /></a></div> The big news is that my <b><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">Kickstarter campaign</a></b> has successfully been fully funded! I am full of gratitude for all the backers who are supporting my mission to bring more joy and hope into the world through one small (but beautiful) book. The campaign is still on-going for almost two more weeks, so there’s still plenty of time to join in if you were thinking about joining the fun, but just hadn’t gotten around to it yet. Here are a couple more teaser snippets to give you a taste of the sorts of art and writing that will be included.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> But of course that news isn’t all, because it’s the last day of January and that means it’s time for Words of the Month. In honor of which, here are a few fun etymological factoids about the word <b>kick-starter</b>.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjWItTUessq4bA9iK1UWLt4YOE-Jc6zHz5Sdes-pPPscTkFLVvzxzsX2_lkq3CDh2hrD7VcCkeIJ7Z019zBYp4hwYtXU9dDyohhtuDTNg73GOHNBKxt-uzq_NO-oRjvBI6uR66VJPjEQ9cTt4agviH6H94Y9vXgcHZBXldyHoaWktXWs4JP6X8R1w_7Tk/s920/Scott-1909-Twostroke-TMC.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="557" data-original-width="920" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjWItTUessq4bA9iK1UWLt4YOE-Jc6zHz5Sdes-pPPscTkFLVvzxzsX2_lkq3CDh2hrD7VcCkeIJ7Z019zBYp4hwYtXU9dDyohhtuDTNg73GOHNBKxt-uzq_NO-oRjvBI6uR66VJPjEQ9cTt4agviH6H94Y9vXgcHZBXldyHoaWktXWs4JP6X8R1w_7Tk/s320/Scott-1909-Twostroke-TMC.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> The original <i>kick-starter</i> (noun) dates back to 1916 and is the method of starting a motorcycle’s internal combustion engine by pushing down a lever with the foot. (The mechanism was apparently invented in 1910, but I guess the word wasn't coined until a few years later.) The word then gained its attendant verb <i>to kick-start</i>, as well as the metaphorical meaning of getting any process off to a quick start. Meanwhile, by the time Kickstarter was launched in 2009 to facilitate crowd-funding, kick-starters had become much less common in motorcycles, replaced by electric starters. So far, so good. But let’s look back even farther.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>Kick</b> (verb) dates back to Middle English (late 14th century) and probably comes from Old Norse <i>kikna</i> meaning “bend the knee.” However, some older etymologists thought it might come from Celtic. Use as a noun didn’t appear until the 16th century. Some of the more</span></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> interesting slang meanings include </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">the kick</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (the latest fashion) c. 1700, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">to kick</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (die) </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdiFRI8nKdWCUOq87JkO8-lhSTatiiZGSlFrDmZsUGsoSHYqVLa0z6conJRZ1sUDgbEiPp72F3fano1pohvSitEh8WXbOeoUIHKmE_iXWOULxaQjLi2rIjGagrQeyE2nAGQ_qn1TsW3MqN9fvIr_sFdJtuN0VORMZgiGm_FBtW-Zo5vG1Ld3E6R8oWKOf/s3907/BLteasers.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3907" data-original-width="1965" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMdiFRI8nKdWCUOq87JkO8-lhSTatiiZGSlFrDmZsUGsoSHYqVLa0z6conJRZ1sUDgbEiPp72F3fano1pohvSitEh8WXbOeoUIHKmE_iXWOULxaQjLi2rIjGagrQeyE2nAGQ_qn1TsW3MqN9fvIr_sFdJtuN0VORMZgiGm_FBtW-Zo5vG1Ld3E6R8oWKOf/w258-h512/BLteasers.jpg" width="258" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">1725 (and </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">kick the bucket</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> in 1785), </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">to kick oneself</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (self-reproach) 1891, </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">kicks</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (shoes) 1904, and to get one’s </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">kicks</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (get pleasure) 1941 (but </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">kicks</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> meant the high from alcohol or drugs in 1844 - it meant to </span><i style="font-family: georgia;">end</i><span style="font-family: georgia;"> a drug habit in 1936).</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <b>Start</b> (verb) seems like an even more basic word, and goes all the way back to Old English. There, however, it didn’t mean ‘“to begin,” but instead meant “to leap up, or to move or spring suddenly.” This meaning still exists, although it’s less common nowadays, but you can still see it in the related <b>startle</b>. <i>Start</i> doesn’t seem to have gained the sense of “to cause to begin acting or operating” (transitive) until the 1660s, and “to begin to move; to begin action” (intransitive) not until 1821! It’s surprising to me that our primary definition of <i>start</i> is actually much more recent a word than the <b>backers</b> who supported my project! <i>Backer</i> meaning “supporter, one who aids” dates back to the 1580s.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Now that my own <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">Kickstarter project</a> has been fully backed, I can make use of a whole host of past senses of the words: I can bend my knees in gratitude, I can get my kicks from each new supporter, I can spring up in excitement, and I can begin my action in earnest, as I get to work putting this book together.</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: Scott Two-Stroke, 1910 (Image from <a href="https://cybermotorcycle.com/marques/scott/">cybermotorcycle.com</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Sample bits from <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i>, “Love Potion,” “Dreams,” text and illustrations by AEGN, 2023.]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-57380484021911134172024-01-26T12:43:00.002-05:002024-01-27T09:26:28.620-05:00Audubon's Fantasy Species<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcOqLpR2ttCduzWnQdECaSwc87S4tBRheJvlNG5w8_q0a6p9IncE1-74llbJoAode7-0Va5oqYQzMZkx0gNz2aEoACxHRGUYacpQYyf-o4_8pxSyycggzyrYenUpGzBQpJCW6pDk5fBxOIuBdpB4o_zTqWRQERY1Iu66t6raFkaM5jegkFb4WeCN8fiHt/s797/Rafinesque.diamond.mudcat.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="791" data-original-width="797" height="397" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQcOqLpR2ttCduzWnQdECaSwc87S4tBRheJvlNG5w8_q0a6p9IncE1-74llbJoAode7-0Va5oqYQzMZkx0gNz2aEoACxHRGUYacpQYyf-o4_8pxSyycggzyrYenUpGzBQpJCW6pDk5fBxOIuBdpB4o_zTqWRQERY1Iu66t6raFkaM5jegkFb4WeCN8fiHt/w399-h397/Rafinesque.diamond.mudcat.jpg" width="399" /></a></div> John James Audubon (France/USA, 1785-1851) is probably the most famous artist of birds and wildlife in the western world. However, unlike Bewick, he didn’t do relief prints… so what’s he doing in this blog? It’s not the medium of art he used that prompts me to feature him, but some of the more <i>unusual</i> creatures he discovered.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Most of these creatures are reported not by Audubon himself, but by an eccentric naturalist called Constantine Samuel Rafinesque (1783-1840). In 1818 Rafinesque visited Audubon in Kentucky for three weeks, eagerly filling notebooks with all the species that Audubon told him about. According to a story related by Audubon and generally corroborated by Rafinesque, on the very first night of the visit, bats flew into the visitor’s room through the open window. Convinced they were a new species and frantic to kill some specimens for study, Rafinesque grabbed Audubon’s violin and began chasing around the room, wildly flailing at bats, and generally trashing everything. It is assumed that Audubon proceeded to slip Rafinesque tales of unique species both as payback for the destruction of the violin and as a test of how far Rafinesque’s passion for new species could be pushed.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvKqRWmaNkX4qlBeEN_WaRQf7rLQCTCymYL_eWP0nW-F-Klk4IOz_UvJaJKBmQZoz2glB0UJ75W6QqW3znuVD5JcSM80Kj-_OrJWTaQNX1c8vhddM8yDdGFdoVaoW28Bh5a59-1jPrASFFVUmAygiWO6Z9dR2cfle8kWInbZyCBbcKQcdZ1jpXprbs0ip/s1459/Rafinesque.4rats.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1136" data-original-width="1459" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvKqRWmaNkX4qlBeEN_WaRQf7rLQCTCymYL_eWP0nW-F-Klk4IOz_UvJaJKBmQZoz2glB0UJ75W6QqW3znuVD5JcSM80Kj-_OrJWTaQNX1c8vhddM8yDdGFdoVaoW28Bh5a59-1jPrASFFVUmAygiWO6Z9dR2cfle8kWInbZyCBbcKQcdZ1jpXprbs0ip/w437-h340/Rafinesque.4rats.jpg" width="437" /></a></div> Among these creatures are some rarities that have never since been sighted, including the Devil-Jack Diamond Fish. Up to 10 feet long with bulletproof scales, these fish often float motionless at the surface of the water, resembling logs from a distance. Audubon actually pointed one out to Rafinesque. In all, there are at least ten species of fish reported by Rafinesque that are dependent entirely upon Audubon’s authority, including the Toad Mudcat and the Buffalo Carp Sucker. There is also a Tri-valve Brachiopod, and a number of “wild western rats” including the Three-striped Mole Rat, the Lion-Tail Jumping Mouse and the Brindled Stamiter, all of which more closely resemble Old World species - although still having a number of unique characteristics of their own.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx7m8tpMdDISyVpBCVEqefU9s2z-wBroFBM0RmoG_DT_M_4KcEozhr7w642516o0gYv5pbLRPIpu9WQI3PnMswCpQ-X9yR26wU9u3eG1hdTnSvqInDaD_pbJzttnwm32ylSOf4-XmlZ1iib9ofxZ0ZK2Kf8hMtpBflkI_ldoGzkZerROxY9LOQB9JlLCF/s1412/Audubon.carbonatedswamp.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1412" data-original-width="1392" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx7m8tpMdDISyVpBCVEqefU9s2z-wBroFBM0RmoG_DT_M_4KcEozhr7w642516o0gYv5pbLRPIpu9WQI3PnMswCpQ-X9yR26wU9u3eG1hdTnSvqInDaD_pbJzttnwm32ylSOf4-XmlZ1iib9ofxZ0ZK2Kf8hMtpBflkI_ldoGzkZerROxY9LOQB9JlLCF/s320/Audubon.carbonatedswamp.png" width="315" /></a></div> In general, Audubon took his work with birds more seriously, but even here he introduced the world to a number of singular species. The best name of a mystery bird is the Carbonated Swamp Warbler, because I love to imagine either a fizzy little bird or, better yet, one of the strange species of the great bubbling Carbonated Swamp of Kentucky. However, Audubon himself was dubious about these specimens, which he suspected might simply be juveniles of another species, a perfectly reasonable mistake to make in the days before DNA analysis, and frankly no fun at all! Indeed most of Audubon’s anomalous birds are assumed to be simple errors.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> So let’s talk about the Blue Mountain Warbler and the Small-headed Flycatcher. The first was recorded by Audubon’s chief rival Alexander Wilson, and Audubon later claimed to have gotten his own specimen to include in his own book. Meanwhile, he claimed that Wilson had copied the flycatcher from <i>him</i>. Neither bird has ever been seen again, and I can’t help suspecting that the two rivals were playing the same games with each other. Unfortunately, these birds have no interesting characteristics such as bulletproof feathers or 100-year lifespan or something.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXWPc0MJjOQ-NLZZxsQyS6GFj_5CX02aFYAGm-fhpy8_K0XfiJbmcVbyeM-K42A1rmKuLSWEmU0KF1bbnV57tc-Eps8V0Mkdlb6VnzyPcovQk5RIUNZroKWh-Wt8FoXeigEqM3x-7HNVmmbVoldcX9WgJghFk3_juSRPZVmmEDqlb0ftYFIMDUecTluO9/s2779/Bird_of_Washington_(Audubon).jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2779" data-original-width="1844" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSXWPc0MJjOQ-NLZZxsQyS6GFj_5CX02aFYAGm-fhpy8_K0XfiJbmcVbyeM-K42A1rmKuLSWEmU0KF1bbnV57tc-Eps8V0Mkdlb6VnzyPcovQk5RIUNZroKWh-Wt8FoXeigEqM3x-7HNVmmbVoldcX9WgJghFk3_juSRPZVmmEDqlb0ftYFIMDUecTluO9/w281-h424/Bird_of_Washington_(Audubon).jpg" width="281" /></a></div> Finally, I have to mention the great Bird of Washington. This eagle looks very much like a golden eagle or juvenile bald eagle, but is far larger than any other eagle known in the New World, with a wingspan of over 10 feet - for the male, which would make the females of the species even larger. Other than the remarkable size of this noble bird, its other remarkable feature is its timing. Audubon had just headed to Europe in a desperate attempt to gain support and funding for his long-dreamed-of project of an epic illustrated book. His financial state was at its lowest ebb, his nomination for membership in the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia had been rejected, and he was afraid that if he couldn’t make a success of this project, he’d have to leave America forever. (Frankly, I feel his pain — he was, after all, essentially launching a Kickstarter campaign for the project dearest to his heart! So, for Audubon’s sake, please check out <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">my Kickstarter campaign</a> for <i>my</i> illustrated book project!)</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Back to Audubon, freshly arrived in England in 1826. He unveiled a magnificent large painting of a magnificent new American species: a noble and wonderful bird worthy of the noble and wonderful continent his book was to depict. And suddenly the nobility were all enthusiastic about the project and subscriptions started pouring in. Thus Audubon’s epic book <i>The birds of America</i> was brought to life. (Did I mention <i>my</i> beautifully illustrated book? I’m making up <i>everything</i> in mine, so it should be even more enthusiastically received! <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">Help me bring it to life!