[Wednesday/Wisdom 2]

C.S. Lewis

"The quality of life is in proportion, always, to the capacity for delight."

-Julia Cameron, The Artist's Way



“You must do the thing you think you cannot do.”

-Eleanor Roosevelt

"Believe and act as if it were impossible to fail."

-Charles F. Kettering

“Every action of our lives touches on some chord that will vibrate in eternity.”

-Sean O'Casey

“There are only two worlds - your world, which is the real world, and other worlds, the fantasy. Worlds like this are worlds of the human imagination: their reality, or lack of reality, is not important. What is important is that they are there. These worlds provide an alternative. Provide an escape. Provide a threat. Provide a dream, and power; provide refuge, and pain. They give your world meaning. They do not exist; and thus they are all that matters. ”

-Neil Gaiman, The Books of Magic

(image source: pinterest)

[Melody/Monday: David Lanz - The Dragon's Daughter]

The Dragon’s Daughter is a song I've daydreamed to since childhood. The title alone has intrigued me forever. As for the music, it's a thrilling mystical piece. Sweeping, atmospheric, and enigmatic, I find it beautifully stirring . . . a tale waiting to be told . . . . David Lanz, one of the composers, is a celebrated pianist from Seattle. Cristofori's Dream is another outstanding work of his - this I eventually learned to play on piano. I’d love to learn The Dragon’s Daughter. Sheet music here. 

The dragons you see pictured are enchanting Creations from El by Canadian artist Ellen June. If you like magical creatures, check out her Etsy shop. Her art is incredible - she makes the most fantastic beasts imaginable!

Happy Monday!

How was your weekend?
What are you listening to today?

Illustrious Illustrator: Edmund Dulac (2/5)

Edmund Dulac: Part 2 

(view part  1   3   4   5)

I've sorted this Dulac collection into Ladies; Wise Ones, Alchemists, and Scholars; Fairies; Fairy Tales; and Castles & Courts. These are my own themes, not how they appear in books. My favorites are the young girls with glowing pearls on their heads, the kneeling boy and girl amid the apple tree, and the dramatic masked courtiers dashing off into twilight! Have a good weekend, everyone. Party like the minstrels ;)

Ladies

Wise Ones, Alchemists, and Scholars



Fairies

 Fairy Tales

Castles & Courts



(image sources: dulac.artpassions.net, en.wikipedia.org, illusionsgallery.com, imgfave.com, paintingsalley.com, monsterbrains.blogspot.com,johncoulthart.com, victorianweb.org, gutenberg.org, mydelineatedlife.blogspot.com, fairies-fantasy-art.blogspot.com)

Illustrious Illustrator: Edmund Dulac (1/5)

Edmund Dulac: Part 1

(view part  2  3  4  5)

Edmund Dulac was a most gifted and famous artist with such a prolific portfolio I'm featuring it over several posts. You will undoubtedly recognize his pieces from Hans Christian Anderson's tales to Shakespeare's. The collection I'm presenting here comprises illustrations of Classical Mythology and holds a different quality than his other work, as he uses bold lines and shapes to create a softness that's faintly abstract. The latter half is Arabian-influenced. You'll notice their style is a bit more defined. All are brilliant and arresting. Enjoy!

Edmund Dulac

(1882-1953)

Born in Toulouse, France, Dulac was a French illustrator who initially studied law at university before growing bored and thus pursuing art, whereupon he moved to London, becoming a British Citizen in 1912.

At 22 he was commissioned to illustrate Jane Eyre, later creating art for many fairy tale collections. After the war his career slowed. Still he drew newspaper caricatures, portraits, worked in theatre costume and set design, illustrated bookplates, chocolate boxes, medals, postage stamps for Great Britain, and even foreign banknotes.

“He continued to produce books for the rest of his life, more so than any of his contemporaries . . . . Halfway through his final book commission (Milton's Comus) Dulac died of a heart attack on 25 May 1953.”

(image sources: dulac.artpassions.net, animationresources.org, monsterbrains.blogspot.com, imgfave.com; facts from wiki)