Lewis Carroll is one of our favorite banned book authors. One of the most iconic drawings from Alice in Wonderland is “The Mad Tea Party” which was first illustrated by John Tenniel. It teaches the lesson that positive human interaction is dependent upon open communication and respect for others. Many people have reinvented Alice in Wonderland over the years including Walt Disney and Karen Strum.
On March 14th we celebrate International Pi Day. “Life of Pi” by Yann Martel tells the story of a young Indian who is lost at sea in a lifeboat with an orangutan, a zebra, a hyena, and a tiger. A reviewer wrote that “Life of Pi” was about God, survival, and tiger training. I showed my fine art at a Big Cat Rescue Fundraiser in Tampa which rescues exotic cats and rehabilitates injured or orphaned native wild cats. Big Cat Rescue was the subject of Netflix's “Tiger King” not long after the fundraiser.
September 2017 brought chaos to many with a barrage of hurricanes. I, for one, cooked off a tuna can stove for a week. During this uproar, we quietly lost legendary monster artist Basil Gogos. Halloween is my favorite holiday, and to celebrate I decided to write a blog in tribute to this great creative soul. If you were a child of the '60s and '70s, chances are you devoured the magazine “Monsters of Filmland”. It was here that many fell in love with the vibrant and stylish work of Gogos. Not only do I love the spooky nature of his...
This month I sold a beautiful, old copy of Jane Eyre which is about a courageous young woman who falls in love. The timing was auspicious, so I thought I'd also discuss a client's book series whose covers I designed. “Child of the Mountain Gods” is a modern take on Charlotte Bronte's feminist heroine and trailblazer writing style.
The BBC launched a popular Sherlock Holmes television series, and as an illustrator, I've had all sorts of requests for “fan art” which I am happy to share. He has played an important role in the development of modern day forensics, but not without a controversial book banning. All of which adds to his appeal so I thought it would be a perfect topic for discussion.