</a>) Too bad the magnificent Bird of Washington has never been seen again.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Normally I might have been inclined to post this to celebrate Audubon’s birthday on April 26, or possibly on April 1. But in this blog April is always taken over by the A to Z Challenge, so I’m celebrating instead for Audubon’s deathday, which is January 27. At any rate, in conclusion, John James Audubon is widely acclaimed as both an artist and a naturalist, and rightly so. But while I certainly do not condone scientific fraud (or indeed fraud of any sort), I have to confess that Audubon’s lesser-known species do tickle my fancy!</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Devil-Jack Diamond Fish</i>, pencil and ink sketch by Rafinesque, 1818;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Toad Mudcat</i>, pencil and ink sketch by Rafinesque, 1818;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Three-striped Mole Rat, Big-eye Jumping Mouse, and Lion-tail Jumping Mouse</i>, pencil and ink sketch by Rafinesque, 1818;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Brindled Stamiter</i>, pencil and ink sketch by Rafinesque, 1818 (All Rafinsesque images from <a href="https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/item/173079#page/48/mode/1up">Biodiversity Heritage Library</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Carbonated Warbler</i>, engraving by Robert Havell, hand-colored, based on painting by John James Audubon, c 1827-38 (Image from <a href="https://digital.library.pitt.edu/islandora/object/pitt%3Aaud0060">University of Pittsburgh</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Bird of Washington</i>, engraving by Robert Havell, hand-colored, based on painting by John James Audubon, c 1827-38 (Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bird_of_Washington_(Audubon).jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-27811572726978598872024-01-22T13:38:00.001-05:002024-01-22T13:39:47.128-05:00Tiny Reduction Landscapes<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPy4CPNibd2J-GUaEG05SfgpLcI7r1S650q7i_hhVMAavj8P3aAUcYFO0zUT2f8GXXh5nQ7a2-hf6OV-RD8y9Ls8xZ4OKWg1iCc2dhlJAODfMmNtk54IndyUCd6UKE-gZl8pjmX3pDtBDRlFRLyzafBYOz7450z_PvNttxsLC1OPI1wMTFmMVSXcn2BYD/s1074/Dansby.OntheWater.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1074" data-original-width="1026" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuPy4CPNibd2J-GUaEG05SfgpLcI7r1S650q7i_hhVMAavj8P3aAUcYFO0zUT2f8GXXh5nQ7a2-hf6OV-RD8y9Ls8xZ4OKWg1iCc2dhlJAODfMmNtk54IndyUCd6UKE-gZl8pjmX3pDtBDRlFRLyzafBYOz7450z_PvNttxsLC1OPI1wMTFmMVSXcn2BYD/s320/Dansby.OntheWater.jpg" width="306" /></a></div> I treated myself to a belated Christmas gift: a miniature reduction block print by Dealey Dansby of Pink House Print Shop Co. I myself have done a number of reduction prints, but mostly only a couple of layers, and all quite simple. (Read <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2013/03/work-in-progress-reduction.html">here</a>, if you need to know what a reduction print is.) I’m always very impressed by people who do more complicated reduction designs, and today I’m celebrating my beautiful new addition to my art collection by sharing the work of two artists who not only do more complicated reduction prints, but who specifically do miniature reduction landscapes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qCzQ2FMLjm4lZoc5t4BccYK38QbHOFNKlxpYh4fQeaQaAv07_JoOJLsd2OlbhOm7S1WCJfAXkq6mk-KDK2425ny3tmxvI3Xw4HbulLDjhSLA2IltT_rw_riLFkFH-PZk4sfwB8WTLvWHjWiPxGcEeXZ8MMRUbs2m6ulbVUXz6DG1GZksUo0Rr4sJB1d2/s1150/Dansby.SilerBald.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1150" data-original-width="1122" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9qCzQ2FMLjm4lZoc5t4BccYK38QbHOFNKlxpYh4fQeaQaAv07_JoOJLsd2OlbhOm7S1WCJfAXkq6mk-KDK2425ny3tmxvI3Xw4HbulLDjhSLA2IltT_rw_riLFkFH-PZk4sfwB8WTLvWHjWiPxGcEeXZ8MMRUbs2m6ulbVUXz6DG1GZksUo0Rr4sJB1d2/s320/Dansby.SilerBald.jpg" width="312" /></a></div> I couldn’t resist my new piece “On the Water” because I love the subtlety of color and the glow of light. You know I love black and white, so I always feel like there’s no point in doing color at all unless it’s going to do something that black and white really can’t do. And in this case, that’s the pale, delicate light of a fading day. This piece is only 2x2 inches, and uses 7 colors. Here’s another piece by Dansby, this one with 9 colors. In Dansby’s work the colors lie softly with each other, with gentle shapes and thickness of ink that make the shapes and colors almost blend in places, which is certainly different from my style of block prints.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibeKp0HChEQSD6jzScHIg5CFI4-GDu2j_8NQ8BEcNvCBBYtTqY_3k97L3YLBWRvRyq8bou-zQLUYWmg86_O4mYa8K6iqMF4G2K5QaNoOMqc2DNZwnG1WYxaDMKHMZXYLo6oPOTShRrvNSlqhr9K3aMcf6TPXAL4pOOYNlLRQfbv7PPcSsbXtOSPFyF7kv/s945/MiniatureLandscapeIIMollyLemon_1024x1024@2x.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="945" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibeKp0HChEQSD6jzScHIg5CFI4-GDu2j_8NQ8BEcNvCBBYtTqY_3k97L3YLBWRvRyq8bou-zQLUYWmg86_O4mYa8K6iqMF4G2K5QaNoOMqc2DNZwnG1WYxaDMKHMZXYLo6oPOTShRrvNSlqhr9K3aMcf6TPXAL4pOOYNlLRQfbv7PPcSsbXtOSPFyF7kv/s320/MiniatureLandscapeIIMollyLemon_1024x1024@2x.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> I’ve also been admiring the work of Molly Lemon, whose tiny reduction landscapes are done with wood engraving rather than linoleum blocks. To put an even more impressive twist on these pieces, she carves and prints them plein air and without any sketching ahead of time! I discovered her on Instagram where she posted little videos. Honestly, I normally refuse to watch the reels on Instagram because you can’t skip forward or back, which is too annoyingly stupid. Also, when it comes to art, I always prefer still photos so I can just look at things at my own pace. But in this case, I did find it fascinating to watch Lemon’s process. She certainly makes it look idyllic, but I think I’ll stick with working in my own room where I have a little more control and all my tools more easily accessible!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ADh3X5VHEF64uBC_3VfspcxPd4LafhzAy4ezWPTDCUhdzple1sHhTvBThOMeYGui7kiAqybPGQtQ_OOAYzxyYza4VSe5OxL7BY3roWWNBDziiHe-hyA9Nt1uRefwwWm-QBGHipI4uMxopuVuE8W5cbu3qzkh6rSuHPEwCZCnhQINHRVx1tdYyHx-kkW0/s630/Lemon.Prema.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="630" data-original-width="612" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_ADh3X5VHEF64uBC_3VfspcxPd4LafhzAy4ezWPTDCUhdzple1sHhTvBThOMeYGui7kiAqybPGQtQ_OOAYzxyYza4VSe5OxL7BY3roWWNBDziiHe-hyA9Nt1uRefwwWm-QBGHipI4uMxopuVuE8W5cbu3qzkh6rSuHPEwCZCnhQINHRVx1tdYyHx-kkW0/s320/Lemon.Prema.png" width="311" /></a></div> I’ve picked two examples of Lemon’s work to share, and you can see that there are similarities and differences with the prints by Dansby. The clearest difference is that wood engravings are composed of lots of tiny lines as opposed to larger solid shapes. This first one is 4.2 cm square and uses 6 layers, some of them printed with a bit of color gradation. The second appears to be 4 layers of ink.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Both of these artists make other prints as well, larger ones, black and white ones, and so on. For purposes of this post I was focussed on just one sort, but I do like the others very much and you should definitely check them out!</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>On the Water</i>, reduction lino print by Dealey Dansby;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Siler Bald</i>, reduction lino print by Dansby (Images from <a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/PinkHousePrintShopCo?ref=profile_header&section_id=38656401">Dansby’s Etsy shop PinkHousePrintShopCo</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Miniature Landscape II</i>, reduction wood engraving by Molly Lemon, 2022 (Image from <a href="https://mollylemon.com/collections/sold-out?page=1">Molly Lemon Art</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Prema</i>, reduction wood engraving by Lemon, 2023 (Image from <a href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/CwPT-Ypo8PN/">mollylemonart on Instagram</a>).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-35886825114200446122024-01-18T09:37:00.001-05:002024-01-18T09:37:27.138-05:00Sea Witch<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwjxsDMKwyrFsN6VAKIUTBB_5UvD5CiD5tJFrsTWCsrOEC3hatmieKcqP9rHd-6Yjpbg6kReW0RrhkBaNhvyEtqyU9gywYNBvp09dziq4hhyphenhyphenbYtRQizgFeiQDuRIaDep9guc99FkPl-YysOiwDug5wnLoqjvc3GU50gYkuEDgDJT9x-828uElR44QqyVN/s2064/Bilibine.mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2064" data-original-width="1788" height="355" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwjxsDMKwyrFsN6VAKIUTBB_5UvD5CiD5tJFrsTWCsrOEC3hatmieKcqP9rHd-6Yjpbg6kReW0RrhkBaNhvyEtqyU9gywYNBvp09dziq4hhyphenhyphenbYtRQizgFeiQDuRIaDep9guc99FkPl-YysOiwDug5wnLoqjvc3GU50gYkuEDgDJT9x-828uElR44QqyVN/w307-h355/Bilibine.mermaid.jpg" width="307" /></a></div> Today I’ve found a number of illustrations of the sea witch from Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tale “The Little Mermaid.” Right away I need to state that I think the story is an absolutely dreadful tale! (I’m sorry to yuck on the yum of anyone who loves this story, but I’m afraid I find it simply appalling. However, if you’ve never read the original version, you can find it on Project Gutenberg or <b><a href="https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/h-r/little-mermaid/little-mermaid-tale.html">here</a></b>.) Even the happy ending of Disney’s version can’t lessen the numerous problematic elements of the thing — although I do love the music of the Disney version, and especially Ursula the sea witch’s song! Back to Andersen’s version, however, the sea witch is unnamed, and her own appearance is not described, although we are told that she’s accompanied by sea snakes and a toad. (How is a toad living at the bottom of the ocean? Never mind that - what’s the point of a fairy tale if you can’t be fantastical?)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcM0mmSBPGPYOQT_KYmyyMhQaFdBOLLk6Dux3iuWUA5STrymtc0gzbMsP6qi8aZUvHYnFZBwSa8gfTznDeUmO1Rhyphenhyphen1wxe1L0M4mCVxh_JxoIKD5ayC5VF34Hp1aI7XTtvAY_3BmQB6BxwAR-UFYJbr1ieaT87j2RZeA112R-0uPfaB27clNpZTkODRRlc/s4626/Clarke.Tegner.mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3229" data-original-width="4626" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcM0mmSBPGPYOQT_KYmyyMhQaFdBOLLk6Dux3iuWUA5STrymtc0gzbMsP6qi8aZUvHYnFZBwSa8gfTznDeUmO1Rhyphenhyphen1wxe1L0M4mCVxh_JxoIKD5ayC5VF34Hp1aI7XTtvAY_3BmQB6BxwAR-UFYJbr1ieaT87j2RZeA112R-0uPfaB27clNpZTkODRRlc/w438-h305/Clarke.Tegner.mermaid.jpg" width="438" /></a></div> "The Little Mermaid" was first published in 1837 and translated to English in 1845. The illustrations I’ve collected today cover a range from 1899 through 1937. Of course plenty of other artists have done illustrations for “The Little Mermaid,” but most of them don’t show the witch, and that’s all I care about today!</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> So, how have artists imagined and portrayed a sea witch? The first question is always whether she’s a traditional mermaid herself, or some other sort of being. Four of today’s six illustrations give her a fishy tail, although the first one here is definitely not an entirely normal sort of mermaid tail. One artist gives the witch legs with webbed feet, and another covers her lower half with a blanket of some sort, so we really don’t know whether she has limbs or a tail… or octopus arms, or crab legs, or sea anemone polyps, or what. In fact, the </span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih59415XmLFA3b7Vu_LUYkv6lqjdtJjeJfYnJcDIl7kt5yFyqK-bRhBAmNcQH-GMqcv_DOqYR06fxlXHH8ySWxIjuYBDuKO_QosdvVSBo0wvpmpDF1I0nvOdKPyAnGrmqSKngO-_tPVrthio7kyVBi8SFdembE9i8dR9Of5IGWHYjfrtbh36kmSEANX4ie/s1036/Anderson.Stratton.mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="683" data-original-width="1036" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih59415XmLFA3b7Vu_LUYkv6lqjdtJjeJfYnJcDIl7kt5yFyqK-bRhBAmNcQH-GMqcv_DOqYR06fxlXHH8ySWxIjuYBDuKO_QosdvVSBo0wvpmpDF1I0nvOdKPyAnGrmqSKngO-_tPVrthio7kyVBi8SFdembE9i8dR9Of5IGWHYjfrtbh36kmSEANX4ie/s320/Anderson.Stratton.mermaid.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">way the witch speaks in the story tends to imply that she does not have legs herself, but we don’t really know for sure.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The next point is that she’s most commonly portrayed as old and ugly. This fits in with the standard stereotypical fairy tale wicked witch, but I have to confess that I think she could be done well as a coldly beautiful type instead. In most she’s skinny rather than fat. In many she has bad teeth. In some she looks rather comical, while in other’s she’s more intensely terrifying.