The Extraordinary COLORS of Stamps

(Above) 1898 jet black $1 stamp. THIS stamp is one of the most beautiful stamps I have ever seen.

(Above) 1869 carmine and black 90¢ stamp. Add to an already beautiful stamp the cancellation mark, and if the gods of chance are working that day—you have something special.

(Above) 1940 ultramarine 5¢ stamp.

(Above) 1914 deep claret 50¢ stamp. These color names... they aren’t mine. These are stamp collector terms for describing color. Deep claret... love it. I may try to use that term today. Oh, what about the design of this one. Wow!

(Above) 1929 orange yellow 10¢ stamp.

(Above) 1919 apple green 13¢ stamp.

(Above) 1890 carmine red 2¢ stamp. Washington behind bars.

(Above) 1887 vermillion 3¢ stamp

(Above) 1873 yellow 2¢ stamp

(Above) 1923 brown violet 12¢ stamp

(Above) 1903 light blue 24¢ stamp. LOVE this!


I THINK ANY DESIGNER WILL APPRECIATE THE BEAUTY of these early U.S. postage stamps. While design is what many many in our field talk about when it comes to stamps, the unique colors are something else to consider. There is a rich beauty to these color palettes that I haven’t seen in a while. Of course, looking at stamps magnified to this scale creates entirely new ways of seeing. After all, stamps are tiny—the size of your thumbprint. I picked these out from hundreds being auctioned—just for the color. Enjoy the scale. Enjoy the color. Enjoy this day.

These stamps were part of the 2009 Heritage Auction Galleries Inaugural Signature Stamp Auction. Heritage Auction Galleries is the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer.

An AM repost from 2/06/09.

Antique Classroom Posters

THESE COOL GRAPHICS ARE EARLY 20th CENTURY educational plates from Belgium, (actually stone lithographs) originally attached to two dowel rods as pull-down classroom posters. They're huge—about 4’ x 6’ and these (or others) can be found at Voila! Art for the Modern Eye at 518 North La Brea Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90003. Phone: 323-954-0418; E-mail: info@voilagallery.com

An AM repost from 1/1/09

Mark Ryden is a God

The Birth

Stump Baby and Nurse Sue

Goodbye Bear and Grey Animal

Rosie’s Tea Party

The Ringmaster

So here I am, sitting here listening to the great Tom Waits sing “Chocolate Jesus” and I start thinking about the painter Mark Ryden. Ryden lives in California (natch!) and his imagery emerges and takes shape from his love of fables, deities, gods, fairy tales, innocence gone bad, truth and falsehoods, 1950s Dick and Jane, dead presidents, bees, dolls, candy, monkeys, big-eyed kids from hell, big-eyed kids from heaven, Tiki culture, Shoney’s Big Boy, puppies, prehistoric stuff, devils, angels, wood nymphs, blood, meat (a whole story in itself) dreams, nightmares, numerology, pop culture, rock stars, religions and other alternate realities. See why Ryden is a god: http://www.markryden.com; http://kohngallery.com

Ryden’s work is represented by Michael Kohn Gallery in Los Angeles and Porterhouse Fine Art Editions in Denver. All work is © Mark Ryden.

An AM repost from 12/04/08

David Butler: Self-Taught Master

(Above) Seven Headed Dragon with Green Spots - 36” x 26”
(Above) Mermaid - 10” x 23.75”
(Above) Flying Elephant Whirligig - 18.75” x 32”
(Above) Fanciful Animal - 32” x 27”
(Above) Man, Fish, Rooster - 20” x 15.5”

TO MY KNOWLEDGE, there has never been a full-scale museum retrospective of self-taught artist David Butler (1898-1997). Perhaps someone will correct me if I am wrong. His work is great. An entire room of Butler’s work would bring much needed scholarship and understanding to this man’s artistic life. Butler’s understanding of form, his keen knowledge of spatial relationships, color, and sheer visual inventiveness is comparable to Matisse and his cut-outs. His repertoire of whimsical imagery, such as dragons, mermaids, people and animals of all kinds, not to mention the fact that much of his work was kinetic (dependent 0m wind), or designed to play with light (as with his window coverings)—only added to his original, inventive nature as an artist.

