Katz Sells Art: 30-35 Mychem

postage will be paid for by the buyer. i can trim the white areas around any of these for no extra charge. feel free to ask any questions. payment thru venmo, paypal, or ko-fi. dm to claim!

The Callaghans went to Tartosa over the winter break to visit Elisa's family! Nash got to taste Tartosa's world-famous fruit tart, paint by the ocean, and visit his extended family. Even though Nash's Tartosiano isn't that great, he still enjoys visiting his Nonna Francesca and the rest of the family.

Although Nash is loving this peaceful getaway, all he can think about is Tori. He's worried about her. She doesn't have any family support and while she's grateful to their AP Art teacher, Colette Katz, Colette's place is small. There's barely enough room for the two of them, much less three people. Nash recently got a secret job in Newcrest as a barista to help support Tori. Tori's also looking for work but with no luck so far. Nash is hoping that he can make money selling his art while in Tartosa seeing as the community is mostly retired older people that love the arts.

THE FRIDAY PIC is Alex Katz’s “Blue Umbrella 2,” a huge 1972 painting that is the signature piece in his striking retrospective at the Guggenheim in New York.

I was surprised at the fresh and powerful effect that he got in so many of his paintings, but then I think I figured out what was going on. Starting in about 1961, Katz starts to channel the real skills and talents of commercial image-making and appropriates them into the domain of fine art,  using them to treat subjects of his own choosing. That means his paintings have all the real visual power and punch of  images meant to sell us goods, or to get us subscribing to magazines, but with the equivocations and aporias of art meant for museum walls.

Where Pop artists borrowed elements of popular imagery and then incorporated them into works that were obviously art — Warhol’s Pop had zero in common with his actual commercial illustrations — Katz went deeper, borrowing the actual pictorial principles of ads and illos, and reusing them in canvases the size of history paintings. Although many people refuse to consider him a Pop artist, he may be the most profoundly Pop of all artists of his generation. He appropriates whole modes of popular seeing and making, not just a soup label or comic-book panel.

Richard Dreyfuss, Charles Martin Smith, and Ron Howard in American Graffiti (George Lucas, 1973) Cast: Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips, Wolfman Jack, Bo Hopkins, Manuel Padilla Jr., Beau Gentry, Harrison Ford. Screenplay: George Lucas, Gloria Katz, Willard Huyck. Cinematography: Jan D'Alquen, Ron Eveslage; Haskell Wexler, visual consultant. Art direction: Dennis Lynton Clark. Film editing: Verna Fields, Marcia Lucas, George Lucas, American moviegoers, like Victorian novel-readers, love closure. They want movies to end with all the plot threads tied, with the good rewarded and the bad punished, and with a sense that nothing more needs to be told -- unless you're talking about movies that are obviously designed to springboard into sequels. George Lucas obviously felt the need for closure on American Graffiti, which is why he provided two endings. In the first, John wins his race with Bob Falfa, Terry and Debbie decide to meet again, Steve and Laurie are reconciled, and Curt goes off to college with a symbolic resolution of his pursuit of the Blonde in the T-Bird provided by a glimpse of the car from an airplane window. But because American Graffiti is set in 1962, and an awful lot happened to the generation portrayed in the film, Lucas also felt obliged to provide a second ending: a screen card that tells us John was killed by a drunk driver, Terry went missing in action in Vietnam, Steve sells insurance in Modesto, and Curt is "a writer in Canada." Critics have made some serious comments about this second ending's failure to tell us what happened to the female characters in the film: Laurie, Debbie, and Carol. And they're right, of course. But I think Lucas would have been better advised to stop with the first ending: His characters, with the possible exception of Curt, are not so well-drawn that they need to be dragged into the real world; the second ending feels more like a need to make a statement about the Vietnam War than a necessary coda to his story. American Graffiti is often compared to Federico Fellini's I Vitelloni (1953), another film about young men aimlessly lingering on the brink of maturity, and Lucas's Curt is an echo of Fellini's Moraldo, who at the end of the film leaves their small town for an uncertain future. But Fellini was content just to put Moraldo on the train and end his film, whereas the demand for closure pushes Lucas further. Fellini was pushed further, too, of course: We can see the characters played by Marcello Mastroianni in La Dolce Vita (1960) and 8 1/2 (1963) as possible versions of what Moraldo might have become. I somehow regret that Lucas didn't find that way of taking Curt into the future; instead he got sidetracked into a galaxy a long time ago and far, far away. American Graffiti remains a landmark film, not only because it made Lucas very rich and able to indulge his bent toward space opera, but also because it established the teen-movie genre, sometimes for better -- e.g., Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused (1993) -- but more often for worse -- e.g., the Bob Clark Porky's movies (1981, 1983) and even the dud sequel More American Graffiti (Bill Norton, 1979).