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK13ntSNFW_uGqxzS0FlYpkclRoM7j1f-gspjb6yt4GdtPThnudP8k-Uw7mD6fSufXFM9YWmT_2CR85N6VmVq4Bn7VfsnF9Oggz6V179ffP3v9XV9H8_w6k4J3Ie-I2qsaxdtMJ_mF0zQWLDFv6jdzXFZJO3mYx4HhEtwQ9nZkUo_Nrw1TRNzvfqSX0qhq/s913/Orr.mermaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="913" data-original-width="615" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK13ntSNFW_uGqxzS0FlYpkclRoM7j1f-gspjb6yt4GdtPThnudP8k-Uw7mD6fSufXFM9YWmT_2CR85N6VmVq4Bn7VfsnF9Oggz6V179ffP3v9XV9H8_w6k4J3Ie-I2qsaxdtMJ_mF0zQWLDFv6jdzXFZJO3mYx4HhEtwQ9nZkUo_Nrw1TRNzvfqSX0qhq/w226-h335/Orr.mermaid.jpg" width="226" /></a></div> The first is my favorite. I love her muppety face and arms and how she’s making kissy faces at her toad. Number two is my next favorite, and very different indeed with her sharp features and sharp glare. (The little mermaid herself, meanwhile, looks utterly bored and indifferent!) But look at those magnificent zentangle patterns on the mermaid’s tail, and the swirling flowers on the sea floor! Each of the sea snakes has its own pattern, too. In illustration number 3 the artist has brought long-legged crabs to the mix, which is fun for variety.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> So, which is your favorite depiction of a sea witch? How do you feel about the sea witch as a villain? How do you feel about Disney’s Ursula? And how, for that matter, do you feel about the whole fairy tale? Regardless of my dislike of the story, I do enjoy seeing how different artists have imagined it and brought it to life.</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: Illustration by Ivan Bilibin from <i>The Little Mermaid</i> by H.C. Andersen, 1937 (Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Little_Mermaid_(Bilibin)_07.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Illustration by Harry Clarke from <i>Tales of Hans Christian Andersen</i>, 1916 (Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:%27I_know_what_you_want%27_said_the_sea_witch.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Illustration by Hans Tegner from <i>Fairy Tales and Stories</i> by H.C. Andersen, 1900 (Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Page_387_of_Fairy_tales_and_stories_(Andersen,_Tegner).png">Wikimedia Commons</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Illustration by Anne Anderson from <i>Hans Andersen’s Fairy Stories</i>, 1924 (Image from <a href="https://www.surlalunefairytales.com/oldsite/illustrations/littlemermaid/andersonmermaid3.html">SurLaLune</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Illustration by Helen Stratton from <i>The Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen</i>, 1899 (Image from <a href="https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Page:The_fairy_tales_of_Hans_Christian_Andersen_(c1899).djvu/156">Wikimedia Commons</a>);</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Illustration by Monro S. Orr from <i>Andersen’s Fairy Tales</i>, 1930 (Image from <a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/sofi01/4836032750">Sofi Flickr</a>).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-48848578636163888912024-01-10T10:47:00.003-05:002024-01-23T22:03:30.332-05:00Kickstarter Campaign is LIVE!<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZDU6o1MPMCFsMiqMogBCFgmKhCY_cwt1YxbmGc4M_1IwmbloFo3ILNlnHmq4Dlw32sa72mwT5ufwJBwgeqbMneTjPTGPy4TjBsPc9gj5ECOhpQW5ZDt3IdpWb3lwTVPQ3MjgvYNI5dYNet4E8qfOPwaU1uLCuqkqUH292yOJYr_v_3ZrEKCPX1cU0jzl/s1000/BLcover.thumb.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="803" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZDU6o1MPMCFsMiqMogBCFgmKhCY_cwt1YxbmGc4M_1IwmbloFo3ILNlnHmq4Dlw32sa72mwT5ufwJBwgeqbMneTjPTGPy4TjBsPc9gj5ECOhpQW5ZDt3IdpWb3lwTVPQ3MjgvYNI5dYNet4E8qfOPwaU1uLCuqkqUH292yOJYr_v_3ZrEKCPX1cU0jzl/s320/BLcover.thumb.jpg" width="257" /></a></div> <b> Announcing the launching of the Kickstarter campaign for my next book, <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i>! </b>You could skip this blog post and head straight over to <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">KICKSTARTER</a> where all the details are laid out (and there’s a little video of me being earnest). But over here on this blog I’ll give just a little more of a peek behind the scenes.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i> is a project I’ve been thinking about for a long time, as I’ve become more and more convinced that acknowledging joy is not childishness, naivety, or escapism, but is, on the contrary, a vitally necessary act of fierce defiance. So I’m pulling together a selection of my work into a book that I hope will hold up a hopeful vision of goodness to be found all around. Here’s what you can expect</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-QGCHTHhV0R0gTSNCWyzw25M2_xCDcmxbaDzuupsdUrnC1KvG6JDStqYXqZEEj4NfgXxWVHMXZOX9ac5OBYJCsveUK-OriPDrpxECS-Uoodqv-J3f2RmaBj5ulaiKolVdB0AeRxBzB_GH4_gan2vePQMlcRPlUNebE_9xQV6pLM-ndWiG8ef8yX0A-jq/s4300/LibrarianKnitting.KSbit.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4300" data-original-width="1900" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC-QGCHTHhV0R0gTSNCWyzw25M2_xCDcmxbaDzuupsdUrnC1KvG6JDStqYXqZEEj4NfgXxWVHMXZOX9ac5OBYJCsveUK-OriPDrpxECS-Uoodqv-J3f2RmaBj5ulaiKolVdB0AeRxBzB_GH4_gan2vePQMlcRPlUNebE_9xQV6pLM-ndWiG8ef8yX0A-jq/w207-h470/LibrarianKnitting.KSbit.jpg" width="207" /></a></div>• a full-color, fully-illustrated, slightly oversized paperback book</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• short stories, poems, and art (mostly relief block prints) </span><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/06/its-all-about-stories.html">Why?</a></span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Because stories, poetry, and art can put us in others’ shoes, expose us to new ideas, and connect us on the deepest levels.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> (And also because I love it.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• various flavors and genres of speculative fiction<br /></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> including space exploration, a knitting witch, alien encounters, an Old One, an adventuring librarian, a puzzled ghost, and more. Why? Because speculative fiction has a unique ability to <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/06/how-juvenile-fantasy-will-save-earth.html">save the world</a>! (And also of course because I love it.)</span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• some humor, some heartbreak, some irreverence, some focus on the spiritual, some whimsy, some earnestness…</span></div></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">• happy endings, looking for the best in others and ourselves, affirming joy, and finding reasons for hope.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> A few of these stories and poems have been previously published in magazines and anthologies, but most will appear in this collection for the first time. Each written piece is illustrated, plus there will be additional art that’s in there in its own right. Again, some of the artwork has been created specifically for this project, while other pieces have been drawn from my entire catalogue of work.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65qVb-gCrFUc6x_WejL1tKhHfAaw-AFdgZ_mYcis84FSN8sloYyHseBomd8DSK7F0sgVaH1-uGyX04oZhEyRl3ss8_-0u0DP8xdEY4g52ELOvk57U2JC7G8XjqELlzWOyUTf1YcuJOFBOK5utRc2OGWbnSOWBn8dgXkB7B9hTHruFdlbpXJCPbN88j66B/s1500/SomeAssemblyKSbit.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1500" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi65qVb-gCrFUc6x_WejL1tKhHfAaw-AFdgZ_mYcis84FSN8sloYyHseBomd8DSK7F0sgVaH1-uGyX04oZhEyRl3ss8_-0u0DP8xdEY4g52ELOvk57U2JC7G8XjqELlzWOyUTf1YcuJOFBOK5utRc2OGWbnSOWBn8dgXkB7B9hTHruFdlbpXJCPbN88j66B/s320/SomeAssemblyKSbit.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> I launched this campaign yesterday, and it’s already a third of the way funded, so I’m feeling pretty optimistic. If you feel like you could use more reminders of joy and more messages of hope, by all means <b><a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">check it out and join us</a></b>! And as always, please be sure to spread the word to any friends and family who you think might also enjoy this project. We small-time artists and authors are utterly dependent on word-of-mouth to get out the news about our work.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Profound thanks to everyone who joins me in this project; making connections so that we can encourage each other is what it’s all about!</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: all images by AEGN, representing drafts of details from <i>Bittersweetness & Light</i>, 2024.]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-3985080254439763572024-01-03T19:47:00.002-05:002024-01-03T20:12:38.165-05:00King's Devon<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FQE8Jbd_J-NzOXaz3MX9k-EO1-SRkFmzXaYdbpAY9tRm7frxovPO8MmLOlySNbfkWNSpPDPu-fFfl_h5w08wd5DYvgsRFAb3CBtI_8tU2uhgxRF6_oQbVStFXytAV1aNTFENmYFRSZtEsLiYOsB3M82ikgVheZkPvVopSeG7bRyUQawqhfR0YzH-Bo_F/s4053/C.King1.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4053" data-original-width="2829" height="402" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5FQE8Jbd_J-NzOXaz3MX9k-EO1-SRkFmzXaYdbpAY9tRm7frxovPO8MmLOlySNbfkWNSpPDPu-fFfl_h5w08wd5DYvgsRFAb3CBtI_8tU2uhgxRF6_oQbVStFXytAV1aNTFENmYFRSZtEsLiYOsB3M82ikgVheZkPvVopSeG7bRyUQawqhfR0YzH-Bo_F/w280-h402/C.King1.jpg" width="280" /></a></div> Cathy King (UK, b. 1967) is a printmaker whose block prints have some interesting characteristics. Her subjects are primarily landscapes and nature, and these are depicted with a fair amount of graphic stylization. She makes both reduction prints and multi-block prints, and her work is characterized by blocks of color overlaid by more detailed elements. In these first two examples you can see the way swaths of solid colors interact with more detailed (but still somewhat geometric) trees, plants, etc. In both, the skies are not quite solid-colored; they have a bit of texture to them, which is achieved in the inking as opposed to the carving. I especially like the trees in both of these, and the plants in the foreground. The red sails of the boats are interesting because although they’re printed on top of the background, they’re not opaque. Another thing these two pieces have in common - which is a trait shared by many of King’s pieces - is that they’re coastal!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3-aNzOkdnLMfam3BZXBfAIR4NYt_SZePuMtu0qvvSolfQiyDvblWK3UgUBN3QRj_CP6B_O1iA95sL5O13LkwbIoYpeIhWcnCKducm7daVa5LolvhKn8uHKykf7vzUgaByAw2ow1DIA7zfxwpiKUBiFqOQ4K7yQHMlxKsYC9uzDtFn6UtnA6WZ4vhBdk6/s4000/C.King2.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4000" data-original-width="2822" height="412" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh3-aNzOkdnLMfam3BZXBfAIR4NYt_SZePuMtu0qvvSolfQiyDvblWK3UgUBN3QRj_CP6B_O1iA95sL5O13LkwbIoYpeIhWcnCKducm7daVa5LolvhKn8uHKykf7vzUgaByAw2ow1DIA7zfxwpiKUBiFqOQ4K7yQHMlxKsYC9uzDtFn6UtnA6WZ4vhBdk6/w291-h412/C.King2.jpg" width="291" /></a></div> The third piece demonstrates what happens when all the details disappear and the landscape is so simplified and geometric as to become almost abstract. Like the skies in the pieces above, these blocks of color are not quite solid; there’s some interesting texture happening, especially in the brown. There’s also an interest provided by the layering of inks, which is apparent in the grey-over-brown in the foreground. A similar effect happens in the background of the next piece, which is otherwise at the other end of detailed spectrum. It looks to me like the birds are reduction prints, and I really love their patterns and shades of grey. I also like the contrast between the elaborately patterned feathers, the stylized sweep of grasses in the foreground, and the very simple background.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVzfcsQfR4LY35fPMQ4yEE4Eh6U1AiwuxBrYu6LBXdSrWFiGJ0ygXOxn-sVza2TK9Gmw7y-_iYW7fivFJLH7_yY6Z0gXjjSSGcPbonFT3g1l0BS1YzvT5IR-B_UXeyGpPaz64mQNEAxLlaiH-UsAxuV8AWgrF_ik1IaEMUnA3UIbN3htFyGhZKPY26at3/s3884/C.King3.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3884" data-original-width="2824" height="386" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSVzfcsQfR4LY35fPMQ4yEE4Eh6U1AiwuxBrYu6LBXdSrWFiGJ0ygXOxn-sVza2TK9Gmw7y-_iYW7fivFJLH7_yY6Z0gXjjSSGcPbonFT3g1l0BS1YzvT5IR-B_UXeyGpPaz64mQNEAxLlaiH-UsAxuV8AWgrF_ik1IaEMUnA3UIbN3htFyGhZKPY26at3/w281-h386/C.King3.jpg" width="281" /></a></div> Another much more detailed block is this view of Exeter Cathedral, which sits against an especially interesting sky, which was probably done with monoprinting techniques. It looks quite ominous! More serene is this final piece, although the sky is grey enough that it looks fairly overcast. Once again I like the simple background with a nice, detailed botanical foreground.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> There’s lots that’s interesting about these pieces, and they’re certainly very different from my own style, and my own way of thinking through a piece. I think they’re cool.</span></span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"></span><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Budleigh Beach II</i>, linocut print by Cathy King;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Starcross</i>, linocut print by King;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Porthtowan Beach</i>, linocut print by King;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Waders</i>, linocut print by King;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Exeter Cathedral</i>, linocut print by King;</span></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-kerning: none;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Trevose Head</i>, linocut print by King (All images from <a href="http://CathyKingPrints.com">CathyKingPrints.com</a>).]