It’s been ages since I last posted (the longest yet) but I hope to make amends today by writing a longer post – a kind of round-up of posts I should have written.
The 11th August was popular children’s writer Enid Blyton’s birthday (11 August 1897 – 28 November 1968). Here’s a a link to another post I wrote about this author over on my Bookstains. Eileen A Soper illustrated every one of 21 Famous Five books.
Eileen A Soper (b. 1905 – 1990 Hertfordshire UK)was an illustrator , print maker and a watercolourist. She had her first exhibition at the Royal Academy in 1921 at the age of 15, making her the youngest artist ever to exhibit. Two of her etchings were bought by Queen Mary.
Her work has great nostalgic appeal and is as attractive today to adults as it was a source of delight to them when they were children. A gallery of this artist’s work can be found here
Other artists birthdays include Andy Warhol whose birthday I celebrated a while back with this post which featured one a page of my altered book (this book is still ongoing… complete with artist research)
News of an exciting exhibition is coming to Manchester City Gallery (Saturday 24 September 2011 – Sunday 29 January 2012) A major exhibition of Pre Raphaelite artist Ford Maddox Brown will go on show. Over 140 paintings by the artist, including his Manchester Town Hall murals (which I have seen) will be exhibited. The work will be divided into different themes and periods of the artist’s life including his radical change of direction artistically. Ford Madox Brown is particularly well-known for his narrative paintings which relate to life in the Victorian age and I think that viewing the paintings collectively will give the viewer a clearer idea of how radical the Pre Raphaelites really were. The 12 paintings, known as The Manchester murals depict life in the city in the Victorian age – a must for any Mancunian interested in their city. The exhibition which will also include a rediscovered painting by the artist. The painting The Seraph’s Watch could prove to be a crowd puller. Here’s a tantalising detail from it below.
Eileen A Soper Gallery (images from there)
Heather’s Blyton pages (all the book images can be found here too)
Andy Warhol image and art history here
More about Ford Madox Brown (and Work image) here
Seraph’s Watch image and an interesting article about this exhibition and Victorian art in general here
Echostains Blog 
Your posts are a valuable service to art lovers. I don’t know how vast your readership may be but it should be even bigger and you will certainly go on my blog roll list. My skills are limited but I will get Rick to help as there are several others that should go on it.
Thanks Carl! I added you a couple of weeks ago. You go on your Links to ‘add new’ type the URL and ‘save’. My readership figures are on the right hand side of the page. Its took a long time to get them 😀 The gap between posts is the longest I’ve left it, I hope to do better in the future. I did one post every day for one year once – I still don’t know how I did that:-0
Jam packed post,Lynda.Thank you. Enid Blyton drawings are so much fun to view.I clicked over to the link and was mesmerized awhile as you know I like illustrations.
Your altered book! Great stuff. Have you been working on it? I clicked that link and read there, too, as that was prior to me finding your site.
I learn, here. Thank you.
Thanks Leslie! They are quite lovely and bring back quite a few childhood memories for me Leslie. Apparently Soper used the same children over and over again in her work. The altered book? That’s been an on and off project for years Lol In fact it must be the longest project ever 😀 I would insist in linking each page with an artist. I hope when it’s finished that the sentences I have picked out will tell a completely different story to the original book. I have split the chapters (I’m still on chapter 1 and the book won’t close ;-D
I loved reading Enid Blyton’s books when I was young. Such fun adventures and mysteries. She still doesn’t receive the recognition she should.
Probably due to the PC brigade. Her life story makes fascinating viewing – here’s my take on it http://bookstains.wordpress.com/2011/08/12/watched-enid-blyton/
I never really liked her books, I’m not sure why. Maybe her plots were not dark enough! But I recognise her incredible contribution to literature.
Hhehe, yes probably not dark enough for you Wendy 🙂 I bet you loved the Grimms Fairytales though? I know they used to terrify me (in a good way)
Actually I did, and still do, like their tales. My favourite has always been ‘The Robber Bridegroom’. Not one I could see Enid wanting to retell!!
Very strange tales from those Grimm brothers 🙂 lots of heads being chopped off I remember 😀 I think perhaps ‘The Faraway Tree is as weird as Blyton got Lol
Reading the post was worth it based on the title alone.
Thanks The Good Greatsby 🙂 I tried to incorporate all the posts in one title 🙂