From the Kayla X “Legendary Spirits” blind box figure collection:

Her name is Mirage.

My first thought when I saw her was of Princess Tamatori, or Tamatori-hime, who stole a pearl from the sea god and escaped him and his minions by cutting open her chest and hiding the pearl inside, which ultimately lead to her death.

However after having the figure in hand and noticing her tear, and doing a bit of searching, I believe she's actually a depiction of the myth of mermaid's tears. I couldn't find any reputable sources for the myth, beyond jewelry websites. The best source I found was this, from the description of artist's Sasha Katz's work based on the tale, (the image wouldn't load for me, so I can't comment on the art itself) from superrare.com

If you just google mermaid's tears, you'll find more places describing sea glass as the tears. Again, it's mainly jewelry websites trying to sell you pearls that reference this supposed myth. Presumably Roman in origin, given the appearance of Neptune. There's this slightly more detailed summary from capecodchokers.com

Here's the myth delivered with more purple, but this time with sea glass as the eponymous tears, from bohosilver.co.uk

I could go on, but I think I've pretty much hit the bottom of the well for sources on this supposed myth. In my opinion it's far more likely a modern creation for the purpose of selling pearls, or sea glass. There's a book from 2009 titled "Tears of Mermaids: The Secret Story of Pearls" by Stephen G. Bloom about the economic, political, and cultural history of the global pearl trade, which notably uses the myth as a title, but as far as I could tell from searches on Google Books, does not actually reference the myth anywhere in the text. It does look interesting though.

So that's the origin of Mirage, as far as I can tell. Her pearl in the right hand and tear from her right eye tell the story of how she fell in love with a sailor, and was banished to the bottom of the sea by Neptune to weep pearls for the rest of eternity. And she doesn't look too pleased about it!

Sources:

Recording Academy® To Honor Music Industry Icons With 2024 Special Merit Awards During Grammy® Week

The Recording Academy®’s Special Merit Awards Ceremony celebrating the 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award, Trustees Award, Technical GRAMMY® Award, and Best Song For Social Change Award recipients will return during GRAMMY® Week on Feb. 3, at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The Clark Sisters, Laurie Anderson, Gladys Knight, N.W.A, Donna Summer, and Tammy Wynette are the 2024 Recording Academy Lifetime Achievement Award honorees; Peter Asher, DJ Kool Herc and Joel Katz are the Trustees Award recipients; Tom Kobayashi and Tom Scott are the Technical GRAMMY Award honorees; and “Refugee,” written by K’naan, Steve McEwan, and Gerald Eaton (a.k.a. Jarvis Church), is being honored with the Best Song For Social Change Award.

  “The Academy is honored to pay tribute to this year’s Special Merit Award recipients — a remarkable group of creators and industry professionals whose impact resonates with generations worldwide,” said Harvey Mason jr., CEO of the Recording Academy. “Their contributions to music span genres, backgrounds and crafts, reflecting the rich diversity that fuels our creative community. We look forward to honoring these music industry trailblazers next month as part of our week-long celebration leading up to Music’s Biggest Night®.”

  Lifetime Achievement Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees to performers* who, during their lifetimes, have made creative contributions of outstanding artistic significance to the field of recording. See past recipients here (*through 1972, recipients included non-performers).

The Clark Sisters – an American gospel vocal group initially consisting of five sisters – Jacky, Denise, Elbernita, Dorinda, and Karen – have been taking the world by storm since the early 1980s. Credited for helping to bring gospel music to the mainstream, the Clark Sisters are considered pioneers of contemporary gospel. Their biggest crossover hits include: “Is My Living in Vain?,” “Hallelujah,” “He Gave Me Nothing to Lose,” “Endow Me,” their hit song “Jesus Is A Love Song,” “Pure Gold,” “Miracle,” and their largest, mainstream crossover gold-certified, “You Brought The Sunshine.” The Clark Sisters (Jacky, Elbernita, Dorinda, and Karen) have won three GRAMMYs (two awarded to the group, and one to Karen as a songwriter for “Blessed and Highly Favored”), and with 16 albums to their credit and millions in sales, they are the highest-selling female gospel group in history.

Laurie Anderson is a writer, director, composer, visual artist, musician, and vocalist who has created groundbreaking works that span the worlds of art, theater, experimental music, and technology. As a performer and musician, she has collaborated with many people including Brian Eno, Jean-Michel Jarre, William S. Burroughs, Peter Gabriel, Robert Wilson, Christian McBride, and Philip Glass. In 2002, Anderson was appointed the first artist-in-residence of NASA which culminated in her 2004 touring solo performance, The End of the Moon. She has been nominated for six GRAMMY Awards® throughout her recording career and received a GRAMMY® for the release Landfall in collaboration with the Kronos Quartet at the 61st GRAMMYs®.