</span></span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-2744473082574673872023-12-27T12:16:00.004-05:002024-01-04T16:48:39.212-05:00Books for Hope<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> At this time of year it’s common to look forward to the next year, and these days most of us feel a certain amount of trepidation about the future. Speculative fiction to the rescue! Spec fic can remind us that no future is inevitable, that marvelous things are possible, and that it’s worth envisioning the world we want to see. Today I’m sharing three (and a half) books to give you hope.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWL379XFQC3vqJxG9Ms7YRWk7xsdCpemM_sgnBS2sGKFT0Tdc__F9pp5HEMq4ZdseVV_ryHcYU9oY5RViALm071MgQz1PxGmx-RMMNDHkePVpRsRxLd9p3tH9r3c5rWAWaZjU33uPDa-2yxh0o1G0364LmX2esoqoq7NEdgU9CG25g678ZuE1eI0AF-t6C/s400/PsalmforWild.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWL379XFQC3vqJxG9Ms7YRWk7xsdCpemM_sgnBS2sGKFT0Tdc__F9pp5HEMq4ZdseVV_ryHcYU9oY5RViALm071MgQz1PxGmx-RMMNDHkePVpRsRxLd9p3tH9r3c5rWAWaZjU33uPDa-2yxh0o1G0364LmX2esoqoq7NEdgU9CG25g678ZuE1eI0AF-t6C/s320/PsalmforWild.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <b>A Psalm for the Wild-Built</b> by Becky Chambers - This novella is gentle and contemplative. The characters are few, the plot is sedate, and the most harrowing danger is self-doubt - yet in its own way, this little book packs a powerful punch… of hope. Hopeful point 1: generations ago the world of Panga was very much like ours, careening toward self-destruction with fossil fuels, environmental degradation, and the threshold of AI sentience. But <i>before</i> apocalypse, the people pulled themselves together and changed everything, giving rise to a new version of inhabiting their world which, while not perfect, is pretty darn utopian. A big part of the allure of this book is simply the opportunity to be a tourist in this world and see what solutions they’ve come up with. Hopeful point 2: there are no villains. People are pretty much doing the best they can and trying to treat each other decently. Another part of the allure is spending time with Sibling Dex and (eventually) Mosscap, two characters who are not only likable but lovable. Hopeful point 3: The charming and beautiful writing is balm, giving an opportunity to draw breath and detox from too much hate-mongering news coverage. (There is also a sequel, <b>A Prayer for the Crown-Shy</b>, and I hope more to come.) I enjoyed these so much that my kids gave them to me for Christmas, and I quickly whipped through my re-read of book 1.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f7oYQ_DqElix_47kBp-zkEfmbgdRl6foc4Eq4NnI0r6WrAP6-eRK8-ElnaCWK64415WJW6YYDrK82qgFTd2ypNbKT_vAk0-8VFrLNYX46yDlhWfYkGMc17pxG0Pxc7XIhMv9hgeHTb95xStoGynS2kXXq-oSPKm0j0C5NO9DlPfO3FQ10Pmu7r7gHfif/s400/Binti_-_book_cover.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="250" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4f7oYQ_DqElix_47kBp-zkEfmbgdRl6foc4Eq4NnI0r6WrAP6-eRK8-ElnaCWK64415WJW6YYDrK82qgFTd2ypNbKT_vAk0-8VFrLNYX46yDlhWfYkGMc17pxG0Pxc7XIhMv9hgeHTb95xStoGynS2kXXq-oSPKm0j0C5NO9DlPfO3FQ10Pmu7r7gHfif/s320/Binti_-_book_cover.jpg" width="200" /></a></div> <b>Binti</b> by Nnedi Okorafor - Technically a trilogy of novellas, just think of it as one normal-sized book. This one is not gentle and there are definitely villains and harrowing experiences, but it is nevertheless full of hopeful moments. It’s beautifully written and offers a radical reimagining of how it is possible for enemies to come together. Hopeful point 1: The protagonist Binti experiences the transformative power of reaching out to enemies — literally, physically transformative, so that she becomes connected body and soul with those who are the <i>other</i>. Hopeful point 2: In a world that tends to hail as heroes only conquerors or “defenders” who defeat with violence, the story of Binti shows that the role of harmonizer takes even more courage, strength, and heroism. <i>Binti</i> is in the genre of Afrofuturism, and blends harder sci fi with exploration of how African-inspired cultures might develop and influence a future space-traveling world. In expanding those imaginary worlds, it has the power to expand ours. This is not necessarily an easy read, but it is inspiring.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNj61RbqOVGmchtko5UNp23zZZYTQ-Trs9z1yWN02sviGnYMWyc8YNDBjS6dRQ17SUazdS7fiiL5dz4GDSfas36LDGRrfdm215F2eEITxaHcT1WKKSNs0A-xVNyEgv51-rhP7tvhRhLvW5ztxSHjH6duzuVecsX063uoFCdIRT0kpyaYSCDwY8i7y6BFY/s1400/Once%20More%20Upon.Chokshi.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLNj61RbqOVGmchtko5UNp23zZZYTQ-Trs9z1yWN02sviGnYMWyc8YNDBjS6dRQ17SUazdS7fiiL5dz4GDSfas36LDGRrfdm215F2eEITxaHcT1WKKSNs0A-xVNyEgv51-rhP7tvhRhLvW5ztxSHjH6duzuVecsX063uoFCdIRT0kpyaYSCDwY8i7y6BFY/s320/Once%20More%20Upon.Chokshi.jpg" width="229" /></a></div> <b>Once More Upon a Time</b> by Roshani Chokshi - Going to the opposite side of spec fic, this novella is a light and comic reimagining of classic fairy tale tropes, playing with what happens after the traditional fairy tale of the Twelve Dancing Princesses. This is another fun and quick read, but it’s not just amusement value that gets it onto my list today. Hopeful point 1: happily ever after isn’t static. That means it may not always be happy - but it also means there’s always hope for more developments. Hopeful point 2: It’s possible to find your way around and through and past all sorts of past baggage: dysfunctional families, slumping relationships, misunderstandings, and even curses. It’s not too late. This one is a small domestic romance rather than a galaxy-spanning political epic, but we all need hopes both personal and political.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> These books share a vision of hope, in a variety of ways, they share a faith in second chances (and more, if need be), and they share wonderful writing, which is balm to the soul in its own right. Pick the one in your flavor of choice, or read them all; I recommend any </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-og2BS07rrzxhUpn_2tji-Qx06e6bEmUjxCtDpUdT7ooCuhlfGuUkSVsRCXGiW-7O0VKbfbLyKB0RBbb8s4aOd2T6D1yP02LThD5WCM4aNzNm2H5TYvEtBGyDjnlZH2LRopvGeipZbBnt5Qjre8VTtwb6ArtcmdWP6PTPoUym62FovB11OKmNwwiq18dF/s1000/BLcover.thumb.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="803" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-og2BS07rrzxhUpn_2tji-Qx06e6bEmUjxCtDpUdT7ooCuhlfGuUkSVsRCXGiW-7O0VKbfbLyKB0RBbb8s4aOd2T6D1yP02LThD5WCM4aNzNm2H5TYvEtBGyDjnlZH2LRopvGeipZbBnt5Qjre8VTtwb6ArtcmdWP6PTPoUym62FovB11OKmNwwiq18dF/w233-h290/BLcover.thumb.jpg" width="233" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">and al</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">l of them.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> And for one more book of hope, here’s another foreshadowing plug for my own upcoming book, <b>Bittersweetness & Light</b>. This will be a collection of my short stories, poems, and art, all of which are various genres and subgenres of speculative fiction, and all of which share the theme of finding joy and offering hope. The Kickstarter campaign to publish the book will go live in just a couple of weeks, but you can <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/nydam/bittersweetness-and-light-stories-poetry-and-art">visit the preview page NOW</a>!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As we start a new year, let’s make this the year we turn ourselves around, harmonize with our enemies, seize our second chances, find the good that’s still all around, and give ourselves real and meaningful reasons to hope.</span></div>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-5660892790058643712023-12-22T13:13:00.002-05:002023-12-22T13:13:31.933-05:00Holiday Cards by Logan and More<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIVFA2sprpriRTF3___yT1NjYM9VSMjzg0-zmD8F3AdXzu-MoiphIHmyqj1X7gA6fHYflKL08o8gEc4HwYYZM8fhWbMcbLVxQUdDgJG9l9bnpVqowiOhMjI9eTkIDpJX_LipLaNzW6GSCoNBslY0ZhmXriWw384lIfw1DxbqmdbMeEM6Aitg0CXvx22-_/s1800/Logan3cards.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1800" data-original-width="1000" height="515" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRIVFA2sprpriRTF3___yT1NjYM9VSMjzg0-zmD8F3AdXzu-MoiphIHmyqj1X7gA6fHYflKL08o8gEc4HwYYZM8fhWbMcbLVxQUdDgJG9l9bnpVqowiOhMjI9eTkIDpJX_LipLaNzW6GSCoNBslY0ZhmXriWw384lIfw1DxbqmdbMeEM6Aitg0CXvx22-_/w287-h515/Logan3cards.jpg" width="287" /></a></div> Many artists through the years have taken advantage of their skills to make their own holiday cards, and among them is one of my favorites: Herschel C. Logan. Logan (USA, 1901-1987) had his own post on this blog <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2013/04/herschel-logons-block-prints.html">here</a></b>, plus you can see a few more of his pieces (including some other holiday cards) in other posts, if you Search his name in the tool in the sidebar. For today I have three of his cards, each a variation on the theme of snow-covered buildings. They all show off his ability to do a lot with a little: relatively simple carving that transforms into detailed and evocative scenes. The third really takes that the farthest, with nothing carved except the simple geometry of snowy roofs, which somehow manage to delineate an entire town. I think that’s really cool! In the top two, the black trees against black sky are particularly masterful, and both pieces offer a welcome to a cozy house out of the wintry night.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I myself don’t make a holiday card every year, because most years I don’t feel that I have any particularly new idea to keep those variations on a theme interesting. Over the decades, though, I have done a number of </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZQEauBQclrLOt9GZOKY4KsHFZAu3u-sFxvtHgNYVMUW7XdrSaMAPZsH09f6nVGWUSxseXdRY77YEX1rwat6EbK4cEFg_J-SAJJkFXP7inQI48PpULUJeZpL9cAmOZGdrLcndcHQTuH9Tb-0ZCPx_LMVbP1-OdkSV21VJPhBfN23BeoNLdtiqpsY2v0cA/s409/tiny.penguinpeaceweb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="409" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLZQEauBQclrLOt9GZOKY4KsHFZAu3u-sFxvtHgNYVMUW7XdrSaMAPZsH09f6nVGWUSxseXdRY77YEX1rwat6EbK4cEFg_J-SAJJkFXP7inQI48PpULUJeZpL9cAmOZGdrLcndcHQTuH9Tb-0ZCPx_LMVbP1-OdkSV21VJPhBfN23BeoNLdtiqpsY2v0cA/w180-h176/tiny.penguinpeaceweb.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>designs that worked for holiday cards, and you can see most of them here: <a href="http://nydamprints.com/holiday-cards.html">Holiday Cards</a>. (I never got around to adding the one I carved last year and offered as cards for the first time this year, but you can read the <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2022/12/making-snow-angels.html">post on the making of that original block</a>.) Plus, I did just complete a little block that may be suitable for a card design for next year. It’s a Penguin of Peace. I added the touch of green on the olive leaves with watercolor after printing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PeXt3j4vMoscgqwSxQBdsp5thnLj76UaMsX0Tj1CUNPDAwgT__4eFJSl_K8QH7wpqdYghNGiPXYI1mWFp-aP0K52S4YdZ3i9Y5dLgWed3GohNvhtrPkFxbhSMaY1cixW_-pT6efI3WYupP6ermg0dUu16eCP4YR-w5b0Q28xHhGrJgppyQsrhLjwfdcT/s5473/NorthHill23blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5473" data-original-width="2192" height="543" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9PeXt3j4vMoscgqwSxQBdsp5thnLj76UaMsX0Tj1CUNPDAwgT__4eFJSl_K8QH7wpqdYghNGiPXYI1mWFp-aP0K52S4YdZ3i9Y5dLgWed3GohNvhtrPkFxbhSMaY1cixW_-pT6efI3WYupP6ermg0dUu16eCP4YR-w5b0Q28xHhGrJgppyQsrhLjwfdcT/w216-h543/NorthHill23blog.jpg" width="216" /></a></div> The reason I made that little block this year was that I needed a sample with which to demonstrate at a block printing workshop I taught at a local senior living center. Unfortunately, during the workshop I was too busy to take many pictures, so I can’t share many of the wonderful designs that were made. However, here are pictures of one of the blocks getting a test print before further tweaking, and another gentleman carving what eventually turned out to be a very charming snowman. I last did a holiday card workshop there back in 2016, and you can revisit some of the designs made in that round, which <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2016/12/holiday-cards.html">I shared at the time</a>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> All of these card designs demonstrate one of my favorite things about relief block printmaking: that even small, simple designs come out looking very pleasing. They’re also a good opportunity for me to wish you the very best for your midwinter celebrations of choice. I hope you’ve had the opportunity to spend time with loved ones, enjoy just the right mixture of relaxation and festivity, and take hope from the fact that (here in the northern hemisphere, at least) the light is faithfully returning once again. I always think of block prints as a reminder to carve out more light wherever you are!