Holiday Goodies

First post of 2009!
The holidays were good to me this year, I was blessed with two new gorgeous art books to add to my expanding collection. They are...George Brush's The Indian Paintings and James Jean's Fables Covers.
Have you ever heard of George de Forest Brush? Well neither had I until I went to his exhibition of Indian paintings at the National Gallery in DC. It was a small exhibit, but its about quality, not quantity here. An American who studied under Jean Gerome in Paris, Brush was a remarkably skilled painter who ventured out into the West to create this stunning body of work during the mid to late 1880s. While looking at the work, I couldn't help but be reminded of NC Wyeth's own take on Native Americans, and if Brush's work had any influence on him. Unfortunately, the show is over now, but you won't be disappointed if you pick up a copy of this book.
Meg got me the book of Fables covers by Jean. It was cool to see them posted one by one on his blog, but now they're printed and bound altogether in this nicely designed book. It's incredible to see how his style and storytelling abilities changed and developed with each cover. There are examples of sketches, alternate ideas, and original drawings/paintings with each cover, which give you some insight as to how the final was reached. I will surely be gazing at this collection for years to come.
Both of these books are serving as great inspiration for the new year, I recommend them both.

I have several projects on my plate, so stay tuned for some new work!