February has been a busy month. I’ve been picking up extra hours at an old job, catching up on this year’s somewhat disappointing Oscar selections and polishing up a story I’ve been writing.
Today ended up being a great day to go into Powell’s and Goodwill. Today's treasures became mine for the combined total of $18.88.
William Blake
I found a copy of William Blake at the Huntington (Huntington Library in San Marino, California). Like Arthur Rackham, William Blake is another illustrator I greatly admire. Here’s my favorite image from the book:
Satan Watching the Endearments of Adam and Eve. This is a pen and watercolor illustration for John Milton's Paradise Lost, 1807.
Christina the Astonishing
The story I have been working on for quite some time now involves Christina the Astonishing – Patron Saint of Psychiatrists and the Insane. Nick Cave wrote a beautiful song about her.
Each version I hear is a bit different but I know that she died from an epileptic seizure but rose up from her coffin during her funeral. She avoided humans and their foul smells by hiding in small places such as ovens or up in the trees or rafters of buildings. Many thought she was insane and tried to lock her up but she always escaped. She died (for real this time) in her seventies at a convent. Today I found this charming book:
Lucy’s Eyes and Margaret’s Dragon. The Lives of the Virgin Saints. Written and illustrated by Giselle Potter and published in 1997 by Chronicle Books. It features the tales of thirteen female saints: Ursula, Agnes, Cecilia, Agatha, Lucy, Barbara, Bega, Brigid, Christina, Margaret, Catherine, Joan and Uncumber.
Here’s a picture of Christina mid flight after her first funeral. The hand over her nose is a nice touch. Stinky humans.
Bric-a-brac
The day later led me to Goodwill with the intent purpose of looking through books. Wouldn’t you know it; their bookshelves had collapsed and were taped off. So I was forced to look through the bric-a-brac. Not only did I find this wonderful Kokeshi doll…
…but an aisle or two over this beautiful miniature altarpiece.
It is approximately 9 x 13 1/2 inches when fully expanded. Sadly, the outside panel of the Annunciation is damaged. Mary is missing. I intend to find a similar painting and restore it myself. At the rate I’m going now it will be some time next year before I can blog about that.
Here is a detail of the central panel.
Gorgeous.