</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>A Very Merry Christmas</i>, woodcut by Herschel C. Logan, mid 20th century (Image from <a href="https://beach.emuseum.com/objects/12579/title-unknown-a-very-merry-christmas?ctx=2d2395301bdfb651c16309cf4ee94be205050fce&idx=126">Kansas Sate University Beach Museum</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Season’s Greetings</i>, woodcut by Logan, mid 20th century (Image from <a href="https://beach.emuseum.com/objects/12686/seasons-greetings-christmas-card?ctx=871f9a859f9f39726c1faa1c949f81b927e4fa54&idx=58">Beach Museum</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Merry Christmas</i>, woodcut by Logan, 1924 (Image from <a href="https://beach.emuseum.com/objects/1846/title-unknown-merry-christmas?ctx=42470d6d58496f9b3a8c8896287075b76455e5ff&idx=110#">Beach Museum</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i><a href="http://nydamprints.com/tiny-prints.html">Penguin of Peace</a></i>, rubber block print with watercolor by AEGN, 2023;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Rubber block prints by residents of North Hill, photos by AEGN, 2023.]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-56439244009060541552023-12-18T13:15:00.003-05:002023-12-18T13:15:34.464-05:00Wind and Rain<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_lq1SBDdHU-OtyYAjXEeHQHQlR87z4g7xpoQ1zwi1-JTrXnaiwjN_lBC_zUp5lofdEyet5SsVkftCFAzkL5m3hus8xhOqVD2xnk6WucSuZAAzcPCvE-UT8VtDwCB5EfczjU_-Fmy4nmdyBZmZ5QHFnEmy6KkKV79yZCdNS63SmFWKonCzbQ-9SOs8EVw/s1600/Hiroshiga.KoyoshidaBridge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1165" data-original-width="1600" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgX_lq1SBDdHU-OtyYAjXEeHQHQlR87z4g7xpoQ1zwi1-JTrXnaiwjN_lBC_zUp5lofdEyet5SsVkftCFAzkL5m3hus8xhOqVD2xnk6WucSuZAAzcPCvE-UT8VtDwCB5EfczjU_-Fmy4nmdyBZmZ5QHFnEmy6KkKV79yZCdNS63SmFWKonCzbQ-9SOs8EVw/w388-h283/Hiroshiga.KoyoshidaBridge.jpg" width="388" /></a></div> Today we’re having ferocious lashings of wind and rain where I live, and I thought I’d use it as an excuse to share a selection of block prints attempting to capture some of that fierce storm energy and movement.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I start with a piece by Utagawa Hiroshige with a sky pretty much matching the color outside my window right now. Our rain’s coming down at a steep slant, and I’m certainly glad I’m not out in it. I’m unconvinced that the water in this scene should be so blue with such a dark sky overhead. On the other hand, I’m enchanted by the strips of grass that grow across the bridge.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKoaEM6Tw8_umZDoPzTjr9DP9suyzdQ_NPk27lIym6M3ExqCxgvOWNAKxB5ea_QtMxfJK2qsIC1xGe4ntukgWvH0Gki6rRlrfvCaYjYPI4k7V32seLfRq4zyzRIdS9UYZ0bUedfuGtAWYMYnGtqTDHtNvbrRS067Vwe0WgGkWz0RlwzHfZ5jBipSV-0X-/s1300/Olaus_Magnus_-_On_the_Fury_of_Cyclones_and_Hurricanes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="1300" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRKoaEM6Tw8_umZDoPzTjr9DP9suyzdQ_NPk27lIym6M3ExqCxgvOWNAKxB5ea_QtMxfJK2qsIC1xGe4ntukgWvH0Gki6rRlrfvCaYjYPI4k7V32seLfRq4zyzRIdS9UYZ0bUedfuGtAWYMYnGtqTDHtNvbrRS067Vwe0WgGkWz0RlwzHfZ5jBipSV-0X-/w372-h172/Olaus_Magnus_-_On_the_Fury_of_Cyclones_and_Hurricanes.jpg" width="372" /></a></div> Next up I’ve got a piece from Olaus Magnus, whom I’ve covered on multiple previous occasions. He described lots of wind effects in his encyclopaedic book, but this one is especially fitting for today’s storm, because from my window I can see that a tree across the street has been broken and blown down! Magnus’s illustrations (executed by anonymous artists and craftsmen) have a rough vigor that doesn’t always rise to artistic greatness, but certainly does a good job here of showing the fury of the wind.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq10NiQZ4nmg4pb6UrOr-wbasLD7Faxd6pnpq8cXNxs8Yhm95FFxU62oDfUdX0MHg-6vfH-3A03TAeXUEZQxtfXxXsSwAhCX7D7esRS3v9QxPwzIGBQ0Y_0mcRwroZQaBxiy84z9onWZdL41Cj7l1MpGlQUtbm-2V7qlnUHUl5lKRfQ4vlHsqwXVB_EPqS/s904/Friedlander.Storm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="904" data-original-width="694" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq10NiQZ4nmg4pb6UrOr-wbasLD7Faxd6pnpq8cXNxs8Yhm95FFxU62oDfUdX0MHg-6vfH-3A03TAeXUEZQxtfXxXsSwAhCX7D7esRS3v9QxPwzIGBQ0Y_0mcRwroZQaBxiy84z9onWZdL41Cj7l1MpGlQUtbm-2V7qlnUHUl5lKRfQ4vlHsqwXVB_EPqS/s320/Friedlander.Storm.png" width="246" /></a></div> For my third piece I have another with a person out in the storm. He’s giving such an illustration of despair that I suspect the storm is reflecting his misery at least as much as causing it. The tree bent so far over, as well as the man’s hair, indicates the wind, and the course of the stream suggests a flash of lightning. (We have no lightning in our storm today.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> The final piece is entitled “Wind and Snow,” but I think it reads as much like rain as snow. Where I am it’s strangely warm and we are definitely not getting the blizzard we’d have if the temperature were more suitable for December, but I still think this piece is evocative of the lashing wind and rain. The bright colors are an interesting choice, and I’m somewhat surprised to find that I really like them in this context. Once again, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIuOISi1rZof3m3SpdHDGAJlSv-hb9uSeW-aGmgIqd-d9aiWcBoKsevgiYLWte1lJDBIziLVSyHh34Da1-LcUBEiQeop7irhhflE8CHFdrOiT4aEtuj5fm8YiIN00BAByYvngcLn6oWtynI9um-gLVit3xzwkPqhmr7X8frVnLwZa9mH-1cLhvfwaKbWT/s1320/Havens.WindSnow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1320" height="287" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaIuOISi1rZof3m3SpdHDGAJlSv-hb9uSeW-aGmgIqd-d9aiWcBoKsevgiYLWte1lJDBIziLVSyHh34Da1-LcUBEiQeop7irhhflE8CHFdrOiT4aEtuj5fm8YiIN00BAByYvngcLn6oWtynI9um-gLVit3xzwkPqhmr7X8frVnLwZa9mH-1cLhvfwaKbWT/w379-h287/Havens.WindSnow.jpg" width="379" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">though, they make it look more autumnal than wintry to me.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As long as no more trees get broken and we don’t lose our power, I’m enjoying this magnificent storm. But perhaps in the next week we’ll shift over to a gentle snow more suitable for Christmas!</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Ejiri: Koyoshida Bridge and Famous Sushi Shop</i>, color wood block print by Utagawa Hiroshige I, c. 1850-1 (Image from <a href="https://collections.mfa.org/download/177390">MFA Boston</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>On the Fury of Cyclones and Hurricanes</i>, woodcut from <i>Historia de gentibus septentrionalibus</i> by Olaus Magnus, 1555 (Image from <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olaus_Magnus_-_On_the_Fury_of_Cyclones_and_Hurricanes.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Untitled (Man in Storm)</i>, woodcut by Isaac Friedlander, c. 1934 (Image from <a href="https://www.artnet.com/artists/isaac-friedlander/untitled-man-in-storm-P6Mcy7jW_O0vtRCRNo5aIQ2">artnet</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Wind and Snow</i>, color woodcut by James Dexter Havens, 1938 (Image from <a href="https://www.acstickley.com/q423/956-james-dexter-havens-1900-1960-color-woodcut-wind-and-snow-1938/">California Historical Design</a>).]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-79114872839942296652023-12-13T15:37:00.001-05:002023-12-13T15:37:02.130-05:00The Fly-Away Horse<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> It’s time for a fantasy poem! <i>The Fly-Away Horse</i> is a poem by Eugene Field (USA, 1850-1895) whose light verse for children was so popular that he became known as the “Poet of Childhood.” (By whom? Presumably by his publisher.) He liked to write in vernacular, spelling out the childish pronunciations of common boys getting up to mischief. In this poem, on the other hand, he’s gone for high-brow old-fashioned literary style. Nevertheless, it’s got a great rollicking rhythm with plenty of alliteration and rhyme to make it fun to hear. I believe this was first published in <i>Poems of Childhood</i> in 1894. Its theme, wonderful dreams, is one Field riffed on in quite a few of his poems.</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gyqx3RlUX75ak2Af3bwsiUq034WBxcKlORkrQmuenpfPDHGdKY10-QDkwM_ybUvYyn5ZLxOQMwLA12zVNv0gxgGl7gNQCbOfqoxlZiRwjt_yEUaAb9s1i93Uy6HAezPgyR4CwZY6Py6J_j2I2ENjY_ZIlf_N1l8BVXq37MCxroJAy517morVhROPgDR2/s503/firstflightweb.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="503" data-original-width="500" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-gyqx3RlUX75ak2Af3bwsiUq034WBxcKlORkrQmuenpfPDHGdKY10-QDkwM_ybUvYyn5ZLxOQMwLA12zVNv0gxgGl7gNQCbOfqoxlZiRwjt_yEUaAb9s1i93Uy6HAezPgyR4CwZY6Py6J_j2I2ENjY_ZIlf_N1l8BVXq37MCxroJAy517morVhROPgDR2/w232-h234/firstflightweb.jpg" width="232" /></a></span><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Oh, a wonderful horse is the Fly-Away Horse-</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Perhaps you have seen him before;</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Perhaps, while you slept, his shadow has swept</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Through the moonlight that floats on the floor.</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">For it's only at night, when the stars twinkle bright,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;"></span></i></p><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>That the Fly-Away Horse, with a neigh
</i></span><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And a pull at his rein and a toss of his mane,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Is up on his heels and away!</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">The moon in the sky,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">As he gallopeth by,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Cries: "Oh! What a marvelous sight!"</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And the Stars in dismay</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Hide their faces away</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">In the lap of old Grandmother Night.</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i></i><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">It is yonder, out yonder, the Fly-Away Horse</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Speedeth ever and ever away-</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Over meadows and lane, over mountains and plains,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Over streamlets that sing at their play;</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And over the sea like a ghost sweepeth he,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">While the ships they go sailing below,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And he speedeth so fast that the men on the mast</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Adjudge him some portent of woe.</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">"What ho, there!" they cry,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">As he flourishes by</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">With a whisk of his beautiful tail;</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And the fish in the sea</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Are as scared as can be,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">From the nautilus up to the whale!</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i></i><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And the Fly-Away Horse seeks those far-away lands</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">You little folk dream of at night-</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where candy-trees grow, and honey-brooks flow,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And corn-fields with popcorn are white;</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And the beasts in the wood are ever so good</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">To children who visit them there-</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">What glory astride of a lion to ride,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Or to wrestle around with a bear!</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">The monkeys, they say:</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">"Come on, let us play,"</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And they frisk in the coconut-trees:</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">While the parrots, that cling</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">To the peanut-vines sing</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Or converse with comparative ease!</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i></i><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Off! scamper to bed- you shall ride him to-night!</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">For, as soon as you've fallen asleep,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">With a jubilant neigh he shall bear you away</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Over forest and hillside and deep!</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">But tell us, my dear, all you see and you hear</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">In those beautiful lands over there,</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Where the Fly-Away Horse wings his far-away course</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">With the wee one consigned to his care.</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Then grandma will cry</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">In amazement: "Oh, my!"