William Mortensen, Photographer

Interesting photographs by William Mortensen at

George Eastman House.

Thanks go to Femme Femme Femme for turning me onto him.

That's a new French blog that loves to post about me as well. They may have read about him at Bibi's Box or Art Nudes. Everyone loves the 1920's and surrealist-inspired things.

The Art of Amy Crehore

I received my Ryo Yoshida book, "Astral Doll", in the mail the other day. It does not disappoint. Mostly all photographs (B&W and color) with little text, Ryo Yoshida really knows how to bring out "soul" in the faces of his dolls and to convey emotion with the eyes. With roots in Hans Bellmer and an affinity for people like Morton Bartlett, Yoshida's work is strikingly beautiful. Some call these dolls beautifully creepy. Creepy is a popular term on the internet - Teenar (Girl Guitar) was also called creepy. These art dolls and mannequins are a little too "real" for some people, but they are fascinating. I love them. More books on this site:

Very Cool Things

The Art of Amy Crehore

John William Waterhouse 1849-1917

"Flora" 1890 by John William Waterhouse

I love the paintings of John William Waterhouse. This painting called "Flora" is so natural, relaxed, modern and heart-felt that it feels like he could have painted it yesterday. You can read about him here:

Art Renewal
I saw "Ulysses and the Sirens" when it travelled to the Portland Art Museum and I'll never forget it. It was quite large, very surreal and masterful. He handled his mythical subjects with the same grace as his portraits of young girls.

Thanks go to mardecortesbaja for the link to the wonderful Art Renewal site.

While you are looking at art, you might want to check out Lloyd's article about

BOUGUEREAU AND THE UBER-PHOTOGRAPH .

The Art of Amy Crehore

Seth and "read yourself RAW"

"Clyde Fans" by SETH
Page from "Clyde Fans" copyright SETH, artist
"It's a Good Life, if You Don't Weaken" by SETH

I was looking up comic artist Seth because I love his books and wanted to recommend him. Well, I found this site called "read yourself RAW" featuring Seth plus many more comic artists that I also love, such as Lynda Barry, R. Crumb, Peter Bagge, Charles Burns, Dan Clowes, Debbie Dreschler, Adrian Tomine, etc.
"Seth (1962- )is the pseudonym of Gregory Gallant, a Canadian obsessed with the past, not only his own childhood memories but also the early 20th century."
I love Seth's dry humor and drawing style and his attention to detail.
Also, check out: Drawn & Quarterly Books.

The Art of Amy Crehore

About Art Collecting

"I'm Losin' My Cones Over You" Copyright 2007 Amy Crehore, Blues Gals Series

There's an interesting essay today about art and art collecting at The Huffington Post by Raymond J. Learsy:

Art and Art Collecting in This Age of Existential Anxiety

The Art of Amy Crehore

Ukulele Love

I am recommending this revised and expanded edition of "The Ukulele, A Visual History" by Jim Beloff (Backbeat Books, S.F., CA 2003). It has the history of the uke, the players, the manufacturers and the story. There are tons of photos of cool and crazy-looking ukes to please the collector, plus many vintage graphics in a beautifully layed-out book.

Back Beat Books

Back Beat books has some interesting books on other musical subjects as well. And here's a great uke site: Ukulelia
The Art of Amy Crehore

Wurzeltod,etc.

I want to say Happy Belated Birthday to quirky and charming
Suzanne at Wurzeltod . If you haven't checked out her blog, do so now. She is very artsy and fun and keeps everyone up-to-date with art shows and happenings around the world. And she features Ray Caesar's art in her layout which is always a bonus.

The Art of Amy Crehore