vintage halloween greetings

thanks freevintageillustrations.com

Nothing like a cozy chat about ghosts between friends.  But if you love Halloween as much as I do, then this makes perfect sense. 

Happy Halloween, dear readers all!

Keep your black cats safe, and have fun!

vintage wordless wednesday redux

from the Museum collection, a mid60s halloween photobomb

happy halloween, happy harvest

By Grigoriev (http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Page-207.html) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

The harvest is in, the spirits are out.  In Boris Grigoriev's "Still Life with Cat and Onions" (Russian; circa 1928), this fine black kitty seems to take her duties overseeing this world and the next very seriously.

From our haunt to yours, dear Museum friends,

Happy Halloween!!

z is for zombi

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

Four years ago here at the Museum I told the story of the English poet Robert Southey and how a certain black cat came to live in his house.  That cat - named "The Zombi" - is the star of this woodcut by Philadelphia artist Martha Knox.  (You can buy it here at her Etsy shop.)  I bet this is exactly what The Zombi looked liked, too, when he got to his new house:  a little scared, a lot indignant, and ready to raise some hell.
Knox is the proprietor of Words on Woodcuts Press, an art educator, and wood block printmaker whose work has been exhibited regularly at the Delaware Museum of Art and a number of other locations.  She has a beautiful alphabet gift book out this year, "Cats A-Z," which is where you'll find our fellow above and a number of other well-lettered felines (such as J for Jeoffry).  You can get the book here at Words On Woodcuts.

Happy Halloween, Museum friends!

and one more to wrap up halloween week

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist
original painting, acrylic on masonite

One more black cat because I love Halloween and black cats!  This plaintive-looking fellow is "William," and he's a master of using an air of disappointment to get what he wants.  So says artist Arleigh Schwartz of Windsor, Ontario, who creates William and a whole bunch of soulful creatures like him for her Etsy shop Spiral Forest Studio.

"Animals are my passion," Arleigh writes. "They evoke a wide range of positive emotions in people - joy, love, hope, and humour to name a few. I love to try to capture these feelings and ideas in my paintings."  I think you will agree she has done just that.  Here's one I almost used instead - remind you of anyone here on the "staff"?

happy halloween 2014!

thanks thegraphicsfairy

Black cat-hance!

black cat does a favor

image copyright and by kindest permission of the artist

Irish artist Ros Webb's sassy kitty says, "Let Me Kill Stuff for You," in this limited edition print.  Ros's background in fashion as a designer and now illustrator shines through in the sheer attitude this mouser gives off with those eyes.  I found her at Ros's Etsy store LuvBeautiful, but you'll want to see the fashion work too at Ros Webb Art.

bat bleh!

thanks wikimedia commons contributor "hiart"
for making this available under creative commons PD

This ivory netsuke from the 18th or 19th century is the funniest-faced buddy I've seen in a while.  He looks like a little kid in a ghostbat costume.  Now I'm really excited for Halloween!

belling the cat for halloween

believed PD:US in good faith

At the witching hour hang a bell of gold / Round a cat's neck and he'll do what he's told.

Or not.  Mine would simply roll around screaming like I was trying to yank out their whiskers.  But it's a great vintage image, found on freevintagedigistamps.blogspot.com/.