</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And she'll think it could never be so.</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">And only we two</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">Shall know it is true-</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><span style="font-family: georgia;">You and I, little precious, shall know!</span></i></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i><a href="http://nydamprints.com/first-flight.html">First Flight</a></i>, rubber block print by AEGN, 2018.]</span></p><p></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-33717349116640346182023-12-06T12:20:00.003-05:002023-12-13T09:48:41.564-05:00Block Prints by Battiss<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVLdnjbgprgTYxDu7cEXguKYu8-7gmF7FwHqwJQ5T6xKpeZY3IDgAzrcJusUT4aVhfVmH2BebhDkNghbcNM3tvh88RzDL1Nhkfu_TE7h9k4_2YlfmgLr8fv2lTuXPQBFykb6jdyZRN26fDk5vSmJw75lACevRbVgu34HVPKJRzywkR481xlnyhw5pdeqm/s2758/Battiss.cattle.metamorph.png" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em; text-align: left;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2440" data-original-width="2758" height="283" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDVLdnjbgprgTYxDu7cEXguKYu8-7gmF7FwHqwJQ5T6xKpeZY3IDgAzrcJusUT4aVhfVmH2BebhDkNghbcNM3tvh88RzDL1Nhkfu_TE7h9k4_2YlfmgLr8fv2lTuXPQBFykb6jdyZRN26fDk5vSmJw75lACevRbVgu34HVPKJRzywkR481xlnyhw5pdeqm/s320/Battiss.cattle.metamorph.png" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;"> Walter Whall Battiss (South Africa, 1906-1982) had an interest in various indigenous African art forms including rock art, San painting, and Ndebele beadwork. You can see some of this influence in his relief block prints. I am most intrigued by this first one, entitled <i>Cattle Metamorphosed into Plants</i>, because I wonder about the story behind it. The cattle look somewhat similar in style to those in linocuts by Picasso, with whom Battiss was friends. Picasso, too, combined bulls and plants in a fantastical way, which I featured in <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2016/06/picassos-garden.html">Picasso’s Garden</a></b>.</div></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" div=""><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xZfQaMon6ys3lqPWSybzmQM2268ah4Vf6R3bYOG2Ivsa0qo9jEQNK07jm094DrT-Ys13J8WQ4SdaD1XX1dLLNF5LJuwcJ0wMkFs4oEZZF4L-I0elPuADBB1oAVRroNsK8H_yxUqEANUs_cfAclMB6JqeouhyphenhyphenHzUxZLzFLvn4b-vA50cJx3xwIRrFZ_d4/s3947/Battiss.horses.moths.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3947" data-original-width="2409" height="353" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4xZfQaMon6ys3lqPWSybzmQM2268ah4Vf6R3bYOG2Ivsa0qo9jEQNK07jm094DrT-Ys13J8WQ4SdaD1XX1dLLNF5LJuwcJ0wMkFs4oEZZF4L-I0elPuADBB1oAVRroNsK8H_yxUqEANUs_cfAclMB6JqeouhyphenhyphenHzUxZLzFLvn4b-vA50cJx3xwIRrFZ_d4/w215-h353/Battiss.horses.moths.jpg" width="215" /></a></div> Next here are a couple of pieces with other animals: horses and moths. They are not “realistic,” and they clearly demonstrate an interest in what artists today love to call “mark making.” The moths in particular don’t look particularly planned. Battiss includes his initals in many of his blocks, but always backwards. This means he’s carving them so they look frontwards on the block, and thus print backwards on the paper. That implies that Battiss either carves without planning, or draws any designs directly onto the block, rather than transferring from sketches on paper. (There aren’t great ways to transfer onto either linoleum or wood, so my current method of doing all my work on paper first and then getting a nice, clean, clear reversed transfer is a benefit of using rubber.)</div></div></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r98fW95R2DkLlJKSlSVbOX9v2JgirVos8TzYuh5q39b1hdl3DuQ1k-LcpE4qKy4gohkeVVqmv1eOPPs6NNnZJXZh-I9mNIjvfoMxSdgSnZc9LVWGgIEq8iofGNw4j2O_dduUe8v9GmfpwmawvE3oeA1q79pDDvf3yvGU_DEpDzGrKQlSzFV_bETaFKDm/s3212/Battiss.boyspickingfruit.pets.jpg" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3212" data-original-width="2496" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3r98fW95R2DkLlJKSlSVbOX9v2JgirVos8TzYuh5q39b1hdl3DuQ1k-LcpE4qKy4gohkeVVqmv1eOPPs6NNnZJXZh-I9mNIjvfoMxSdgSnZc9LVWGgIEq8iofGNw4j2O_dduUe8v9GmfpwmawvE3oeA1q79pDDvf3yvGU_DEpDzGrKQlSzFV_bETaFKDm/s320/Battiss.boyspickingfruit.pets.jpg" width="249" /></a></div> Two pieces with boys show the influence of rock art, with the stylized naked bodies functioning almost as glyphs of people. The first shows boys picking wild fruits from a thorny bush - one I would not want to go into without protective clothing! The second shows a boy with pets: a nice, normal cat, but also some lizards and an unusual-looking bird. I don’t know whether it’s intended to be a specific bird or species, or whether Battiss is just representing “bird” in a more hieroglyphic way.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Finally, a woodcut with two layers, which could be either reduction or separate blocks. Two people carrying things on their heads are behind four rocks, at least two of which seem to have rock art on them. Although most of Battiss’s work is undated, these definitely seem to be in that </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8SbV41153LYwKdtIzl7cLml_eANRRm5vchQ2W1JnYWJ5MEm8oYZrvAuQYNwUDEGkf-TddHFT1cA11eNBD1bewTe8tw3fdB3uNPNdut89hyphenhyphenjpPiwFLWZeRP0W5AtZid77m0jivNE4C15zbMkMP7IFNLaCeT9fu8XF6JbLD1E_Ta7RFSkTFaePapPAM5AK/s3524/Battiss.whiterocks.png" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2370" data-original-width="3524" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs8SbV41153LYwKdtIzl7cLml_eANRRm5vchQ2W1JnYWJ5MEm8oYZrvAuQYNwUDEGkf-TddHFT1cA11eNBD1bewTe8tw3fdB3uNPNdut89hyphenhyphenjpPiwFLWZeRP0W5AtZid77m0jivNE4C15zbMkMP7IFNLaCeT9fu8XF6JbLD1E_Ta7RFSkTFaePapPAM5AK/s320/Battiss.whiterocks.png" width="320" /></a></div>early mid-century style, and you can definitely see Battiss’s connections with Picasso and others working under the influence of African styles.</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Cattle Metamorphosed into Plants</i>, linocut by Walter Whall Battiss;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Horses</i>, woodcut by Battiss, 1943;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Moths</i>, linocut by Battiss;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Boys Picking Wild Fruit</i>, linocut by Battiss;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Boy with Pets</i>, linocut by Battiss;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Four White Rocks</i>, colour woodcut by Battiss (All images from <a href="https://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Boys-Picking-Wild-Fruit/E65FA2F963F9B77BBFAEEE3621D27B7B/Similar">MutualArt</a>).]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-66921329871783597112023-12-01T09:44:00.000-05:002023-12-01T09:44:19.032-05:00No. 2 Pencilion<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB2rh8vAatHbeO65Lx63kW9uBru-qb2faJ4w2U4wG47H3qicQjnJxbZSJABWNcpXTFvUIu3yy6c0zZ5Bl2EKo9VNzM-BOB3wu3aZRltRP3w8vw28zWcXNGcN-Z4Xx2YAISBQ8VSiKsii3_0uS97nOOySNy5jqQnHWYkyDte5hpTWb-8S3_pourGDStEfl/s2054/No2Pencilion.blog.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2054" data-original-width="1000" height="834" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUB2rh8vAatHbeO65Lx63kW9uBru-qb2faJ4w2U4wG47H3qicQjnJxbZSJABWNcpXTFvUIu3yy6c0zZ5Bl2EKo9VNzM-BOB3wu3aZRltRP3w8vw28zWcXNGcN-Z4Xx2YAISBQ8VSiKsii3_0uS97nOOySNy5jqQnHWYkyDte5hpTWb-8S3_pourGDStEfl/w407-h834/No2Pencilion.blog.jpg" width="407" /></a></div> Another shortish post today, as my busy weekend is almost upon me! To find out why I’m so busy, <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2023/11/too-busy-delirium.html">see the previous post</a>. As for today, I’ll just share my most recent piece, the No. 2 Pencilion. This block actually began from a couple of the numerous October drawing prompts with which the Internet abounds. For October 11, the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/peachtober/">Peachtober</a> prompt was PENCIL, and the <a href="https://www.instagram.com/scbwi/">SCBWI Artober</a> prompt was BEAST. Putting the two together, I came up with this king of pencil beasts. I transferred the sketch to rubber, but then waited to carve until Roslindale Open Studios on October 21-22. After that I didn’t get around to finishing up and printing until after my next show at the beginning of November. However, when I finally printed I decided to try two things. First, I printed with plain black ink, but to make it a little more fun, I found some old (but acid-free) lined notebook filler paper left over from my kids. After an edition of those, I carved out the erasers of the ears, and recarved the line the lion is drawing. (I should have carved it that thin and careful in the first place! Oh, well.) And I printed a second edition in pencil yellow, and put in the details painted with eraser pink and drawn with pencil graphite. I did try printing these on the lined paper, as well, but the yellow isn’t opaque enough to cover the lines and they proved too distracting. So, plain paper for these.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> By the way, do you know why pencils are so commonly yellow? Apparently Koh-I-Noor Hardtmuth pencil company was the first to paint their pencils yellow, and they did it to suggest Chinese royalty, since Chinese graphite was the highest quality graphite. They won a Grand Prix for pencils in 1900 (having first introduced the yellow in 1889), after which everyone wanted to copy them. As for the eraser on the end of the pencil, that was invented in 1858 by Hymen Lipman - but in 1875 the US Supreme Court ruled that it wasn’t an inventive enough invention to hold a patent, so all the manufacturers could do it, making those erasers ubiquitous, as well. It was the Faber Company that first made the pink erasers with the metal ferrule so familiar today.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Here’s some bonus belated Words of the Month action: 1. A <b>pencil</b> was originally a small, fine paintbrush, and comes from Latin for “little tail.” 2. The graphite in a pencil is called <b>lead</b> because when graphite was first discovered in England in the early sixteenth century it was sometimes called “black lead”. So technically pencils have never had actual lead. The word <b>graphite</b> wasn’t coined until 1789, from Greek <i>graphein</i> meaning “to write” — and yet we still call it <i>lead</i> more than 200 years later, so don’t expect us to stop talking about <i>dialing</i> phones any time soon. 3. The abbreviation for “number” is “<b>No</b>” because it comes from Latin “numero” instead of from English.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As for the meaning of Number 2 in reference to pencil lead, there’s not actually a common standard, although the higher the number the harder the lead, and the harder the lead the lighter the color and sharper the point. Many companies (and especially those outside the US) instead or in addition use the abbreviation <b>HB</b> for the grade of pencil right in the middle between <i>hardness</i> and <i>blackness</i> - although there’s some disagreement about the actual origins of the letters H and B. An HB pencil should be equivalent to a No. 2. For any child who grew up in the US in the past 50 years, number 2 pencils are famous primarily for being those required for filling in the answer dots on scantron tests.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> To be honest, these days I pretty much always use mechanical pencils because I love that there’s always a decent point. Nevertheless, I continue to have a soft spot for the look of a traditional yellow wooden pencil.</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <a href="http://nydamprints.com/no-2-pencilion.html"><i>No. 2 Pencilion</i> and <i>No. 2 Yellow Pencilion</i></a>, rubber block prints with pencil details by AEGN, 2023.]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-19020391661242620222023-11-27T13:02:00.001-05:002023-11-27T13:06:33.642-05:00Too Busy - Delirium<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> It’s the last blog post of the month, and that means it’s time for Words of the Month! Or at least, it would be, if I actually had time for anything. This coming weekend is super busy with not one but two major events, involving SO MANY moving pieces I have to organize and take care of. So in my current state of (hopefully temporary) disordered mind, I offer you a single fun word of the month: <b>delirium</b>. Entering English towards the end of the sixteenth century, <i>delirium</i> is from Latin “madness.” Its Latin origin, however, is a metaphor. It literally means “off or away from the furrow.” You can imagine someone plowing their field into nice, straight, ordered furrows, back and forth… and then </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviJirGso7zUEoK_Cu-IEaW408yGOforMFwCzAOyRjg3EOwBroLFD15O-mXMhjpyx24ftzt8y_AdTwHf_HYbL_yecZmACMJ4vhxsSs56gJ6whMAcXnl-lXwGz1JF8Zf4oZwxZ-AqBZQfhaCBT8jRPMm0nfJ1ZpFn3S4yf46rxbCRwD60GOgYBbWggmXVAF/s2200/bluff.Instagram.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2200" data-original-width="2200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhviJirGso7zUEoK_Cu-IEaW408yGOforMFwCzAOyRjg3EOwBroLFD15O-mXMhjpyx24ftzt8y_AdTwHf_HYbL_yecZmACMJ4vhxsSs56gJ6whMAcXnl-lXwGz1JF8Zf4oZwxZ-AqBZQfhaCBT8jRPMm0nfJ1ZpFn3S4yf46rxbCRwD60GOgYBbWggmXVAF/s320/bluff.Instagram.