Monthly Archives: December 2024

Berserk Acrylic on Text on Canvas, 6″ x 6″

I’m certainly no advocate of frenzied violence, but somehow I’ve always liked the word Berserk, so when Anu suggested it I was eager to give it a go.

My hand does most of the thinking when I’m sketching, and in this case it took over completely. Though the Berserkir of Norse legend were human warriors dressed as bears, my hand decided that an armed orm made for a better “B.” Then the weapon that began as a battle-axe somehow morphed into a fly-swatter, which made me laugh.

Soon I had our orm surrounded by a swarm of insects, but then I realized it would be even funnier if he were facing a single tiny foe. (A very rare instance of Leah minimalism– though the horror vacui caused by the disappearing swarm was partially allayed by a rather elaborate & calligraphic flight-path.)

Back to my maximalist ways, & remembering a dazzling exhibit of military metalwork I saw many years ago, I gave our orm a horned helmet emblazoned with a filigree fly, & the motto “7 in 1” as a nod to The Brave Little Tailor, Grimm’s famed insect warrior.

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

Gobbledygook Acrylic on Text on Canvas, 6″ x 6″

Acrylic painting by Leah Palmer Preiss depicting a rooster with Trump's head, spouting Gettysburg gobbledygook against a background of dripping ketchup

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.

Mimetic Acrylic on Text on Canvas, 6″ x 6″

Acrylic painting by Leah Palmer Preiss depicting two circus monkeys forming the letter M for Mimetic

Step right up, folks! Don’t miss this year’s week of illustrated A.Word.A.Day words with Wordsmith Ringmaster Anu Garg!

The show opens with a pair of mischievous monkeys, illustrating our first word, “Mimetic: Copying the behavior, appearance, or characteristics of others.”

With the initial “M” in mind, my first thought was the classic Marx Brothers’ mirror scene, but once the phrase “monkey see, monkey do” came to mind I was off to the circus instead!

There, two marvelously mobile monkeys mirrored each other to make a mutual “M” (& more “M”s appeared in the background, for good measure.) It was a fun one to paint & a merry diversion from the maddening political circus going on this year. (Unlike the next illustration! Come back tomorrow if you dare to enter that sideshow!)

This painting & prints are available in my Etsy Shop, Curious Art Lab.