Batman in Japan

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YOU HAVE TO ADMIRE BATMAN—IN ANY CULTURE. But when you cross fertilize the American Batman with the Japanese, he’s even more cool.

Via here.

Playing in Sand

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ARTIST JIM DENEVAN THINKS BIG. So big, in fact, he cannot see the total impact of his work until he (or someone else) is either flying overhead or looking down from the bluffs above. Jim’s thinking is like that of the Nazca culture--made to be seen from above. I am quite sure that Denevan does not believe he is pleasing the the same gods as the ancient Nazca peoples—just the the gods of art—who smile down on his efforts and say: “thanks Jim.”

Learn more about Jim Denevan here.

Julie Heffernan: A Contemporary Master

(Above) Self-Portrait as Thing in the Forest, 2002, Oil on canvas, 64 x 52 inches. Click any image for larger view.

(Above) Self-Portrait as Great Scout Leader, 1998, Oil on canvas, 74 x 60 inches

(Above) Self-Portrait as Raising Cain, 2007, Oil on canvas, 78 x 56 inches. Click any image for larger view.

(Above) Self-Portrait as Mother/Child, 1997, Oil on canvas, 74 x 60 inches

(Above) Self-Portrait Sitting on a World, 2008, Oil on canvas, 78 x 56 inches

(Above) Boy in Flight, 2010, Oil on canvas, 52 x 68 inches. Click any image for larger view.

(Above) Great Scout Leader, 2010, Oil on canvas, 72 x 54 inches

(Above) Self-Portrait as Animal Bed, 2008, Oil on canvas, 48 x 56 inches

(Above) Self-Portrait as Big House, 2006-2007, Oil on canvas, 68 x 58 inches

(Above) Self-Portrait as Big World, 2008, Oil on canvas, 65 x 68 inches. Click any image for larger view.


JULIE HEFFERNAN’S ORNATE, TRANSFORMATIONAL SELF-PORTRAITS and related allegorical oil paintings remind me of 15th century Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli (1445 - 1510)— with a splash of the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (1450 - 1516) thrown in for good measure. Her interpretation and understanding of paint, form and space can give one the feeling that Heffernan (born in 1958) could have been one of their contemporaries. These are large, impressive paintings—born from her own private fairy tales, fantasies of self and decidedly feminist thinking. If I were beginning a serious collection of contemporary art—Heffernan would be one of the first artists I would buy.

Julie Heffernan’s work is included in many national and international collections, including the Columbia Museum of Art (Columbia, South Carolina), the Virginia Museum of Fine Art (Richmond, Virginia), and the Zabludowicz Art Trust (London, United Kingdom). A traveling retrospective of her work, accompanied by the eponymous catalog titled Everything that Rises, was organized by the University Art Museum, University of Albany (Albany, New York) in 2006.

Her paintings have been featured in solo exhibitions at institutions such as the Lux Art Institute (Encinitas, California), the John Michael Kohler Art Center (Sheboygan, Wisconsin), and the Mint Museum of Art (Charlotte, North Carolina). Her work has garnered critical attention in numerous publications including Artforum, Art in America, Artnews, and The New York Times. Raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, she now lives and works in New York and is represented by two galleries, P.P.O.W.Gallery in New York City and the Catherine Clark Gallery in San Francisco.

Putting Snakes to Work

(Above) 19th c. lithographed game board, “The Game of the Sea Serpent.”

(Above and below) 19th c. hand-forged iron door hinges.


I LIKE SNAKES. WELL, SORT OF. I am fascinated and slightly scared of them because of their reputation as slithery, poisonous or evil things. Ninety-nine percent of any story about a snake is not good. But graphically—snakes are incredible! Few creatures in the natural world give you more of an opportunity to energize a space than a snake.

Here are two examples of snakes used commercially because of their expressive form. The first is a 19th century lithographed game board which recently sold for $232.00 on eBay; and the second, a pair of 19th century iron door hinges shaped into the form of a snake. S-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s-s!!!! Both from eBay!

Rootologist Dr. Thomas Davis

(Above) Original CDV from Dr. Thomas Davis, Scranton, PA. Click image for larger view.

(Above) Detail. Click image for larger view.


HERE IS A PHOTOGRAPH THAT BEGS FOR MORE INFORMATION. I haven’t been able to find anything on this fellow, Dr. Thomas Davis from Scranton, PA who is shown in this photograph with six of his very creepy creations made from roots and what appears to be carved wood. To my knowledge, root creations are descended from African traditions, so it is a bit unusual to see a white man involved in “rootology” and making sculpture from roots. Medicine from roots is one thing—but sculpture? Interesting that he didn’t consider himself an artist, or he might have had that listed. Additionally, Dr. Davis was no spring chicken when this photo was taken in 1919, which means he very possibly began his “practice” in the late 19th century.

If anyone can shed some light on this amazing photograph or anything at all about Dr. Davis or his sculptures, please write in.

Digital image © John Foster, Accidental Mysteries.

Stranger Than Strange

(Above) Multiple Exposures, c. 1960s - 1970s.

(Above) Family Faces Apparition, c. 1930s
(Above) Lonely Chair, c. 1940s
(Above) Ghoul and TV, c. 1930s
(Above) Creepy Clown, c. 1910s
(Above) Cross Dresser, c. 1940s
(Above) Pet Funeral, c. 1960s


ANONYMOUS PHOTOGRAPHS CAN BE STRANGE, mainly because we have little to no context in which to benchmark our understanding of what we are looking at. Here are a few odd ducks from the Accidental Mysteries collection of found, anonymous snapshots.

A Cabinet Card With A Little Extra

(Above) Click on image for a larger view.


HERE’S A SWEET, NICELY PAINTED CABINET CARD using watercolor over a lightly printed photograph. This was a common technique in the late 19th century, and like all art, some were better than others. This particular one, found on eBay, uses a more expressive brushstroke than many of the era.