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">suddenly, <i>ny</i></span><i style="font-family: georgia;">eeeeooowww</i><span style="font-family: georgia;">, they go swerving off in some random direction, through the previously sowed rows, over the wildflowers at the edge of the field, down into the ditch, up into the next farmer’s field, zig-zagging all over the place…</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">Delirium.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> And what is the cause of my current delirium? On Saturday, December 2 I will be participating in the Strong Women-Strange Worlds Holiday Extravaganza. As one of the organizers I’ll be working pretty much all day for this 8 hour festival of fun, mostly behind the scenes. Over 45 authors of sci fi, fantasy, and horror are involved in a parade of readings, games, and literary frolics, and I encourage you to join us. It’s free, it’s on-line, and you can drop in and out all day as your schedule allows. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/o/strong-women-strange-worlds-33460611105">Preregister HERE!</a> And if you want to see me, </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkD1ZGdJb6yiy9V4nmXi4T8vxY2rb-xcYLZJC7JsTZPt6g0j_w76BzGS_S3pd1y2RvbZ022SGLHk7SD_-6Kyh3Olug0I1ryq3p01Xd1OThK8QI-hQH6XQ2tB-QBmdFwJHth_RaX0LOy5vQtxEt2aWgSs3UfjJr9iEcaOlZjprybwrSijNRkdwiKbI96v3O/s1080/NewtonHoliday23Inst.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1080" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkD1ZGdJb6yiy9V4nmXi4T8vxY2rb-xcYLZJC7JsTZPt6g0j_w76BzGS_S3pd1y2RvbZ022SGLHk7SD_-6Kyh3Olug0I1ryq3p01Xd1OThK8QI-hQH6XQ2tB-QBmdFwJHth_RaX0LOy5vQtxEt2aWgSs3UfjJr9iEcaOlZjprybwrSijNRkdwiKbI96v3O/s320/NewtonHoliday23Inst.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">I’ll be</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> playing “Bluff the Audience” at noon (US/Canada Eastern time) in which 5 authors have written fake endings to excerpts from each others’ work, and the audience gets to guess which endings are real.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">It should be a hoot! (Info on the </span><a href="https://strongwomenstrangeworlds.weebly.com/party-2023.html" style="font-family: georgia;">full event schedule is here</a><span style="font-family: georgia;">.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Despite being busy all day Saturday, I hope to be able to find a few hours to load my car, because on Sunday, December 3 I will be participating in the Celebrate Newton Holiday Craft Fair. There will be live music by a variety of Newton ensembles for a festive atmosphere, and more than 50 artists and crafters showing a variety of work suitable for gift shopping. (<a href="http://www.celebratenewton.com">More info here.</a>) It’s my last in-person show of the year, but if you can’t make it, don’t worry - you can always contact me di</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">rectly if you need </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpyEQVAuV1QITuJuTZj012-mQwuD16DYgJ3tADSG5EEJV-3nE6iNIdiZ5Z_8oLh46lr8Di1AHE-stNKsKn2rHh8A7Q9WajOxs7ZxrDFi5nOKFY_J_Y0tqguEVWA6wiOvw_KMpL05wCtPVoaFARCWmO1nO53dz-obl9R_l6KB42lAhRessLYgyFjAUXvdP/s3000/ILLUMINATION2023sq.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlpyEQVAuV1QITuJuTZj012-mQwuD16DYgJ3tADSG5EEJV-3nE6iNIdiZ5Z_8oLh46lr8Di1AHE-stNKsKn2rHh8A7Q9WajOxs7ZxrDFi5nOKFY_J_Y0tqguEVWA6wiOvw_KMpL05wCtPVoaFARCWmO1nO53dz-obl9R_l6KB42lAhRessLYgyFjAUXvdP/s320/ILLUMINATION2023sq.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">to procure that perfect block print or book.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> While I’m running through the promotions, I’ll mention one more show at which my work will be represented in 2023: the annual “Illumination” show at Gallery Twist in Lexington. It’s always beautiful, and this year the opening reception will be on Saturday, December 2. I, alas, will not be there, what with the <i>delirium</i> of other events, but I do encourage anyone in the area to check it out as it’s always delightful.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Now, wish me luck to make it through!</span></div>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-61602839130217804412023-11-22T10:08:00.001-05:002023-11-22T10:08:32.586-05:00Autumnal Block Prints<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyVvrBQX8BIRdneuY2Etb_KAbSFV-YqA9bY4-jCGkCimgm-MoINcH8EhxNydZdePNFSCmiM5qIdwMThBTV37iUyDv3xN1Py0ABSinaHoDmvxWAiE2bEt3gpUpmmpVvlKh8_8PW69JNMpwpIJvXt8viDpBKt8erg1KF0rXGMP1GoYFFCBukTiqB5yhrEB0/s3150/Logan.Autumn.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2004" data-original-width="3150" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsyVvrBQX8BIRdneuY2Etb_KAbSFV-YqA9bY4-jCGkCimgm-MoINcH8EhxNydZdePNFSCmiM5qIdwMThBTV37iUyDv3xN1Py0ABSinaHoDmvxWAiE2bEt3gpUpmmpVvlKh8_8PW69JNMpwpIJvXt8viDpBKt8erg1KF0rXGMP1GoYFFCBukTiqB5yhrEB0/s320/Logan.Autumn.png" width="320" /></a></div> It’s time for another collection of autumnal relief block prints, and as usual, views of autumn have to emphasize color. First up is a piece by one of my favorites, Herschel C. Logan. It’s quite small and simple, but includes three colors: dark brown, beige, and orange. Typical of Logan’s work, its focus is on a rural homestead, but no people in sight. (You can revisit <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2013/04/herschel-logons-block-prints.html">more work by Logan here</a>.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx19IH21Sge1tc61mtekQSng1sqIlm8Cly5cFtfCHCFewdzq9NLRzxNvyDnPyBGHQoytIt2VWIKuLJ38tcG7f2Bl04uPFTuD2A5kjOeNq_YfB6QgGPzuxtDMdm2WQqnnXglxDHCEwXGfl6oXasJwo9CnWuu8cr-eXhGrkHd_3lHWXqtlJLQeaF9Dtu7DY/s1610/Wroblewski.SturdyBranches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1162" data-original-width="1610" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBx19IH21Sge1tc61mtekQSng1sqIlm8Cly5cFtfCHCFewdzq9NLRzxNvyDnPyBGHQoytIt2VWIKuLJ38tcG7f2Bl04uPFTuD2A5kjOeNq_YfB6QgGPzuxtDMdm2WQqnnXglxDHCEwXGfl6oXasJwo9CnWuu8cr-eXhGrkHd_3lHWXqtlJLQeaF9Dtu7DY/w409-h296/Wroblewski.SturdyBranches.jpg" width="409" /></a></div> The next piece is by an artist who’s new to me, and it’s much more complex. Nick Wroblewski works in the Japanese woodblock style, and often includes animals in his landscapes. This one has wonderful details in the foreground, but is also wonderfully <i>less</i> detailed in the background, with its warm, muted autumn colors. The beavers are delightful, but so are the </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C0YYPjIHgfX3hJuXNYaxr5CTJMPEfFwtJOj0ZJQ5Fr1mIM5q4hXE4RjPVfTQ6HXh7boMHUBiKkHS5AZ7v6ljAJy3POiB9-UOqKg5Z9EFYQqxu6RXrlNOVpgFD6X-yqEzMgfPoiQ5H-6Ax8CtN7qx2HArcAyZ6PyVTH_3KLh9prxr7PMXXAN4m7NjSHuT/s1600/Hasui.LateAutumn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1111" height="272" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0C0YYPjIHgfX3hJuXNYaxr5CTJMPEfFwtJOj0ZJQ5Fr1mIM5q4hXE4RjPVfTQ6HXh7boMHUBiKkHS5AZ7v6ljAJy3POiB9-UOqKg5Z9EFYQqxu6RXrlNOVpgFD6X-yqEzMgfPoiQ5H-6Ax8CtN7qx2HArcAyZ6PyVTH_3KLh9prxr7PMXXAN4m7NjSHuT/w189-h272/Hasui.LateAutumn.jpg" width="189" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">details of the sticks and bark, and the gnawing-marks on</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> the felled trunk.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Also in the Japanese style, here’s a piece by Kawase Hasui (an artist you can <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/search?q=Hasui">search in the sidebar</a> to see a few more pieces.) The title is “Late Autumn in Ichikawa,” and I think it does somehow manage to capture that feeling of incoming winter chill in the air, despite the warm colors of the dried grasses. Again, the grasses in the foreground show every blade, but then fade to a blur and the silhouettes of trees in the background. (I definitely need to work on that transition from foreground to background in my own work!)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As a contrast from these relatively predictable landscapes, here’s an unusual view by William Hays. This one is a reduction linoleum block print with 6 colors. It’s very impressive, and I’d love to be able to see it in person and get a sense for the ink on the </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfT953QWqOnp2ZQ61BaoSw1Q9MkoN6rpoS-Tv30MgGptBXIoicErIJCsufO4DQ-GrLmUO7HrKzjlSFk1pyHYGRL8jhGvlabOsec58cf4PqhkdwmTrdHrYnAE8cSmsD-8JSoIE3HUz9JFq9Nh7xsQLnF7Iv8pWtlUCwcnriJlBnnjHf9Y4Gb89bur9K269e/s1706/Hays.Equinox.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="1706" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfT953QWqOnp2ZQ61BaoSw1Q9MkoN6rpoS-Tv30MgGptBXIoicErIJCsufO4DQ-GrLmUO7HrKzjlSFk1pyHYGRL8jhGvlabOsec58cf4PqhkdwmTrdHrYnAE8cSmsD-8JSoIE3HUz9JFq9Nh7xsQLnF7Iv8pWtlUCwcnriJlBnnjHf9Y4Gb89bur9K269e/s320/Hays.Equinox.png" width="320" /></a></div>paper. On the computer screen it’s almost <i>too</i> good, because it reads more like a photograph with the “posterize” filter than like a hand carved block print. It certainly does invite you to jump in the leaf pile, though!</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Finally, I had to include this wood block print by Kari Percival, because what is this season without pies? This fun piece celebrates the sharing of good food and company. (And see my <a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2023/02/percivals-pictures.html">prior post on Percival here</a>.)</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I’m certainly very grateful for my own home and family, as well as for the land I’m lucky enough to live on, sharing it with its </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4Ct8Lle4_6-SQC20FH1y9b7GqZzHp04X24DMtziOAIF7-w87BVg8Rzh1syKbi19qXAT2heoDmglTYqcWxZBZaP0ak2cJ8SVMuo5EkIN_pPKEQbLOG6l_3KXZTvtkDLOrPQcZvbIjSgZFLuX8N2JUzG8PxxJ1hxGqRsSivnUCbtiF2UypijmaLd_m_Dyp/s1236/Percival.Pies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1154" data-original-width="1236" height="274" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv4Ct8Lle4_6-SQC20FH1y9b7GqZzHp04X24DMtziOAIF7-w87BVg8Rzh1syKbi19qXAT2heoDmglTYqcWxZBZaP0ak2cJ8SVMuo5EkIN_pPKEQbLOG6l_3KXZTvtkDLOrPQcZvbIjSgZFLuX8N2JUzG8PxxJ1hxGqRsSivnUCbtiF2UypijmaLd_m_Dyp/w293-h274/Percival.Pies.jpg" width="293" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">beautiful trees an</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">d animals.</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: <i>Autumn</i>, color woodcut by Herschel C. Logan, 1924 (Image from <a href="https://beach.emuseum.com/objects/2089/autumn?ctx=77852abc7e36d0b448411c2f9b087f51570d0ce4&idx=3">Marianna Kistler Beach Museum of Art</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Sturdy Branches, Leafy Tops</i>, woodcut by Nick Wroblewski (Image from <a href="https://nickwroblewski.com/gallery/sturdy-branches-leafy-tops">NickWroblewski.com</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Late Autumn in Ichikawa</i>, color woodblock print by Kawase Hasui, 1930 (Image from <a href="https://www.clarkart.edu/microsites/competing-currents-20th-century-japanese-prints/image-gallery">The Clark Museum</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Equinox</i>, linocut print by William Hays (Image from <a href="https://www.artfulhome.com/product/Linocut-Print/Equinox/72717">artful home</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Pies</i>, wood block print by Kari Percival (Image from <a href="http://karipercival.com/illustration-2/seasonal-illustrations/">KariPercival.com</a>).]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-61766523596461565052023-11-17T15:37:00.000-05:002023-11-17T15:37:08.996-05:00A Jumble of Jabberwocks<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKldHJwnSRHbYMzorynNNRcA9UfjPOwLvviu3ba0Fs83C018qGgB3doodDGzgVetJAOZDr2HAZsdQynIvrrIzm2I1sr7mtQkBOeqRled0USzYFxTMlyKZ2iCilcYeP4tgZlMowHSS5SxVVXEU1q1ouHY34QGAO9i6RSKUdaUh6GKsg8eduuzGULEdCjhQq/s1730/Jabberwock.Tenniel.Wm-De-Morgan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1000" data-original-width="1730" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKldHJwnSRHbYMzorynNNRcA9UfjPOwLvviu3ba0Fs83C018qGgB3doodDGzgVetJAOZDr2HAZsdQynIvrrIzm2I1sr7mtQkBOeqRled0USzYFxTMlyKZ2iCilcYeP4tgZlMowHSS5SxVVXEU1q1ouHY34QGAO9i6RSKUdaUh6GKsg8eduuzGULEdCjhQq/w450-h260/Jabberwock.Tenniel.Wm-De-Morgan.jpg" width="450" /></a></div> Lewis Carroll’s famous poem <i>Jabberwocky</i>, a classic of nonsense fantasy, has been wildly popular since its publication in 1871. (If you’re not familiar with it, you can read the whole poem in two of the pictures below, or more easily in my <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/08/jabberwocky.html">original post about it here</a></b>.) Since its publication, there have been many illustrations of the jabberwock and the other creatures featured in the poem. By far the most iconic is the </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidstj08bS-9kyFkSwQqGj4JmYskyzVDWMW2_j4XB6EHZKbuctykZ_j7K3Za4G3Wesabc0svA6qhIz_xgXjNLQllSo3PP_KNY32BcbXrsvX1cO4-bfYvW8mfZzjv3n2GvXQN-lhRpnsJ66DvF4bztXk-l2th5Jkmg6jTI8qtjAGaK58E7M-eZeKxYJzqzC7/s4922/Jabberwock.Hawkes.Myers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3344" data-original-width="4922" height="246" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidstj08bS-9kyFkSwQqGj4JmYskyzVDWMW2_j4XB6EHZKbuctykZ_j7K3Za4G3Wesabc0svA6qhIz_xgXjNLQllSo3PP_KNY32BcbXrsvX1cO4-bfYvW8mfZzjv3n2GvXQN-lhRpnsJ66DvF4bztXk-l2th5Jkmg6jTI8qtjAGaK58E7M-eZeKxYJzqzC7/w363-h246/Jabberwock.Hawkes.Myers.jpg" width="363" /></a></div>version by John Tenniel, the first picture shown here. Indeed, it remains my favorite to this day. But Carroll doesn’t actually say much about exactly what these creatures look like</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">, and that means that other illustrators can come up with completely different versions. P</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">aired with Tenniel’s illustration is a tile by William De Morgan, who was commissioned by</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Dodgson (aka Carroll) to make tiles with creatures related to his works.