Gladys Knight is a seven-time GRAMMY® Award winner who has enjoyed No. 1 hits in pop, gospel, R&B, and adult contemporary, and has triumphed in film, television and live performance. Knight has recorded more than 38 albums over the years including four solo albums. She appeared on ABC’s 14th season of “Dancing With The Stars” in 2012, and in 2019, she competed on the inaugural season of “The Masked Singer.” Knight has sung the National Anthem at several major sporting events, including at Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta in 2019, and at the 2021 NBA All-Star Game. She was a National Endowment for the Arts 2021 National Medal of Arts Recipient and received a Kennedy Center Honor for Lifetime Artistic Achievements in 2022.

N.W.A was a rap group from the Compton district in Los Angeles who are credited by many with inventing gangsta rap. The group, consisting of Eazy-E^, Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, DJ Yella, and MC-Ren, developed a new sound, which brought in many of the loud, extreme sonic innovations of Public Enemy while adopting a self-consciously violent and dangerous lyrical stance. In 1988, N.W.A released their album, Straight Outta Compton, a brutally intense record that became an underground hit without any support from radio or MTV. This negative attention worked in their favor as it brought the album to multiplatinum status. Although the group was short-lived, gangsta rap established itself as the most popular form of hip-hop during the mid-1990s.

Donna Summer^ rocketed to international superstardom with her groundbreaking merger of R&B, soul, pop, funk, rock, disco, and avant-garde electronica, catapulting underground dance music out of the clubs of Europe and bringing it to the world. Summer holds the record with three consecutive double albums to hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts (the only solo artist to ever accomplish this), and first female artist to have four No. 1 singles in a 12-month period on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart. A five-time GRAMMY winner and 18-time GRAMMY nominee, Summer was the first artist to win the GRAMMY for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Female (1979, “Hot Stuff”) as well as the first-ever recipient of the new GRAMMY Category for Best Dance Recording (1997, “Carry On”). Summer was the first female artist to win GRAMMY Awards in four different genres: dance, gospel, rock, and R&B.

Tammy Wynette^ first hit the musical scene in 1966 with “Apartment #9” after moving to Nashville and teaming up with record producer Billy Sherrill. Together, the duo wrote songs that reflected the yearnings and the things Wynette felt were important in her life. In 1968, Wynette released “Stand By Your Man,” which sold more than five million singles and became the largest-selling single ever recorded by a female artist. By 1970, she racked up five No. 1 country hits, was named the Country Music Association’s Female Vocalist of the Year three times, and won two GRAMMYs. Wynette was the first female country music singer to sell over one million albums and has sold more than 30 million records grossing more than $100 million, earning her the title “The First Lady of Country Music.”

Trustees Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Recording Academy’s National Trustees to individuals who, during their careers in music, have made significant contributions, other than performance*, to the field of recording. See past recipients here (*through 1983, recipients included performers).

Peter Asher’s career began in 1964 as one-half of Peter & Gordon, whose “A World Without Love” topped the charts worldwide. Nine more Top 20 hits followed before Asher became head of A&R for the Beatles’ Apple Records in 1968, and discovered, produced and managed James Taylor; later adding Linda Ronstadt, Neil Diamond, 10,000 Maniacs, Cher, Diana Ross, Kenny Loggins, Bonnie Raitt, Robin Williams, Stevie Nicks, Lyle Lovett, Morrissey, Steve Martin & Edie Brickell, Ed Sheeran, and more to his roster. Asher won the GRAMMY for Producer Of The Year in both 1977 and 1989. He hosts a hit radio show “From Me To You” on Sirius XM and is much in demand not only in the studio but as a performer, speaker and author.

The legendary Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductee DJ Kool Herc is consistently credited as the founder of hip-hop. His mastery at the turntables is known worldwide, as are his positive contributions to the evolution of hip-hop culture. Herc’s popularity rose by playing long sets of assorted rhythm breaks strung together. Unlike any of his DJ counterparts, Herc is not a rapid rapper who keeps your head spinning with a patter, but he is a musical innovator to the turntables. He first introduced using two turntables to make the beats last longer, creating the illusion of one long break for the B-Boys to show off their skills. Herc has received a great deal of recognition during his lifetime, including his induction into the 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, and recognition from the New York Landmarks Conservancy as a 2023 Living Landmark. 

Joel Katz has played a profound role in shaping the entertainment industry through his work in facilitating entertainment-related corporate acquisitions and mergers and consulting multi-national and multi-media entertainment companies. Katz was ranked Billboard magazine’s No. 1 entertainment attorney in its “Power 100” list of most powerful executives in the music business and has been called “the dealmaker who thinks outside the box.” At Kennesaw State University, Katz endowed and began a commercial music program – one of the largest music education programs in America with over 500 students. He has authored and co-authored many articles and commentary on topics concerning entertainment law. In honor of his work, the University of Tennessee College of Law dedicated its library in his name, the Joel A. Katz Law Library.

Technical GRAMMY Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award is presented by vote of the Producers & Engineers Wing® Advisory Council and Chapter Committees and ratification by the Recording Academy's National Trustees to individuals and/or companies/organizations/institutions who have made contributions of outstanding technical significance to the recording field. See past recipients here.

Tom Kobayashi^ and Tom Scott met at Lucasfilm’s Skywalker Sound in 1985, when the duo joined the company and completed the building of the Skywalker post-production facilities in both Northern and Southern California. Together, Kobayashi and Scott launched the Entertainment Digital Network, also known as “EDnet,” which employed fiber-optic networks to send high-quality video and audio great distances. Its then-revolutionary technology enabled the industry to link together talent, executives and production facilities at great cost savings. For 25 years, that company connected hundreds of recording studios worldwide in the days before the Internet could handle high-quality audio. EDnet became a part of Onstream Media, and over the decades, tens of thousands of long-distance collaboration sessions were facilitated for the music, advertising, TV, and cinema businesses.

Best Song For Social Change Award Honorees: This Special Merit Award honors songwriter(s) of message-driven music that speaks to the social issues of our time and has demonstrated and inspired positive global impact. The recipient(s) are selected annually by a Blue-Ribbon Committee composed of a community of peers dedicated to artistic expression, the craft of songwriting and the power of songs to effect social change. See past recipients here.

In June 2023, singer-songwriter K’naan released the inspiring single and accompanying video “Refugee,” co-written by GRAMMY Award-winning songwriter Steve McEwan and GRAMMY-nominated producer Gerald Eaton (also known by his stage name, Jarvis Church). “Refugee” stands out as a distinctive musical endeavor, skillfully interweaving personal and political narratives, and serving as a tribute to refugees around the world. With the single, K’naan drew inspiration from his personal experiences, aiming to redefine the traditional perception of the term “refugee” into a symbol of resilience and strength. The song was written with the hopes of encouraging individuals to embrace the word “refugee” proudly and to give those made homeless by conflict a song that felt like home.

^Denotes posthumous honoree. 

For breaking news and exclusive content, follow @RecordingAcad on X, "like" Recording Academy on Facebook, and join the Recording Academy's social communities on the following: Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and LinkedIn. 

My Ukrainian Kitty💙💛. Just a friendly reminder - stand with Ukraine 🙏🏻! This is my original drawing and I’m selling postcards and art prints of it in my Etsy Shop. The A5 art prints are on very thick cardboard. Each A5 print has my personal stamp and signature :). Link in bio. By the way: support and donate please to Ukrainian humanitarian organizations (for example Ukrainian paramedics “Hospitallers” or “Savelife.in.ua”)🇺🇦🙏🏻 We appreciate all your support!💙💛 By helping to spread Ukrainian art, just even sharing posts about humanitarian aid or news about Ukraine, you are already helping Ukrainians. The war is still going on and it has affected all my Ukrainian relatives, friends and acquaintances. #angiesiveria . . . . . #ukraine #ukrainianart #🇺🇦❤️ #🇺🇦 #ukrainiansinberlin #ukrainian #vyshyvanka #kitty #cat #cats #standwithukraine #catillustration #ukrainianclothes #ukrainiancat #catart #postkarte #українськемистецтво #ukrainianartist #українське #ukrainianart #artprint #кіт #drawing #illustration #art #katze #kunst #postcard #Kunstdruck (at Berlin, Germany) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cp8TaBGNcCf/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

Wandering willows medals

#WANDERING WILLOWS MEDALS SKIN#

Collars can be made to increase each pet’s abilities. There are more than 40 animals and each has different strengths and weaknesses you can use to your advantage, such as the "Torzil," a strong climber and weak charmer, or the "Gruffie" a strong charmer and weak digger.Īnimals can be charmed into giving up eggs which can be placed to incubate and if needed, you can trade your pet to meet your goals faster. You have an inventory list and a notebook that keeps track of all recipes, patterns and floral arrangements. These items can be picked up by you, but must be obtained for you by your pet by either digging, climbing, or charming another animal into giving it up. The town’s currency is known as "Willobees" and can be earned by selling items at one of three stores: the Sewing store, Flower store and Cooking store. You will also have to grow some items in the garden and purchase others from the store. You start out as an "acquaintance" and work your way up to "Best Friend." While searching for items you will dig up things such as onions and oil, climb trees for fruits and nuts, and charm other animals for items ranging from wool to diamonds. You may need to find patterns to make someone a costume, or you may have to bake someone’s favorite bread.Įach time you satisfy someone you become more popular with that person. Once you learn your quest, (which can consist of things such as making food, clothing, flower arrangement or gadgets) you and your pet will travel on foot looking for items and bring them back once found. You will have conversations throughout the game to find out what people need, and can click to read the dialogue and refer to the top of the screen for the "to do" list to keep track of your quests. For example, there’s Art Gunderson, the elderly farmer that loves raisins and wearing ball gowns and Debbie Katz, prim and proper librarian type that adores flowers and trendy clothing and several others. You find yourself in "Grassland town" where you meet ten of the island’s hilarious inhabitants, each of whom has unique personalities, likes and dislikes.

