Category Archives: Art

I Got Up At

Posted on June 5, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

On Kawara was a 20th century Japanese conceptual artist who was influential in the New York art scene. Although he was widely know for his “Today” series or “Date Paintings,” many considered that the most personal and intimate of his … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Tourism, USA | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

A Borrowing of Librarians

Posted on June 3, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

Posted in Art, Books, Libraries, Writing | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

all the trains are gone

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

The illustration above, appeared in The Fatal Lozenge which was Edward Gorey’s first published “alphabet book”. In the book series, each letter of the alphabet is represented by a character which appears in a four line poem and each poem … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, USA, Writing | Tagged , | 3 Comments

All the misery of manilla folders and mucilage

Posted on May 31, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

DOLOR Theodore Roethke I have known the inexorable sadness of pencils, Neat in their boxes, dolor of pad and paper weight, All the misery of manilla folders and mucilage, Desolation in immaculate public places, Lonely reception room, lavatory, switchboard, The … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, USA, Writing | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

The Bradbury Chronicles

Posted on May 30, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

As I have mentioned more than a few times over the years, I was a voracious reader of Ray Bradbury’s novels and short stories as a kid. So, I was excited to see that the American Writers Museum in Chicago … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, History, Museums, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

The Reader

Posted on May 29, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

 

Posted in Art, Books, Europe, Museums | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Books are only human after all

Posted on May 27, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Rooting through my image files I came across this little series of paintings by British artist and illustrator Jonathan Wolstenholme. He is widely known for his amazingly detailed works deriving from a love of old books and of the paraphernalia … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Books, Europe | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

When They Haven’t Really Read The Book

Posted on May 24, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

Cartoonist Ward Sutton creates classic books illustrated by artists who have clearly not read the books.

Posted in Art, Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Waving Not Drowning

Posted on May 23, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

By now nearly every human being on the planet has seen one version or another of the iconic painting above. What do most of us really know about this sublime work of art ? When woodcut artist Katsushika Hokusai made his famous … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Asia, Europe, History | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Gorey on Gory

Posted on May 22, 2021 by Brian D. Butler

I was saddened to read that mystery writer and editor Marvin Kaye died on May 13, 2021 at the age of 83. Edward Gorey created wonderful wraparound dust jacket cover designs for eight of the numerous anthologies Kaye produced.  

Posted in Art, Books, USA, Writing | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment