Obsessed

	Back in Berlin 26 January 2010My sunburn is still peeling under layers and layers of warm clothes.

Location

Berlin

	I love a sunburnt country 26 January 2010It is purely a co-incidence that I am posting these images from our trip back home on Australia Day. To be honest, the reason I have to post these now is that I have to put them behind me (lest I start packing and book the next available flight back).
	Gold Coast, Queensland
	Sunshine Coast, Queensland
	Sunshine Coast, Queensland
	Great Ocean Road, Victoria
	Aireys Inlet, Victoria
	Montville, Queensland
	Townsville, Queensland
	Brisbane, Queensland
	Cedar Creek, Queensland

Visiting

Australia

	Der Zauberring 03 December 2009The Magic Ring is a Russian fairytale and although this book has been translated into English, my copy is in German (and lovingly dedicated "von deinen Bruder Frank"). It is filled with vibrant watercolour illustrations - their graphic style and composition furthered by the geometric elements throughout. They come into their own on the black "pixelated" end pages.

Pictures by

Michael Romberg

Published by

Artia, Prague
1972

Found in

Berlin

	Paper Lanterns in Berlin 11 November 2009 There isn't anything I can say about the twentieth anniversary of the fall of the wall, that hasn't been said more eloquently by many others. But tonight I was walking along Unter den Linden towards the Berliner Dom, amongst a procession of children holding paper lanterns...and the cold air and the warm glow made me fall in love with Berlin all over again.

Seen at

The St. Martin Day
procession and performance
of Martin's Cloak

Location

Berlin

	Puppies, Parties and Pretending 30 October 2009Today Mr Tom turned two. He demolished his two birthday cakes and then opened his present – which he promptly destroyed. We were relieved. It squeaked. As Mr Tom curls up exhausted on my lap, I remember David Attenborough's utter disgust at pet owner's who anthropomorphise their animals. Since anthropomorphising animals is pretty much what I do, I think I can be safe to assume he won't be visiting my website any time soon.

Seen at

Home

Location

Berlin

	Dogs 26 October 2009I used to be a cat person. But you wouldn't know it now. Today I'm admiring a well dressed chap on a Japanese new year card celebrating the arrival of the year of the dog, 1910. (Japanese Antique Post Cards for Greetings, Published by Graphic-Sha, 2003)
	My Czech favourites join us in a drunk conversation (by Jiří Trnka from Slunecni Prsten, Albatros, 1976)
	And share their healthy love of bones (by Adolf Born from Bilderbuch der Verführungskunst, Eulenspiegel Verlag Berlin, 1979).
	Despite my switch in allegiance, I still am not a fan of poodles. Though, this trouble-making Russian is a start. (by Vladimir Konashevich in Look how Absent Minded! 1931 from Russian Children's Picture Books in the 1920s and 1930s, Tankosha Publishing, 2004)

Pictures by

Various Artists

Published by

Graphic-Sha
Albatros
Eulenspiegel
Tankosha

Found in

Tokyo and Prague

	Art of the People: Hands of God 19 October 2009 We returned from our 2007 journey to Mexico with suitcases overflowing with Folk Art – embroidery, wood carvings and beadwork. But cradled in my arms, and too large and heavy for the suitcase, was the catalogue of the Museo de Arte Popular. This impressive tome is as great as the museum's collection itself – a feast of skeletons in their very best finery, monsters, masks and delicately painted grasshoppers. The fact that the text was in Spanish was irrelevant with 600 pages of spectacular folk art at stake. But, as of last night, I can read the book. No, I did not learn Spanish. Nor did I buy an English edition. No. Our Argentinean friends Laura and Christian carted their English edition of the book all the way from Buenos Aires to Berlin. And we swapped. And now they're on their way back home – hauling the Spanish version back across the ocean. Trust me. This book is worth it. But maybe you can get hold of it without so much heavy lifting.

Published by

Landucci/Oceano
Mexico City, 2007
ISBN 978-968-5893-69-5

Exhibition

Museo de Arte Popular

Found in

Mexico City

	The Giants Arrive in Berlin 05 October 2009 It's been a rainy few days in Berlin – the skies have been white and my giant hunting was often obscured by umbrellas. It was lucky then that the Little Giantess was wearing her raincoat. She greeted the Mayor and journeyed around the Rathaus in her boat, before precariously squatting by the side of the road and peeing. Another day we watched her Giant Uncle get hoisted out of the water in front of the Hauptbahnhof to a soundtrack of submarines and swishing water. Still in his deep sea diving gear he set off in search of the Little Giantess. In celebration of 20 years since the fall of the wall, the two were reunited in front of the Brandenburger Tor (but not before she peed in excitement once more).

Seen at

Die Riesen Kommen

Location

Berlin

	En Grønsagsmand fra Grønsagsland 1 October 2009When I was little my favourite brand of Orange Juice had a photograph of an orange on the front with a drawn on face. I loved him so much that I always drew faces on my oranges. If I had read this book when I was that age I would have immediately started making a Vegetable Man in a Vegetable Land (which is what the title of this book translates as). In fact, I still plan to. I love how lo-fi these photographs are. You can see the fishing line holding things in place and the glue holding everything together. It has creases and crustiness, the vegetables aren't perfect and the colours aren't adjusted. There really was something lovely about a pre-photoshop world. This book is by the same publisher who brought us Min Katte abc and Min Hunde abc and was found at the same bookstore in Copenhagen.

Pictures by

Birgit Erup

Published by

Lademann,
Copenhagen, 1970

Found in

Copenhagen

	Abenteuer rund ums schachbrett 24 September 2009This book was originally published in 1980 in Romanian as Aventurile Sahului (Chessboard Adventures) and it's heavy uncoated pages are filled with vibrant watercolour illustrations by Val Munteanu. He is cited as an influence by many Romanian artists, designed the grand curtain of the theatre "Maria Filotti" in Brăila, and seems best loved for his Pinocchio illustrations. I hope he passes my way again soon.

Written by

Mihail Sadoveanu

Pictures by

Val Munteanu

Published by

Ion Crenga Verlag,
Bukarest, 1984

Found in

Berlin