The Three Magi

The Three Magi
by Jacopo Bassano (1510–1592)
From Bassano del Grappa, Italy

Circa 1562
Oil on Canvas
36.2" x 46.5"

Nativity by Taddeo Gaddi

Nativity
by Taddeo Gaddi (1290–1366)
Medieval Painter from Florence
Circa 1325
Tempera on Panel
14.2" x 14.6"
 

Literature Pick #39

The Secret of Kralitz
by Henry Kuttner
From the October 1936 issue of Weird Tales, this is a macabre story set in the Cthulhu Mythos world created by H. P. Lovecraft.

Foothills of the Alps by Wolf Huber

Foothills of the Alps
by Wolf Huber (1485-1553)
1532
Watercolor
8.3" × 14.6"

Huber was born in Feldkirch, Vorarlberg (in modern-day Austria) and later moved to Passau in Lower Bavaria. He was an artist of the Danube School and his work shows the influence of Albrecht Dürer - he was also an architect, although none of his architectural work survives. In 1517 he became court painter to the Duke of Bavaria.

Literature Pick #38

Lost in the Future
by John Victor Peterson
A excellent science fiction short story about the perils of space travel from the January 1954 issue of Fantastic Universe.

Kao K'o-ming painting

Enlightenment After The Snowfall on the River
by Kao K'o-ming
Chinese artist
1035
Indian ink and color on silk

Literature Pick #37

The Water Ghost of Harrowby Hall
by John Kendrick Bangs
A superb ghost story first published in Harper's Weekly Magazine on June 27, 1891 and then republished in the 1892 short story collection The Water Ghost and Others.

Gherardo Starnina painting

Two Seated Angels Making Music
by Gherardo Starnina
Artist born in Florence
 
Fragment of an alterpiece,  painted between 1400 and 1410

tempera on panel
18.8" × 28.3" 
 

Paintings of Thomas Girtin

The Abbey Mill, Knaresborough (1809)

Tolleshunt-Beckingham, Essex (circa 1795)

Near Bolton Abbey, Yorkshire

Bamburgh Castle, Northumberland
(1797-1799)

Literature Pick #36

The Vampyre; a Tale
by John William Polidori
Inspired by Lord Byron's Fragment of a Novel, this classic work from 1819 is among the most influential vampire stories in literary history.

Landscape with a Water Mill

Landscape with a Water Mill
by François Boucher (1703–1770)
French Rococo artist from Paris
1740

oil on canvas
51.31" x 64.25"

Literature Pick #35

Carnacki, the Ghost Finder
by William Hope Hodgson
Collection of tales from 1910 and 1912 about Carnacki - the detective of the supernatural.

The Expulsion of Hagar by Claude Lorrain

The Expulsion of Hagar
by Claude Lorrain
1668
oil on canvas
42.1" x 55.1"

Lorrain was born in Chamagne in the Duchy of Lorraine (now part of France) and was a master of landscape art.

Literature Pick #34

Larson's Luck
by William P. McGivern (as Gerald Vance)
An exciting, lighthearted sci-fi short story from the January 1943 issue of Amazing Stories.

Landscape with Knights and Figures

Landscape with Knights and Figures
17th century Flemish painting
circa 1670-1675
oil on canvas
9.8" × 13.8"

Favorite Actress Showcase #8: Emmy Rossum

Emmy rose to fame playing Christine in the 2004 movie version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera and in 2004's The Day After Tomorrow. She's currently starring in the TV show Shameless and she's in the upcoming movie Beautiful Creatures. Emmy is not just a talented actress, she's also a beautiful singer.

Literature Pick #33

The Bell Tone
by Edmund H. Leftwich
An Imaginative science fiction story from the July 1941 issue of Comet.

Video Game Pick #1: Trine

A brilliant fantasy-themed platform game. Set in a land that has been overtaken by an undead horde; three people (a thief, a knight, and a wizard) are magically joined and they must battle through the levels, each using their unique abilities. The wizard has the ability to conjure magical items; the thief has arrows and a grappling hook; and the Knight has his weaponry.

Literature Pick #32

The Time Mirror
by Dwight V. Swain (as Clark South)
A science fiction novelette from the December 1942 issue of Amazing Stories, a fantastic  tale of time travel filled with action, adventure, and romance.

Jan Frans van Bloemen Painting

A Scene in the Roman Campagna
by Jan Frans van Bloemen
Born in Antwerp
Painting circa 1736
Oil on canvas
67.7" x 93.3"

Literature Pick #31

When the Mountain Shook
by Robert Abernathy 
A superb and rousing tale from the March 1954 issue of IF Worlds of Science Fiction.

Painting by Anton Enzinger

Fallow Deer and Doe in Landscape by Anton Enzinger (1683–1768)
oil on panel 
7.5" x 10.2"
1737

Literature Pick #30

Devil Crystals of Arret
by Hal K. Wells
An exciting science fiction short story from the September 1931 issue of Astounding Stories.

Johann Georg von Bemmel painting

Mountainous Landscape with Cattle Drinking at a Pond
by Johann Georg von Bemmel (1669-1723)
1703, Oil on Canvas

Literature Pick #29

The Story of Mimi-nashi Hōichi
From Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, Lafcadio Hearn's collection of Japanese ghost stories.

