How beautiful on the mountains
are the feet of those who bring good news,
who proclaim peace,
who bring good tidings,
who proclaim salvation,
who say to Zion,
“Your God reigns!”

Isaiah 52:7

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And I must be crazy to even think of wiping the dust off your feet

But still, you put me on your stool and you clean my filthy heels

And you deserve nothing less than my whole submission to your grace

-Isobelle McCallum

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So here I am, in the middle way, having had twenty years—
Twenty years largely wasted, the years of l’entre deux guerres
Trying to use words, and every attempt
Is a wholly new start, and a different kind of failure
Because one has only learnt to get the better of words
For the thing one no longer has to say, or the way in which
One is no longer disposed to say it. And so each venture
Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate
With shabby equipment always deteriorating
In the general mess of imprecision of feeling,
Undisciplined squads of emotion. And what there is to conquer
By strength and submission, has already been discovered
Once or twice, or several times, by men whom one cannot hope
To emulate—but there is no competition—
There is only the fight to recover what has been lost
And found and lost again and again: and now, under conditions
That seem unpropitious. But perhaps neither gain nor loss.
For us, there is only the trying. The rest is not our business.

T.S Eliot

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image – by my new favourite artist Craigie Aitchison

Today’s illustrations are by Arthur Rackham, very well known for his fairytale drawings – which although beautiful don’t really float my boat. However I love the use of limited colour in these silhouettes. These are from… Cinderella as told by C.S Evans.

Illustration Friday has rolled around again, bear with me as I work out the best way to display these posts. Today is Edward Gorey from a book called ‘The Jumblies’ by Edward Lear. You can find out more about Gorey on Goreyography.

“(Edward) Gorey is perfect for children.” – Maurice Sendak

As there was a comment about the pipe-smoking bunny, it seems only right to pull an illustration from the same book. This illustration is by by Adam Kilian and comes from Anna Kamienska‘s Zajeczy Palac. The book is entirely in Polish (I think?) and features quite a few styles (I like it so much that it’s going to get more than one turn). This ship is my favourite. I think it’s a folk tale or a poetry book. Adam Kilian is best known for his involvement with Polish theatre and puppetry.

“I am incapable of defining his art,” young designer Dorota Kolodynska said of Adam Kilian. “It combines the sophistication of an exceptional artist with the nobly naive sensitivity of a child. Adults savor its artistic excellence, while its magical colors and forms enchant children. And yet, his art is hardly superficial. Instead of offering routine forms, it stimulates viewers’ sensitivities through intentional ambiguities. It operates like theatre of the imagination.” (“Gazeta Wyborcza – Stoleczna,” 13 February 2003)

Cue: Illustration Friday.

On Fridays you can expect to find up here a post about a book illustration/s. It might be a kids book, or a cover of a favourite novel… The few to the left are just a teaser.