Artists

Youaltepoztli: The Night Hatchet

“The strangest of all the phantasms described is, perhaps, the Youaltepoztli, literally, “the night hatchet or axe.” It manifested itself by causing loud intermittent sounds resembling those produced by the blows of an axe in splitting wood. These ominous sounds were audible at dead of night in the mountains, and inspired terror, for they were […]

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A Forest Story And The Lush Illustrations of Rudolf Mates

I am swooning over these gorgeous illustrations from the Czech children's book The Forest Story," written in 1929 by Josef Kozisek and handsomely illustrated by Rudolf Mates. I would so have loved as a child to receive such a gem of of a book. (Via Will Schoenfeld's amazing 50 Watts, a website dedicated to sharing

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Los Zebras!

Here's my favorite band t-shirt from Los Zebras, a Milwaukee Norteño duo. You can buy it at CafePress. It comes in a variety of colors (though note that American Apparel can run on the small side) and is available along with other cool items, like the tote bag, which is also awesome. You can hear

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Hans Christian Andersen’s Whimisical Paper Cuts

As it turns out, Hans Christian Andersen produced really wonderful, whimsical, and beautiful papercuts when he told stories. He also produced lovely Christmas ornaments out of colored paper. I always think of his melancholy fairy tales — and was surprised by the humor and quirkiness of these delicate pieces. Happily, you can see a lot

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The Marian Month of May: Emblems of the Immaculate Conception of Mary

For Catholics, the month of May is associated with special devotions to the Virgin Mary and I have been waiting to share these beautiful Marian emblems I found a while back, painted in 1654 by Kaspar Meglinger. Melinger is perhaps more noted for his paintings of The Dance of Death, but these emblems — all

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