David Palladini

from Eye Magazine, 1968

It's hard to miss the work of illustrator David Palladini if you're interested in art from the late 1960s & '70s. His beautiful renditions of the Zodiac from 1969 and especially his famous 1970 Aquarian Tarot are everywhere! I'm drawn to his graceful lines and selective use of color; he somehow manages to achieve the perfect blend of simple and ornate, not unlike predecessors Mucha and Beardsley, whose Art Nouveau styles are heavy influences. Often his imagery is referenced back even further, with an eye toward the Medieval and Renaissance and with a style that could easily be a study on paper for stained glass windows.

One of my favorite artists to turn to when I feel stuck, his magical images often help me remember that as long as one is truthful to what speaks inside, there is always originality to emerge and a new voice to be heard.
Looking back leads to looking forward!

“Inspiration is the essence of art. It consists of several meanings – spiritus, Latin for spirit or soul; and inspirae, to breathe in. To breathe in nature and beauty until the spirit fills you up. Just as air is necessary for life, inspiration is necessary for the artist to live.” - David Palladini









































Images from A Medical History of Henry VIII found here;
Zodiac images found here;
Aquarian Tarot & Eye Magazine scans from my own collection;
Extended biography found here.

Soul Space

Summer succulent sweetness on my apartment porch

I love catching peeks into a blogger's home, studio, etc.
I guess it's a slightly voyeuristic tendency, but I really do enjoy it! It's always interesting to see how people decorate their living spaces; creativity finds a way to shine regardless of how limited the funds. And actually, with that said, the ones who DO have limited funds and manage to adorn their interiors in stylish ways with unique, personal pieces as opposed to buying looks straight out of a magazine or catalogue are more interesting to me by leaps and bounds.

I tried to take some shots yesterday afternoon of our apartment, but while we get plenty of natural light in the front, it can get limited towards the back because of the railroad-style room design and my pictures didn't come out looking all that great. So just the porch for now it will have to be!

My own dream home would be filled with a heavy mix of beautiful mid-century modern & art deco furniture, velvety Victorian pieces, colorful textiles from all over the world, lovely wood as well as fun & slightly kitschy '70s housewares, houseplants galore, plenty of pillows and sheer curtains but oceans of natural light and no clutter (now that part is really a dream)! Even if it doesn't all seem to belong together or make sense to some, a big eclectic hodge-podge feels like home to me.
All nothing but material possession talk of course, but fun to think about!

I also love collecting out-of-print books on houses and interior design from the late 1960s-70s, and one of my many favorites is Underground Interiors: Decorating For Alternate Lifestyles from 1972, by Norma Skurka and Oberto Gili. I've only scanned a few images from it myself so far, but I came across more on one of my favorite blogs, Sighs and Whispers, and elsewhere on flickr:



Zandra Rhodes' flat via Sighs and Whispers



Derek Jarman's loft via Sighs and Whispers


I think this one with the "grassy" nook belonged to Julie Christie!





And a couple of my own scans:


House of sprayed liquid foam!


Very carpeted Ski house at Prickly Mountain in Vermont, designed by David Sellars and Tom Lucky - what an amazing cocoon!


I may not be able to (or necessarily want to in some cases!) achieve these levels of extremity, but I sure love looking at them!

Notes From Below

I first came across Stacie Willoughby's fantastic poster and flyer art shortly after I started drawing flyers myself (both for actual events and imagined ones loosely worked out on random sheets of paper). I thought it was so cool how she seems to create most of her posters with pen and markers - just like I've mostly done, too! - and she's got that same pull to all those great Art Nouveau-inspired rock posters of the '60s. Kind of a soul sister in my mind, for sure... but her work totally blows me away!
She's been incredibly prolific over the past years, mainly creating event posters for Northern California promoter (((folkYEAH!))). Her never-ending creativity and skill have remained a huge inspiration to me; they're always so much fun to see and just spill out passion for the art. Hand drawn posters and flyers forever!!

Here are some favorites:













Love this lettering!:


















Many more images and information can be found on her facebook page and official site, Notes From Below.

A Watched Clock...

Friday arrives at last, not a moment too soon!
So hard to believe the summer is so quickly fading, but there's always something to be happy about when greeting the annual changes: the nicest part now is focusing on the prettiest hues of all the rusty reds, burnt oranges and earthen browns of the coming autumn!

Today the brown is in my morning coffee,
in orange, the color of the sofa when I walk in the door for the weekend,
and red the tail lights of cars we'll follow as we drive out into the city on time that is our own.

Your Wish Is In The Wishing Well

Wasn't it one of the basic ideas of that self-help book & film The Secret that you must put something out there to the Universe, tell it what you want in order to make it happen? Well, here go my pennies into the cosmic well...

I used to feel constantly fuzzy when asked what it was I wanted to do, you know, with my life. I still find that question too big, too final, to completely answer - but really if I could combine all the things I love to do in my time away from my 9-5 job I'd just be the happiest! That's not an uncommon feeling, no doubt: hobbies are so often what give people purpose! But yes, the things I want to do All The Time. What I would love more than anything to be able to do, and actually make a living with, is making art & creating, things like DJing occasionally and mixing in all kinds of various side projects that have to do with both of those things. A life of creative processes!
Art and music: saviors of this time here on earth, mediums to the supernatural and sacred.
A dream that involves so much work, work, work and faith. . .
and so many people want this same thing; it's not an easy path to take.

I hate to admit it but at times I'm so jealous of those who make that happen (How do they do it?), but underneath that green-eyed layer is so much inspiration. If someone can live that, there is hope! They made it, they got there! I have no idea now how to make this happen for myself, there are so many feelings of inadequacy and of stumbling around blindly trying to find the light switch to clarity. At 27 I can't help but feel as though I should be past this infant stage, but yet the reality is that I know - and constanly have to keep reminding myself - that there are no timelines for life carved in stone. It's never too late for anything, and it's always possible to change and shed the skins that no longer fit.

This post has been so much more revealing that anything I've ever written on a blog - ahh! But oh well, just my two cents that will hopefully sparkle and shine their way to some kind of magic.

Gold and Black

Just wanted to post one of a few new pieces freshly listed in my etsy shop!

The two black and gold images were so much fun to do. I love color so much, but the simplicity of two tones is really appealing - plus gold ink/paint is amazing. It's one of the first things I remember being drawn to in Art Nouveau and Art Deco design and illustration, that shining gilded effect. I have several ideas floating around for other ways to use these images, which is exciting to think about experimenting with!

I wish there were more hours in the day; I wish I could make things all the time.

Internet Gathering

Here's another roundup of some favorite images from the last week or so:




via fine little day



Posters by Debbie Carlos



Verushka in epic headwear from youthquakers




Vintage fashion illustrations posted on Vintage-a-peel



+ Ojos de Dios by Jay Mohler


Forever thankful for all this shared beauty!