#WANDERING WILLOWS MEDALS SKIN#

You’ll begin by customizing your avatar, where you can customize everything from gender to skin tone. Everyone wants to barter with you, so you set off to explore the island and complete 162 quests, from finding items to making complex gadgets to repair your balloon. You do want to go home, though, and to do so you are going to need help and good friends to get you there.Īn adorable pet adopts you and never leaves your side, becoming instrumental in your completion of the game. After a bird tears a hole in your hot air balloon you find yourself stranded on a beautiful island inhabited by people who are so happy there they never want to leave. Wandering Willows is a simulation-style game (think the MySims series) that focuses on friendship and doing things for others while helping yourself. You and your trusty new pet will do everything from digging holes to dealing with Alien aircraft while charming your way into the hearts of everyone finally finding your way home. Wandering Willows, the newest release from PlayFirst, is a delightful and unique adventure that sends you on a journey to whimsical lands of magical creatures and zany new friends.

Rare Bronze Renaissance Roundel Sells for $23 Million

A Met curator attempted to buy the artwork at auction in 2003 but was outbid. The museum used funds from his bequest to fulfill his dream.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York has acquired a $23 million bronze roundel, the institution announced today. The piece, purchased from Daniel Katz Gallery in London, represents the second most expensive acquisition in the institution’s 152-year history.

Created around 1500 by the Italian goldsmith, sculptor, and print engraver Gian Marco Cavalli, the piece is “one of the most technically sophisticated examples of a bronze roundel known from the early Renaissance,” according to the museum’s announcement. It depicts Mars, the god of war, staring at Venus, the goddess of love, while the latter’s husband, Vulcan, fashions a helmet.

“Venus Mars and Love rejoice. Vulcan, you labor!” reads a Latin inscription at the bottom.

In a statement, Met director Max Hollein called the piece “an absolute masterpiece,” noting that it stands apart for “its historical significance, artistic virtuosity, and unique composition.”

“It is a truly transformational acquisition for the Met’s collection of Italian Renaissance sculpture,” he added.

The relief, adorned with gilding and silver inlay, has been on the institution’s wish list for a long time, it turns out. In 2003, a former curator of European sculpture, James David Draper, attempted to acquire it at a Christie’s auction in London, calling it “the most thrilling Renaissance bronze to appear on the market in ages.” But he was ultimately outbid by Sheikh Saud al-Thani, a Qatari prince who once served as his country’s minister of culture, arts, and heritage. The hammer price was over £7 million.

However, the Victoria and Albert (V&A) Museum’s keeper of sculpture at the time advised the state not to grant an export license for the artwork, arguing that it was too culturally significant to leave the country.

The U.K. government’s Reviewing Committee barred the roundel’s export, and the V&A was given the opportunity to raise the £7 million required to keep the piece in the country. By the time the museum did so, Sheikh al-Thani had withdrawn his application for an export license. The roundel, therefore, remained in the U.K., but still belonged to the Sheik.

Sheikh al-Thani died in 2014 and the artwork was sold to an anonymous buyer five years later. In 2021, U.K. museums, including the V&A, were once again given an opportunity to raise the funds necessary to keep the piece—then priced at £17 million—but no institution stepped up. “We currently have no plans to acquire [the roundel],” the V&A told the Art Newspaper at the time, citing budget cuts related to the Covid-19 crisis.

In stepped the Met, which had similarly straitened its acquisition budget since the onset of the pandemic, but happened to have a pool of money set aside for this particular artwork.

When Draper passed away in 2019, he left an “extraordinary bequest” to the Met, the place he had worked for 45 years. It was largely through this gift that the museum purchased the Cavalli, finally fulfilling the late curator’s dream.

Until the discovery of the roundel in 2003, Cavalli was best known as a collaborator of fellow artists Andrea Mantegna and Antico, who worked for the Gonzaga court in Northern Italy. Experts believe Cavalli created the piece for Isabella d’Este, the Marchioness of Mantua and a major patron of the arts.

“The Mantuan roundel’s sumptuous gilding, meticulously inlaid silvering, and masterfully varied chasing identify the roundel as a masterpiece in which Cavalli expressed his superlative abilities as a goldsmith and sculptor,” said Denise Allen, curator in the department of European sculpture and decorative arts.

By Taylor Dafoe.

Hmm OK I wanted to ask about this certain flavour of fantasy genre. Do you have any books where like classic fantasy creatures are living in society side by side and pulling integrated. Like say the fae sell Coffe with a shot of confidence to help calm urself kinda vibe kinda book?

You know what, I think I do have some soft sci-fi/fantasy/urban fantasy for ya! I know a lot of graphic novels and webcomics that fit the bill, but not too many prose books. Some of these are for younger audiences, too, which has never prevented me from reading anything and if you don't think "kid books" are for everyone then you're wrong and have a nice day.

I follow a webcomic on Webtoons - Crumbs by Whitherling (now complete!)- and it is exactly what you're looking for. A legit magical bakery that serves emotion-flavored treats, witches and magic people, beautiful soft art, and a story about finding yourself and who you want to be. A complete heart-warmer.

The first prose book that came to mind is The Cybernetic Teashop by Meredith Katz. It's a sweet ace romance between a Latina protagonist and a sapient robot. It's not quite cozy teashop vibes as it has some heavy looking stakes, but it looks super good and has been on my to-read list for a while now.

Magic to Brew by Grace Ellis, Shae Beagle, Kate Leth (Illustrator), Caitlin Quirk (Illustrator), Clayton Cowles (Illustrator) - a graphic novel

Werewolf barista Julie and her new girlfriend go on a date to a close-up magic show, but all heck breaks loose when the magician casts a horrible spell on their friend Chet. Now it's up to the team of mythical pals to stop the illicit illusionist before it's too late. - Goodreads

The Tea Dragon Society by Katie O'Neill - dragons that make tea and how to take care of them. I can't think of anything cuter than that. Seriously, what are you waiting for?

Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker, Wendy Xu (Artist), Joamette Gil (Letterer) - I love Wendy so much and this book looks so sweet.

Snapdragon by Kat Leyh - another graphic novel about a witch and magic and wholesome vibes.

Snap’s town had a witch.

At least, that’s how the rumor goes. But in reality, Jacks is just a Crocs-wearing, internet-savvy old lady who sells roadkill skeletons online. It’s creepy, sure, but Snap thinks it's kind of cool, too.

Snap needs a favor from this old woman, though, so she begins helping Jacks with her strange work. Snap gets to know her and realizes that Jacks may in fact have real magic—and an unlikely connection to Snap’s family’s past. - Goodreads

Séance Tea Party by Reimena Yee - people on Goodreads say this one will make you cry, but in a good way.

After watching her circle of friends seemingly fade away, Lora is determined to still have fun on her own, so when a tea party leads Lora to discovering Alexa, the ghost that haunts her house, they soon become best friends. - Goodreads

Anything by Molly Ostertag. She has a new release, The Girl from the Sea, which is a sweet selkie romance about growing up queer and being who you are - in Canada!

Personally, I had feel-good vibes when reading The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman. There's some violent and kinda spooky scary stuff in it, but I like those kind of softer ghosty feels.

If you're into podcasts, I'd recommend Love and Luck. It's super queer, Australian, full of love, and so, so sweet and healing.

Australia's first LGBT audio drama, Love and Luck is a fictional radio play podcast, told via voicemails. It’s a slice of life queer romance story with a touch of magic.

The story is about two men who fall in love, learn they have magic powers, and use those powers to support and protect their community. The good guys win, no one gets killed, and queer people of all types are all loved and valued.

Katz Sells Old Art: Under Twenty Mychem!

all of these were done on printer paper. postage will be paid for by the buyer. i can trim the white areas around any of these for no extra charge. feel free to ask any questions. payment thru venmo, paypal, or ko-fi. dm to claim!

monuments man

Anthony van Dyck, Family portrait of the painter Cornelis de Vos and his wife Suzanna Cock and their two eldest children, Magdalena and Jan-Baptist

in 1868 Sir Francis Cook bought the painting from his thirty-year art advisor Sir J.C. Robinson. To be clear, in 1900 Cook would also have bought the Salvator Mundi, work attributed to Leonardo and sold for the record amount of $ 450 million. A respectable collection, therefore. In the 1930s, Cook's heirs, due to the decline of the family, had to sell the collection. 40 of these paintings, including van Dyck, were purchased by Nathan Katz, heir to an important Dutch family.

