Harrington - A Rebus

Another Rebus

The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries

Last bank holiday Monday we headed down to the Chelsea Physick Garden, a place I've been meaning to visit for ages. And I was not dissappointed - its a beautiful and inspiring oasis of delight on the Chelsea Embankment, well worth checking out. In fact I was so impressed I did a Victor Kiam and became a friend, giving me ( and a guest) unlimited access.

It was founded in 1673 by the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries to study the medicinal and domestic use of plants. The image here is their Arms - golden boy Apollo, God of Healing, a-stride the serpent/ dragon of Dis-ease.

Illustration Friday - "Cracked", #2

When I saw this week's theme 'Cracked' one of the first images that sprung to mind was the iconic scene on the Odessa Steps in Battleship Potemkin.

This is my poster for it.

Illustration Friday - "Cracked"

This 300-year old phial of blue crystal contains the Elixir Vitae, the secret to Eternal Youth - but there is a small crack in the bottle and only a few drops remain.....

Inspired ( a bit) by Tim Robbins' great romp "Jitterbug Perfume".

Appleton - A Rebus, #2

Click on the Image to Enlarge.

Reliquary #2

The Skull of the Most Holy St Agnes

Guardian Education -26 May 09

My regular Education slot at the Guardian.

The article was about the cost to Teachers' health and well-being in getting below average pupils up a grade.

Daily Mail - Gardening - Cabbage White

A piece for this coming Saturday's Weekend magazine Gardening section. 23 May '09

Protect your brassicas from Cabbage White butterflies or their caterpillars'll gobble 'em up!

London Illustrators' Gathering - 19 May 09

A forthcoming LIG
( London Illustrators' Gathering)

Tuesday 19 th May 09
7 pm onwards

The Crown Tavern
43 Clerkenwell Green
London, EC1R 0EG

All welcome
from hardened prefessional to freshfaced newbie.

See you there!

Click on the Image to ENLARGE

Monday Artday - Wild Thing, #2

Another woodwose ( medieval Wildman of the Woods).

I prefer this one to the previous attempt, he's odder and more interesting somehow.

Drew the image using a very old and scratchy fibre-tipped pen and I love the quality that that lends the linework. I also prefer the limited palette methinks.

Reminds me that I would so love to design and create a deck of Tarot cards. I'm not a big believer in these things ( in fact, I'm not even a small believer in these things!) - however, I adore the designs and symbolism, particularly of the older woodcut packs.

Monday Artday - Wild Thing

A Woodwose ( sounds like Jonathan Ross)
A medieval Wildman of the Greenwood Trees

Appleton - A Rebus

My lover's name.

And his website
www.nickappleton.com

Burgundy

Burgundy/ La Bourgogne, ancient kingdom, land of my dreams and home of the snail, where its always the Middle Ages but never the Black Death ( idea for a holiday slogan).

Trying out a Tres Riches Heures kinda look.

Reliquary

I'm fascinated and amused/ bemused by the medieval idea of holy relics and indulgences ( shortcuts to paradise through pilgrimage to said relics).

Trying a new thing here, using ill-fitting blocks of colour. Groovy baby!

Bonhomme #1

This fellow is Jabez Rudge Esq., importer of stem ginger and oolong tea, an entrepreneur of great wealth.

At this very moment, he is standing on the hills above Deal, looking out to sea where his clipper, the Henrietta, has run a-ground upon the treacherous Goodwin Sands.

Scratchy old Edding 1800 profipen 0.5 and brush & ink, cobbled together in PS.

Click to Enlarge.

Beltane Fires

Welcome to May.

I've been away in Burgundy for a wedding, so here's a belated Beltane image.

Poor May Day is the sorry sister of Halloween ( together the twin portals in and out of the celtic half-years), robbed of her pagan savagry and shoe-horned into a lacklustre civic concession on the first Monday of the month. The night before was once known as Walpurgisnacht ( St. Walpurgis' Night), a transition from Winter into Summer, when spectures and daemons could slip through from the Other World into ours. In the village we stayed in, kids (or goblins) in the night removed anything not tied down and arranged them artfully in the town square, including the municipal toilet door, flower pots and window-shutters!

The 'fire' in the image is a messed-about photo of the plaster revealed on our walls when we started peeling off the nasty wallpaper we inherited.