Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Celebrating other blogs


Given the theme of this site, it's only fitting that from time to time we acknowledge the wonderful creations of other illustrators. And what better example to debut this feature than the new blog on female illustrators by the indefatigable Leif Peng of Today's Inspiration. Along with Dan Zimmer, the publisher of Illustration Magazine, nobody has done more in recent years to promote the golden age of illustration, particularly the many unheralded talents who labored in obscurity. Leif is not only a scholar of illustration he is a detective of the first rank. His new site features an entry on the highly regarded but enigmatic illustrator, Lucia Lerner. Not surprisingly, Leif has uncovered new information and insights about Lucia's life and work. I am sure you'll find her story as fascinating as I did.
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I personally am grateful for this site because my mother was a professional illustrator; she started out doing interiors for Hallmark cards and later moved on to fashion art, all during an era when employment opportunities for women were constrained to a small number of fields deemed appropriate (her most interesting art job was as the court room artist for the Charley Starkweather trial!). So let's hear it for Leif and the pioneering women of Illustration.

2 comments:

alan wrobel said...

Wow, how great is that post? I wonder how many of the great illustrators (esp pinup) are still alive.

Anonymous said...

Hi again Jack.. I am still searching and reading about Bolles and buying the occasional magazine.
I hope someday to get the March issue of 37 .. you gave me a copy of that one. Girl in red with bow and arrow. As a young girl I was obsessed with drawing glamor type girls and designing clothes for them. I studied fashion illustration in college (Stephens) but little call for it in Tabor, Iowa. I am not sure if I would ever have been a success as that was the tail end of the illustration era . Photos pretty much took over. That is where my fascination with the pin up began and I STILL love them. I watched several of Mariann Davies' silent movies... making them stop in a profile that was like my painting. Bolles was a very good portrait artist and the likeness is just perfect for Mariann Davies. The oppulence of the big fur, flapper dress and turban all are correct. Wouldn't it be fun to think that perhaps William Randolph Hearst had that commissioned? Bolles did a lot of that kind of work to keep the bills paid.
Get that book out there !

Best , Sherrie