Unfortunately, however, in a short time most of these paintings were seized by the Nazis. The portrait of van Dyck in question was the subject of a forced sale for the benefit of Hermann Goering in 1941. The work was then traced and recovered by the famous Monuments Men - the special unit composed of museum directors, curators, historians of the art in charge of tracing and recovering the works of art stolen by the Nazis - July 25, 1945. In 1948 the work was returned to the Katz family

frances katz intro;

Name: Frances “Fran” Katz Age: 27 Gender: Cis woman Pronouns: She/her Sexuality: Bisexual Job: Artist

Bio:

Frances is originally from Mississauga where she grew up with her single mom

She went to college in Toronto for art and moved to Huntsville a few years after graduation to save money

She has an etsy shop where she sells jewelry and her art

Fran is more uptight than laid back but likes to think she’s a relaxed person

She has a black cat named Pickle

She watches a lot of movies and tv in her free time

She wears a lot of black because it feels the most comfortable for her

Skinned Alive will be released on Blu-ray on September 15 via Tempe Digital. It’s up for pre-order for $34.99 from Makeflix. You can add the soundtrack CD for $5 more. The film is also coming to VHS for $29.95 via Retro Release Video.

The 1990 horror-comedy is written and directed by Jon Killough. J.R. Bookwalter (The Dead Next Door) produces and David DeCoteau (Puppet Master III) executive produces. Mary Jackson, Scott Spiegel, Susan Rothacker, Floyd Ewing Jr., Lester Clark, and Barbara Katz-Norrod star.

Skinned Alive has been newly restored in 2K from the original 16mm A/B roll cut negative in its 4:3 full screen with a 5.1 surround remix. A DVD with the original VHS version and Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo audio is also included. Makeflix's elusive version comes with a bonus Blu-ray featuring a 16:9 widescreen presentation.

The ultimate edition features a slipcover featuring art by Alex Sarabia, signed by Killough and Bookwalter. It also has a reversible cover with the original VHS art and the 2000 DVD art by Dave Arcane (both pictured below).

A booklet with behind-the-scenes photos and liner notes by Ross Snyder of Saturn’s Core Audio & Video is included. Special features are listed below.

Disc 1: Blu-ray:

2K restoration of the film in 4:3 full screen

Audio commentary by writer/director Jon Killough, moderated by Ross Snyder of Saturn’s Core Audio & Video (new)

Audio commentary by producer J.R. Bookwalter and makeup effects artist David Lange (2002)

Carving Up 30 Years of Skinned Alive - Interviews with writer/director Jon Killough and actors Susan Rothacker, Floyd Ewing Jr., and Michael Render (new)

Remembering Mary Jackson - Interviews with Foxx frontman Dave Jackson, original “Violet” Lorie Jackson, director Jon Killough, and actors Susan Rothacker and Michael Render (new)

Interview with actor Scott Spiegel Interview (new)

Location Tour with actors James L. Edwards, Floyd Ewing Jr., and Michael Render (new)

Restoration Grindhouse with audio commentary by producer J.R. Bookwalter discussing the new restoration (new)

Artwork & promotional gallery

Behind the scenes gallery

Production stills gallery

Tempe Digital trailers

Disc 2: DVD:

Original VHS version of the film in 4:3 full screen

Audio commentary by Doug Tilley and Moe Porne of The No-Budget Nightmares Podcast (new)

Roommates TV sitcom episodes one (1987) and two (1988) featuring Skinned Alive cast and crew

Joy Circuit “Love Turns To Darkness” music video directed by J.R. Bookwalter

Cut to the Bone: Dissecting the Making of Skinned Alive

Behind the scenes featurette

Camera and wardrove tests

About the 2002 remastering

2002 DVD trailer

Tempe DVD trailers

Disc 3: manufactured-on-demand Blu-ray:

2K restoration of the film in 16:9 widescreen

Crawldaddy and her kids travel cross-country selling fine leather apparel when their van breaks down in the Ohio backwoods. Auto mechanic Tom and his wife Whinnie put them up for the weekend, until ex-cop neighbor Paul discovers what their product is really made of...

Title: Hannibal Lecter’s Cabinet of Curiosities

Author: @obfuscatedheart

Artist: @kishafisha

Rating: Explicit

Length: 23,000 words

Pairings: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter (Beverly Katz/Mischa Lecter)

Warnings/Tags: No Archive Warning Apply, The Greatest Showman AU, Beverly/Mischa, Will is a medium, Victorian era, Freak show, Mischa is alive Summary: Hannibal Lecter is leading a dull life working at a bank, since he had to sell his parent’s shop. His life is changed when he visits a curiosity cabinet. Starting his own gives him success but he knows he needs more. Meeting the infamous medium Will Graham makes him think that Will may be the missing jewel to his collection

Link to Fic

Link to Art

Mighty Nein Live Action Cast

Cause what the fuck else am I gonna do at 4am.

Alright fuck it. These are some choices I've made for what actxs I've chosen to represent the Mighty Nein. This is just for shits and giggles, and I'd love to hear some more ideas from other people.

