wonder weather

Philadelphia is being swept by gusty water-soaked winds and it's putting me in a very wistful mood. I have always been very influenced by the weather; growing up in rural Vermont, watching rain begin to pour out of the sky, changing the hue and depth of colors all around, classified as an 'activity'. [ don't laugh ! ]

So today, as I try to find some time in the studio to put together some new wrapping paper designs, I was drawn to the work of Arthur Rackham, beloved English Illustrator from the early part of the 20th century. Rackhams' prints accompanied works from the Brothers' Grimm, Edgar Allen Poe + Washington Irving [ of Rip Van Winkle fame ].

As described here by Jim Vadeboncoeur, Jr., publisher of Images, a magazine devoted to classic illustration : "He never lost the joy and sense of wonderment and he never gave in to the baser styles that fell in and out of favor over the years. From Queen Victoria's death in 1901 to the start of World War I, Rackham's illustrations preserved a lifestyle and a sensibility that kept the frighteningly modern future at bay. His beautiful drawings were the antithesis of the industrial advances that allowed them to be printed at affordable prices. Even into the twenties and thirties, his art was a constant reminder of those aspects of innocence that had been left behind. He always kept his gentle humor. . . "

TOP IMAGE : Hanging the Moon and Stars from Rip Van Winkle, by Arthur Rackham, 1905 : via ArtsyCraftsy.com

BOTTOM IMAGE : Peter Pan in Kensington Gardens: Fallen Leaf, Arthur Rackham : via ArtsyCraftsy.com