Willem van de Velde the Younger painting

A Dutch Ship Scudding Before a Storm

by Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633-1707)
Dutch maritime painter
circa 1690
oil on canvas
22.5 × 29 in.

Francesco di Giorgio painting

Architectural View
by Francesco di Giorgio (1439–1501)
circa 1477
poplar wood
48.8 x 92.1 in.
Di Giorgio was a Sienese School painter, a sculptor, and an architect.

Literature Pick #28

The Mermaid of Druid Lake

by Charles Weathers Bump

This is a delightful, lighthearted tale from the 1906 short story collection The Mermaid of Druid Lake and Other Stories.

Woodland Pond

Woodland Pond

by John Olson Hammerstad

circa latter half of 19th Century 

oil on canvas

13-1/2 x 9-1/2 inches

Hammerstad (1842-1925) was born in Kristiansund, Norway and he moved to Chicago, Illinois in 1869. He was known for his landscape paintings.

Favorite Actress Showcase #7: Anneliese van der Pol

The beautiful Anneliese van der Pol is a talented actress and singer, she's most famous for playing Chelsea on That's So Raven. She has also acted in a number of theatrical productions and played roles in other movies and TV shows. Anneliese is a simply stunning and awesome!

Literature Pick #27

A Flash in the Night

by William Nelson Taft

From On Secret Service, a 1921 collection of detective short stories which are based on real cases.

Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld

View of the Cascade of the Gorge near Allevard

by Jean-Joseph-Xavier Bidauld (1758-1846) from Carpentras, France

1803

oil on paper

14.2 in. x 18.9 in.

Literature Pick #26

Omega, the Man

by Lowell Howard Morrow

A science fiction story from the January 1933 issue of Amazing Stories.

A tale set in the far future detailing man's struggle to survive on a dying Earth.

 

Joos de Momper painting

A mountainous landscape with horsemen and travellers crossing a bridge.

by Joos de Momper the Younger

oil on panel

22.5 x 36.1 inches

Momper (1564-1635) was born in Antwerp, he was from a family of painters and was taught by his father Bartholomeus de Momper, he was heavily influenced by Pieter Brueghel the Elder. In 1581 he became a master in the Antwerp Guild of St. Luke (The Guild of St. Luke being the common name at the time for artist guilds).  Momper specialized in landscapes.

Literature Pick #25

From the Earth to the Moon

by Jules Verne

A masterpiece of science fiction from one of the foundational authors of the genre.

St. Nicholas Rescues The Shipwrecked

St. Nicholas Rescues The Shipwrecked

by Lorenzo Monaco (c. 1370-c. 1425)

Circa 1st quarter of the 15th century

Tempera on Wood

7.48 inches by 20.47 inches

Lorenzo Monaco, born in Siena, was a painter and manuscript illuminator - as well as a monk, joining the Camaldolese monastery of Santa Maria degli Angeli in 1390. He was influenced by Giotto early on and later by the art of the International Gothic style.

Quotable

"Let them revere nothing but religion, morality and liberty." - John Adams

Thomas Chambers Paintings

Niagara Falls viewed from Goat Island

The Connecticut Valley

Capture of H.B.M. Frigate Macedonian by 
U.S. Frigate United States, October 25, 1812

Mount Auburn Cemetery

Paintings of Thomas Hill

Yosemite Valley

Royal Arches and Half Dome Yosemite

Mount St. Helena, Napa Valley

The Davidson Glacier

Thomas Hill (September 11, 1829 – June 30, 1908) was a brilliant Hudson River School painter.

My Typographic Works

The art of typography can be both gratifying at times and tedious at times, but once I had created a font I developed a great respect for the professionals in the field.
In this post I want to show off some of my humble typographic efforts.

Link to site where my fonts can be downloaded.

Literature Pick #24

The Boats of the 'Glen Carrig'
by William Hope Hodgson
A fantastic gothic tale detailing the strange adventures of men lost at sea.

Saint Anthony the Abbot Tempted by a Heap of Gold

Saint Anthony the Abbot Tempted by a Heap of Gold

by the Master of the Osservanza Triptych

circa 1435 

Tempera on panel painting 

Favorite Actress Showcase #6: Melissa Joan Hart

Melissa Joan Hart won the hearts of millions in the 1990's first with the masterful Clarissa Explains It All and then with her tour de force Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, truly one of the absolute greatest television shows in the entire history of mankind. She has also starred in Drive Me Crazy and had a brilliant cameo in Not Another Teen Movie, more recently she's done a stint on Dancing with the Stars and currently stars on the ABC Family series Melissa & Joey. Melissa is without a doubt incredibly talented and her beauty is breathtaking.

Literature Pick #23

Test Rocket!
by Jack Douglas
A superb short story from the April 1959 issue of Amazing Science Fiction Stories.

Dongtian Mountain Hall

Dongtian Mountain Hall

The building of paradise in the mountains of the immortals.

by Dong Yuan

mid-tenth century Chinese art

Ink and light colors on silk, vertical scroll 

71.7 x 47.7 inches