Caleb - Daniel Brühl

I've chosen this picture because of the facial hair. I think it's perfect for Caleb. Brühl has almost everything I want. Ability to use a thick German accent, capable of praying more thoughtful low key characters, and solid general facial construction. The one thing I'm missing is the red hair, but that's an easy change. Plus finding a different suitable German actor who also has red hair wasn't super easy. I'm not trying /super/ hard here.

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Nott - Pixie Davies

I had a lot of... choices... to make here. I'm not incredibly familiar with child performers, so I just had to look at lists. My first immediate assumption was Millie Bobby Brown, but I think I'll save her for Twiggy, if I ever do a side character version of this post. I considered also just using very short adults, but it was difficult to find anything under 5 feet. I really wanted to hit that 3-4 foot mark, and I think it's insulting to just exclude child performers. I couldn't find Pixie's exact height, and I felt kinda gross looking for it. This was just an odd experience. Anyways, I watched a couple interviews. She's pretty well spoken, and seemed to be able to joke around enough. I only hope she'd be comfortable cursing and portraying an alcoholic.

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Beau - Karen Fukuhara

This was hands down the most research I did. Trying to find Asian actresses that a) had martial arts training, b) spoke English, c) were in their mid-late 20s, and d) had a relatively similar skin tone to Beau want easy. Karen fits all of these, other than being born in Los Angeles, and I think it'd be silly to be that elitist. She also seems to be a little paler in every other photo besides this one. As a side note, I had another really solid choice, Rina Takeda, who also fit all of these except one. I could not find any records of her speaking English. No interviews, no imdb, no Wikipedia. I thought she at least deserved an honorable mention.

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Fjord - Idrissa (Idris) Elba

Did you know his first name was actually Idrissa? I didn't. I don't know if this is the case for him, but I really despise when people are forced to "Americanize" their names for Hollywood. Or any reason I guess, if there are other reasons. Anyways, holy shit I love this man, although this role almost went to Daniel Kaluuya, who's another actor I love. The main reason I chose Idrissa though is the accents. According to articles on the internet he's an incredible accent actor. I wouldn't know, I don't actually watch a bunch of movies hahahaaa.... Considering he's playing a character with *spoilies* two accents, I think that's incredibly important. He's also buff as fuck, and has solid facial construction for the role. My only issue with this pick is his height. He's 6'2". I wanted him around 5'11", since Daniel Brühl is only 5'9", and the actress I chose for Yasha is only 6'. I don't think Fjord should be taller than Yasha, but I also think the performance is more important, so here we are. To be fairly honest I could've looked harder for someone who fits that description, but did I mention how much I love him?

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Jester - Nikolina Dobreva (Nina Dobrev)

Yay another case of Americanization. I chose her because she's Bulgarian, and I find Jester's accent closely related to Bulgarian, or maybe Slovenian accents. Now just because she's Bulgarian doesn't mean she can do the accent, I don't actually know if she can. Searching up "actresses that can do Bulgarian accents" is pretty niche, ya know? I decided it'd be better to just shoot for national accuracy, and hope for the best. Also, she's pretty funny. She's 5'7", so she matches up pretty well with the other choices. She also has a solid face for the character, and in this specific picture has Jester-esque hair. Cool? Cool.

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Yasha - Claudia Katz Minnick

While for the most part I've been looking for people who match nationalities, I couldn't reeeeeally do that here? I prioritized height and face over nationality. I mean I'm sure I /could've/ pulled it off, but again, I'm not trying super hard. That being said, if there's any of these choices I'd say could benefit the most from a second look, it's this one.

Pardoning that intro, I actually love this choice. She's 6', and it's pretty difficult to find actresses past that. I strongly considered Gwendoline Christie, but she doesn't really have the sharp jaw that Yasha has. I think with some more muscle, Claudia can pull off the visual easily.

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Caduceus - Jeff Goldblum

This might've been my favorite character to do this for. Searching for male actors above like 6'4" is NOT hard. I had a lot of options. I considered Jason Momoa. I thought Joe Manganiello would be funny because /critical role/. I thought Dwayne Johnson would've been HILARIOUS. However, I needed someone who was way skinnier than that. Eventually it came down to Armie Hammer vs. Alexander Skarsgård. I ended up going with Armie Hammer because he had an easier time pulling off Cad's deep voice. It was only then that the holy light of the Blum shown upon me.

If the pure memeage of having Jeff Goldblum playing Caduceus isn't enough to sell you, I'll give some more details. He's 6'4", which is two inches taller than the next tallest on this list at 6'2". He's lanky as all fuck. He's got the perfect personality to play such a casual weirdo. His voice is also perfect for the role. Good enough?

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Lastly:

Molly - Colin Farrell

Seriously why the fuck would I not choose Colin Farrell.