</span><span style="font-family: georgia;"> </span><span style="font-family: georgia;">That means that Tenniel’s and De Morgan’s jabberwocks, different as they are, were both Lewis Carroll-approved.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7c-DQ_dZdqMklcngr7kOmbYh6GT6yOxjQGaZgCPOyxVz9InHz62TbwujZ-ecQglGSFgQqYaQH1cFUT0CVpw6T6Cm7zms0tcAkBR1VQWrWFQmcY04uRwhHclCrJVmw97qxlQSVCJq_J18uC72ZJG4__TJ-OLTwSdYAQb_lJSfizPaSQuMS7UDrkfmmcxk/s5477/Jabberwock.Stewart.Copeland.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="5477" data-original-width="4000" height="373" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7c-DQ_dZdqMklcngr7kOmbYh6GT6yOxjQGaZgCPOyxVz9InHz62TbwujZ-ecQglGSFgQqYaQH1cFUT0CVpw6T6Cm7zms0tcAkBR1VQWrWFQmcY04uRwhHclCrJVmw97qxlQSVCJq_J18uC72ZJG4__TJ-OLTwSdYAQb_lJSfizPaSQuMS7UDrkfmmcxk/w273-h373/Jabberwock.Stewart.Copeland.jpg" width="273" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;"> So, we know the jabberwock has jaws that bite, claws that catch, and eyes of flame. We know it’s manxome, and that it whiffles and burbles… And that’s really all we know. So there’s no contradiction if Kevin Hawkes depicts the jabb</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">erwock rather like a pig, while Christopher Myers connects the poem with the Mesoamerican ball ga</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">me and depicts the jabberwock like a monstrous basketball player.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Joel Stewart can follow Tenniel’s lead in giving the jabberwock a few items of gent’s clothing, while adding a checkerboard grin and long, stripy tail. And Eric Copeland can imagine something more like a feathered dragon. No wrong answers here, as long as we all have those grabby claws! Scary or whimsical? Similar to a real creature, or completely wacky? It’s all fair.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Some illustrators have also shown us some of the other creatures mentioned in the poem. Tenniel depicted the toves, borogoves, and raths of the first verse, <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/08/jabberwocky.html">which you can see </a></b></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/08/jabberwocky.html"><img border="0" data-original-height="1386" data-original-width="1737" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlOccPmEHyZOy4MKSLTYBJkXbzeAbFrXmnvOflOY0Yhlu2tJCm8JDm3aOjpnRFzranzpbFK002JPbJONaXdI3TLIFwMj659kYnbKSL7_jPTGyb3Kxa5jIOcKkaCoEU_qzEJ3BlVzUaBSc62KIAW38nFfZ_V7dNRqQXltXJ0G4Qol1tqYIUhf32TM276_tt/s320/Newell.jabberwock.etc.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div><b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2010/08/jabberwocky.html">here</a></b>. But he never showed the jubjub bird or bandersnatch, which perhaps left the door open a little wider for the illustrators who followed. P</span><span style="font-family: georgia;">eter Newell makes his magnificent jabberwock a little reminiscent of a naked mole-rat, while his bandersnatch looks somewhat baboon-inspired, and the jubjub bird is simply a bit odd.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Charles Santore gives each of these charismatic megafauna a full double-page spread. His jabberwock is clearly a dragon, and his jubjub bird would indeed be something to beware, but his bandersnatch is the most original, resembling a tiger-warthog cross with a spiked tail </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqb_KH9feUE5ktB9eHOkhyphenhyphenymsx3ThlXee1moH6v28-cCN-KMGbRruSHbzZPQRDhMIS1dnwxeqf64zIVYUzL8FL2R4yYlvU7AB8H9VduRcQf-ApG1CmVxxN6f_IF_HCMN_FniHPx3VGTgmKHweIGiwSXnZOIGYXaCh9qIjOZoQYKkcbIQEkf4cekJi2gPUT/s6927/Jabberwock.Santore.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="6927" data-original-width="4000" height="417" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqb_KH9feUE5ktB9eHOkhyphenhyphenymsx3ThlXee1moH6v28-cCN-KMGbRruSHbzZPQRDhMIS1dnwxeqf64zIVYUzL8FL2R4yYlvU7AB8H9VduRcQf-ApG1CmVxxN6f_IF_HCMN_FniHPx3VGTgmKHweIGiwSXnZOIGYXaCh9qIjOZoQYKkcbIQEkf4cekJi2gPUT/w241-h417/Jabberwock.Santore.jpg" width="241" /></a></div><span style="font-family: georgia;">mace.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> For a few more versions of the Jubjub bird you can revisit my posts on <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2016/03/mythical-j.html">Mythical J</a></b>, and be sure to see my own depiction at <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2019/04/j-is-for-jubjub-bird.html">J is for Jubjub Bird</a></b>. (I’ve never done the jabberwock because I’m completely satisfied that Tenniel got it right.)</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> I conclude with one last artist, Mark V. Marshall, who worked at Doulton Pottery. I’ve included his jabberwock sculpture for completion, although it doesn’t particularly excite me, but I find his rath absolutely delightful. I’m assuming it’s some kind of little pitcher. All we know about the raths from the poem is that they’re mome. Humpty Dumpty tells Alice that raths are a sort of green pig, which has clearly inspired Marshall.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> What’s your vision of the jabberwock? Does it wear clothes? Is it a dragon or a mole-rat or a basketball player? Or do you have some completely new ideas of your own?</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J_JLCmLJMsd446rK2yy0FL9Ew6tt2bUl9UPTuraQLuNIJcbi-RNnK5fxgYCM8wvlP-BBk-iqESB0lMGUi6lsFur5RTsm3JC_AXFeWY7ZnhsjjcOCG52Ys3-ckGMvYX9Te-rtiIJ3ZqWjUQH9PtTQNAfE5LeCg7vY44Lh-94rwb2lAOBt83BzwNhyphenhyphen1DTA/s1028/Marshall.Jabberwock.rath.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="640" data-original-width="1028" height="199" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9J_JLCmLJMsd446rK2yy0FL9Ew6tt2bUl9UPTuraQLuNIJcbi-RNnK5fxgYCM8wvlP-BBk-iqESB0lMGUi6lsFur5RTsm3JC_AXFeWY7ZnhsjjcOCG52Ys3-ckGMvYX9Te-rtiIJ3ZqWjUQH9PtTQNAfE5LeCg7vY44Lh-94rwb2lAOBt83BzwNhyphenhyphen1DTA/s320/Marshall.Jabberwock.rath.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>[Pictures: Jabberwock, pen and ink (copied as wood engravings for printing), by Sir John Tenniel, 1871;</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jabberwock, tile by William De Morgan, 1882 (Image from <a href="https://www.wmoda.com/return-of-the-dodo/">Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts</a>);</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jabberwock (and Jubjub bird?), illustration by Kevin Hawkes from <i>Imagine That! Poems of Never-Was</i> selected by Prelutsky, 1998;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jabberwock, illustration by Christopher Myers from <i>Jabberwocky</i>, 2007;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jabberwock, illustration by Joel Stewart from <i>Jabberwocky</i>, 2003;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><i>Jabberwocky</i>, illustration by Eric Copeland from <i>Poetry for Young People: Lewis Carroll</i>, ed. E. Mendelson, 2000;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jabberwock, Jubjub bird, and Bandersnatch, illustrations by Peter Newell from <i>Through the Looking-Glass</i>, 1902 (Images from <a href="https://archive.org/details/throughlookinggl00carr/page/20/mode/1up?view=theater">Internet Archive</a>);</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jabberwock, Jubjub bird, and Bandersnatch, illustrations by Charles Santore from <i>Jabberwocky</i>, 2020;</span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">Jabberwock and rath, Doulton pottery by Mark V. Marshall, c. 1886 (Images from <a href="https://www.wmoda.com/jabberwock-mark-v-marshall/">Wiener Museum of Decorative Arts</a>).]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2303338240948428759.post-7494362636376602142023-11-13T12:45:00.000-05:002023-11-13T12:45:12.795-05:00The Wonders of Cotton<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jSX3VqvVu4fpFSkd-LA9qAfCB8tzPXDi7BpY8mFzM4yk2soHjhMrhChwDUxmbjT7OOdo7OpwxKSHIYjW_9pLchmzVOGyrxPqAEHp5ood30EZKgF1bJvHqF5P6S4Na5XWdZ8SzGq1c_wrZ0oOXE-b_Stkxu6cCY0VssVf_C0yTU1kqPJAA7XOxiutgR7F/s5739/Alcorn.cotton2.7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4078" data-original-width="5739" height="324" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7jSX3VqvVu4fpFSkd-LA9qAfCB8tzPXDi7BpY8mFzM4yk2soHjhMrhChwDUxmbjT7OOdo7OpwxKSHIYjW_9pLchmzVOGyrxPqAEHp5ood30EZKgF1bJvHqF5P6S4Na5XWdZ8SzGq1c_wrZ0oOXE-b_Stkxu6cCY0VssVf_C0yTU1kqPJAA7XOxiutgR7F/w457-h324/Alcorn.cotton2.7.jpg" width="457" /></a></div> At my last show just over a week ago, a friend (a student who took one of my classes several years ago) came by and brought me a gift! She volunteers at the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, where the library was de-acquisitioning materials. When she saw in the pile a small booklet illustrated with relief block prints, she snagged it for me! So today I’m sharing a few of the beautiful block prints from <i>Cotton is Environmentally Friendly: Crane is Cotton</i>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> This 1990 production is a lavish advertising piece for Crane paper, and the text gives a history of Crane & Co., a description of the paper-making process from planting cotton to </span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemyT_2nZJ6doXHUGb6wyKT5sOHRSkG3NUvIKYV1gEtOzCYy5NoY0sTcChszHtT_mTx4Dj3wFdXP-y9T2i9dLSgxFfn9rbOQNlPIXfgWKG6L-jqrqdhGMLkzru99jw2Hr4gVrkm2RnOSb1alKVT_bxVteavQrjShT24lI1x_szspCoEotf95icTNFJX7a0/s4258/Alcorn.cotton4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4258" data-original-width="2930" height="296" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiemyT_2nZJ6doXHUGb6wyKT5sOHRSkG3NUvIKYV1gEtOzCYy5NoY0sTcChszHtT_mTx4Dj3wFdXP-y9T2i9dLSgxFfn9rbOQNlPIXfgWKG6L-jqrqdhGMLkzru99jw2Hr4gVrkm2RnOSb1alKVT_bxVteavQrjShT24lI1x_szspCoEotf95icTNFJX7a0/w203-h296/Alcorn.cotton4.jpg" width="203" /></a></div>trimming sheets, and effusive claims of environmental virtue. I’m not here to assess the accuracy of any of that, but simply to enjoy the seven large relief block prints (plus one small) that illustrate the booklet. They are by Stephen Alcorn, whose name I was delighted to recognize, as I featured some of his work in this blog once before. Check out that post on <b><a href="https://nydamprintsblackandwhite.blogspot.com/2021/11/alcorns-birds-and-frog.html">Alcorn’s Birds (and Frog)</a></b>.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> As for Alcorn's illustrations of cotton, my favorites are the pair of the sower in spring and the finished field in the fall. Decidedly not a modern cotton-growing operation, but such beautiful pieces! The exuberant sun, the swirling tree, the rhythmic patterns of the field… These make my heart sing.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> There is also a series of the growth of cotton, from seedling to wispy seed fibers. This is number 2 of 4, with the cotton flowers as well as the beginnings of puffy bolls.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoJ9celv33loRpW_ajhj5ae4e2Ez6R41A0tFxfGfxlJInwtX1cHs8Dgk1H88DnTTr9Jv0gDo0oxtZMz3N7XHVm2h_cKI_kredVqxO4z8acGeSvQLgjQEDeQz4oFNWTslNVEPcO6Ty1LTMZymDLWjoH3XrBzNfMV2G3o5vmSG-3ibN26eshk_W7bIC37as/s4535/Alcorn.cotton1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4535" data-original-width="3138" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJoJ9celv33loRpW_ajhj5ae4e2Ez6R41A0tFxfGfxlJInwtX1cHs8Dgk1H88DnTTr9Jv0gDo0oxtZMz3N7XHVm2h_cKI_kredVqxO4z8acGeSvQLgjQEDeQz4oFNWTslNVEPcO6Ty1LTMZymDLWjoH3XrBzNfMV2G3o5vmSG-3ibN26eshk_W7bIC37as/s320/Alcorn.cotton1.jpg" width="221" /></a></div> The whole set of prints is bracketed by day and night views of Earth, presumably to emphasize the environmental values of Crane & Co. This is the day, and again I just love the sunshine with its patterns turning the heavens into a huge mandala over the curve of Earth, with her clouds and currents.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Although the medium is not specified beyond “relief block prints,” with such smoothness combined with the level of very fine lines in these designs, I’m guessing they were done in lino, or possibly wood engraving, depending on their size. I would love to experiment with this sort of imaginative designs added to otherwise realistic images. I certainly don’t feel like I have the confidence to pull it off, but that’s what experiments are for.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"> Many thanks to Diana, for thinking of me and bringing me such a delightful surprise gift!</span></div>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 14px;"><span style="font-family: georgia;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: georgia;">[Pictures: four illustrations by Stephen Alcorn, from <i>Cotton is Environmentally Friendly: Crane is Cotton</i>, 1990.]</span></p>Anne E.G. Nydamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02406524149458743460noreply@blogger.com1