Windy Nights

'Tis a windy night where I am, spooky and drear. I love it. Here be a fine illustration to accompany a bit of verse from Bobby Stevenson.

Eric Kincaid — Windy Nights

Hallowe'en

Eric Kincaid — Hallowe'en

This is the night when witches fly

On their whizzing broomsticks through the wintry sky;

Steering up the pathway where the stars are strewn,

They stretch skinny fingers to the waking moon.

This is the night when old wives tell

Strange and creepy stories, tales of charm and spell;

Peering at the pictures flaming in the fire

They wait for whispers from a ghostly choir.

This is the night when angels go

In and out of houses, winging o'er the snow;

Clearing out the demons from the countryside

They make it new and ready for Christmastide.

—Leonard Clark

The Dark Dark House

Of course you know how to tell this old standby to kids who are in the right spooky mood gathered round you in the darkness with a flashlight under your chin—slowly and ominously until you suddenly shriek out the last two words . . .

Eric Kincaid — The Dark Dark House

In a dark, dark wood, there was a dark, dark house,

In that dark, dark house, there was a dark, dark room,

And in that dark, dark room, there was a dark, dark cupboard,

And in that dark, dark cupboard, there was a dark, dark shelf,

And in that dark, dark shelf, there was a dark, dark box,

And in that dark, dark box, there was a GHOST!

Haunted Castle

In a wild and craggy chasm

Deep with shadows in the night,

The Moon slips up above the rocks

And casts an eerie light.

The stones seem to slide and melt

As they suddenly swell and grow,

To rise up as a haunted castle

With its windows all aglow.

Ghostly figures leave their dungeons,

Vampires leave their coffin lair,

To fly among the bats,

With cobwebs in their hair.

Clouds twist into misty faces,

As spectres swirl their capes;

Now the night is filled with fear,

And haunting shadowy shapes.

Illustrations: Eric Kincaid

Verse: Gil Davies

Silver

Another poem illustrated by Eric Kincaid that seems a bit appropriate for this time of year.

Eric Kincaid — Silver

The Witches' Call

Witches don't just pop up on Halloween. The call goes out for gathering well before then.

Eric Kincaid — The Witches' Call

Autumnal Winds

The Autumnal winds were really kicking up around here today. I saw a large flock of blackbirds tossed all across the sky. Mmm, really, my favorite time of year.

Eric Kincaid — Scarecrow Weather

The Wind

It's that time of year when EVERYthing seems a bit spooky. I love it!

Ride, Boldly Ride

Eric Kincaid — Eldorado

Continuous Golden Age

I know I've been oversimplifying in the last few rants about the need for a new golden age of illustration. Oh, I still stand behind the notion that modern graphic design principles need to be reestablished. Yet I know that lots of great design, integrating great illustration, is ongoing. But in order for it to be a golden age, it needs to be ubiquitous, constantly encountered—not just rare finds. Though rare finds are obviously still a delight.

In a comment to the last post, Annie delivers a positive note (as she always does) that reminds me, as it should remind us all, that children's books have been in a continuous golden age since books were first published for children. For over a hundred years, children's literature has remained magical, entertaining, and ever delightful—resulting from illustrators and authors given nearly free rein to leap and cavort and shed inhibitions through an ever twisting and tumbling literary universe.

Demonstrating that is a random, serendipitous, example I pulled blindly from my digital archives of children's books—illustrations by Eric Kincaid:

Above and below: Eric Kincaid — A Children's Book of Verse

I need to drop the subject of a new golden age—for now—only because my deadlines are demanding my attention again. But I will be returning to my rants, and I won't just be yakking about it, I plan to do something about it. I have some plans for this year that I'm looking forward to telling you about soon enough.

Until then, for the time being, I'm back to posting random images here and there, with minimal text. That's more like it, sez you.