It was a joy to paint this illustration for Kindler– with Kamala Harris in mind, of course– but it’s bittersweet to write about it now.

When I was looking through my vintage dictionaries for the text in this image, it struck me that the words “kind, kindly, kindness, & kindergarten” appeared on the same page. It inspired me to add a little kinder-kitten looking up to the kindler-cat, as so many little girls did to Kamala — although she was actually more likely to get down on their level to encourage them.

Kamala Harris was a ray of hope at a dismal moment in our country’s history. Sadly, not enough of us came through to bring her vision of the future to light. It was a tragedy for our country, but it will be even worse if we give up hope now & stop trying.

As she said after the election, “Only when it is dark enough can you see the stars. I know many people feel like we are entering a dark time. For the benefit of us all, I hope that is not the case. But, America, if it is: Let us fill the sky with the light of a billion brilliant stars.”

More of us need to do the work now than ever before. Don’t tune out, keep doing what you can to protect rights that are being threatened. Contact representatives, speak out for the oppressed, support organizations that are still making the effort.

With that in mind, half of the profits from this print will be donated to the ACLU.

When Anu offered the word Gobbledygook, I instantly thought of a past president who gave a memorable speech on Gettysburg.

Not Lincoln, of course! — the Former Guy, who tragically is now The Future Guy. When he first took office in 2017, the Year of the Rooster, I painted him as a Cockalorum. His tendency to produce loud, irritating & meaningless noise has certainly not diminished since then, so I decided to reprise that character here. This time he’s producing a speech bubble in the shape of a G (à la Saul Steinberg) containing verbatim excerpts from the Cockalorum’s incoherent word salad in Schnecksville, Pennsylvania last April. And the background shows a ketchup bloodbath, layered over dictionary text and a political map of North America.

It certainly was not as much fun to paint this illustration as I’d hoped. When I sketched it out I was picturing November as a relatively happy time when we could all shake our heads in disbelief that such a disreputable & ridiculous character could run for president twice. Instead this country has made the devastating mistake of actually reelecting him. It’s a perilous moment for the United States, not just because of this particular scoundrel, but the cruel, corrupt, anti-science & arguably insane company he keeps. In my long life I’ve never been more disappointed in an election or more concerned for the future of the country & the world.

Sometimes it feels inappropriate to make fun of TFG when the situation is so serious. But then I remember the cartoons of the 40s… so I guess I’ll keep doing what I do as long as I can!

This painting & prints can be found in my Etsy shop, Curious Art Lab.

As soon as I saw today’s word, Diablerie, I knew the hard part would be choosing from all the possibilities that were whirling around in my head. My sketchbook started filling up with a ghosts, devils, witches, demons, & darkness. But as much as I’m drawn to spookiness (see Eldritch), in the end I conjured up a sillier sort of mischievous weirdness, inspired by my lifelong love of medieval marginalia like these.

A sort of palimpsest of earlier ideas remains in the background text, though, with faint traces of demonic sigils & other symbols of black magic mingling with the dictionary elements.

(Painting sold but prints are available in my Etsy Shop, Curious Art Lab.)

Our final act for this year’s concert of words is Tatterdemalion. I’ve often used this word to describe myself, as I detest shopping, & will wear favorite garments to tatters.

When I was sketching ideas, I first thought of Hans Christian Anderson’s “The Little Match Girl,” but the idea of painting her just made me too sad, so I decided to portray a busker of the Victorian era. His sheet music is Gilbert & Sullivan’s “A Wand’ring Minstrel, I” (“…a thing of shreds & patches, of ballads, songs & snatches…”). Oh, & why is he an otter? Just because I love painting anthropomorphic animals & the name Otterdemalion popped into my head!

I painted him in warm colors, but given the subject matter I thought it would be interesting to offer a print in the sepia-toned series I call “Tinctures.”

Both are available in my Etsy Shop, Curious Art Lab.

Thank you again to Anu for inviting me back for this week, always my favorite gig of the year. And thank you to all who have joined me here! May your days be merry & bright & full of music!

There’s just something about cutaway diagrams & models that has fascinated me since I was very young. Maybe it started with dollhouses, or science museums, or classroom posters, but the sensation of being granted a curated view into a secret space behind or beneath the surface still feels magical to me.

When I realized that Lentic would lend itself to this treatment I felt such giddy, childlike delight! Not only did creating the cutaway make me happy, but the softly rippling water & gently waving lilies were soothing to paint when I felt stressed– almost like watching an aquarium. So when Anu chose this painting to end our week of illustrated words, it felt just right to be floating out on this peaceful note!

I’m eternally grateful to Anu for making it possible for me to create these pieces & to connect with such lovely logophiles every year. And I deeply appreciate all your support through my Etsy shop, Curious Art Lab, & through your kind comments & messages.

I wish you all a peaceful, healthy & happy holiday season, & I look forward to seeing you again in 2022!