Mr. Butler lived in St. Mary’s Parish, Louisiana and was an environmental art builder. He would often work sitting on the ground with the tin between his legs, cutting the shapes with a modified ax head and hammer. His modest home and yard was covered in decorative tin cutouts, done as a way to bring beauty to his yard when the flowers died in the winter time.

Butler's work can be found at Gilley’s Gallery in Baton Rouge, Louisiana— 225.922.9225. Some of the the biographical facts above is from Gilley’s web site.

An AM repost from 1-3-09.

Demonic Tots in Advertising

(Above) Official caption: Bread's better ’cause it’s fresher in cellophane (1954)

My caption: “…and after we eat this Darlene, we’ll go kill your father!”

(Above) Pillsbury Cake Mixes, 1954

My caption: “…we eat this, in remembrance of the father, the son, and the Pillsbury dough boy.”

(Above) Baked Ham; National Restaurant Association Magazine, 1957

My caption: “Remember Pippi, we only look at the food. We NE-VER touch it.”

(Above) Post-Toasties, 1958

My caption: “Watch his little expression change when he finds out there’s NO prize at the bottom of the box.”

(Above) Stokely Van Kamp, 1953

My caption: [announcer VO ] “Hey Kids! When Chucky’s not killing grown-ups, he eats Van Kamp’s TENDERONI!”

I came across some very ODD 1950s ads on a website called Plan 59. Plan 59 is a group with a web site out of Fairfax, VA that sells hi-res images from the 1940s and 50s for varied, re-purposed advertising, editorial or personal uses today. So, here are a few key selections for you to enjoy.

Reposted from December 28, 2008.

Karen Caldicott: An Illustrator in Plasticine Clay

(click on any set of images for a larger view)



BACK IN THE DAY WHEN CORPORATIONS went all out to impress their shareholders with full-color, perfect bound annual report extravaganzas, I remember the big dollars that were spent sending a photographer out to shoot the CEO and Board of Directors. Individual portraits, group pictures. We’d spend all day getting everything just right so everything was perfect. Oh, and when the CEO came in—you’d better have your shit together because Mr. G.T. Gotrocks (that’s what my dad called any rich guy) was only going to give you 5 minutes. How cool would it have been to have had artist Karen Caldicott create their likenesses out of plasticine clay! It would have been waay cool—for the right client. Those were the days, huh? Now, Darlene in accounting is doing the AR because she has Pagemaker on her computer.

Today, I am sure the Board of Directors of GM and CitiMortgage will be lining up at the local 50¢ photo booth... which actually... might in itself be kind of fun! Now there’s an idea.....

FROM HER WEB SITE: “Although capable of working in a multitude of styles, Karen Caldicott has found a niche rendering celebrities in plasticine. The unique portraiture won her a year-long commission from New York magazine creating weekly likenesses of the rich and famous for its listings pages. Born in England, the 47-year-old moved to the US in 1987 and lives in New York state. Fancy a plasticine bust of yourself? Caldicott also accepts private commissions.”

Tel: 1.518.329.9011

EMAIL: karen@karencaldicott.com

An AM repost from 2/22/09

Todd Webb: Capturing the Ephemeral

(Above) Silver print, 1946
(Above) Silver print, 1946
(Above) Silver print, 1945
(Above) silver print, 1963
(Above) Silver print, 1945

TODD WEBB (1905-2000) WAS A FRIEND OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER HARRY CALLAHAN, and together they studied with Ansel Adams. Later Webb was befriended by Alfred Stieglitz, who introduced him to Georgia O’Keeffe. Webb photographed extensively in New York City in the mid-1940s. He worked for Roy Stryker after WWII, and received a Guggenheim in 1955 and 1956, where he walked across America with his camera. From 1955 to 1981, he made numerous photographs of Georgia O’Keeffe and her Abiquiu and Ghost Ranch houses, including the rugged Northern New Mexico landscapes that surround them.

Webb, who came to be a photographer late in life (he did not start taking pictures until 1939) was a great photographer, though not as well known (or appreciated) as his counterparts. One of my favorite Todd Webb series were these images of grafitti and torn billboards. Additionally, he did an amazing series of photographs of storefronts converted into churches. More on Todd Webb at a later date.

His wife just passed away in January of 2008. She was 101.

Webb’s work is available through Carl Mautz Gallery and at the web site which handles his estate: Evans Gallery.

An AM repost from 1/27/09.