A Woman's Work

Beatrix Potter

Dear followers, I apologize once again for the recent lack of posts,

but this semester I taught one more course that usual, and soon realized

that I had to give up some of my leisurely activities, including blogging, 

to be able to stay on track keep focused. My lessons ended yesterday, 

and I am really looking forward to almost a full month of vacation.

Of course, now there's plenty to do around the house...

Fritz Baumgarten, Das Hochzeitsfest im Wiesengrund

Hilda Boswell

B. Twardowski (?), 1925

Boris Kalaushin, 1958

Evgenii Rachev

Anatoli Michailovich Eliseev, Story of the stupid mouse

Feodor Rojankovsky, Frog Went a-Courtin', 1955

Barbara Cooney, The Crows of Pearblossom, 1967

Bernard Waber, An Anteater Named Arthur, 1967

Yusuke Yonezu

Svjetlan Junakovic

Marjolein Bastin

Peter Gut

Agata Dudek, The Crows of Pearblossom

Alberto Montt

Domestic Comforts

Valeria Perrone

Nice to be able to spend a cozy day at home while it's freezing outside...

Arnold Lobel, Owl at Home, thanks to my vintage book collection (in blog form) 

Frank Adams

Joanna Wright

Catherine Zarip

 Matthias Seifarth

 Tom Tirabosco

 Timothy C. Raglin

Métier Illustrateur

William Steig, Silvester and the Magic Pebble

Manon Gauthier 

 Bojana Dimitrovski

Beast wishes

RAI publication cover, 1960

I was delighted to discover the official website devoted to Sergio Ruffolo (1916-1989), one of 

the semi-forgotten pioneers of Modernist Italian design. From the mid-forties to the late eighties, 

Ruffolo worked as a freelance graphic artist for many Italian corporations, political parties and 

state companies including RAI, the state–owned television channel.His assignments ranged 

from logos and advertising campaigns to annual reports, editorial design, title sequences for 

tv programs and various promotional materials. Ruffolo was the designer behind some of the major 

Italian newspaper layouts, most notably the iconic la Repubblica in 1976. He also painted 

and created sculptures, ceramics, jewellery, and collectible card decks. In spite of this varied 

and prolific output, until recently there was hardly any reference to Ruffolo's work on the web. 

The website (still under construction) is well designed and already showcases a wealth of materials, 

from Murano glass chess pieces to newspaper grids and road safety campaigns. 

Animals, and owls in particular, were Ruffolo's favorite subjects in all media.

Dragonflies ceramic plate

Fantastic animal, decomposable plexiglas sculpture, 1974

Owl n.2 and Horses n.2 paintings, 1973–4

Owl and Horse iron sculptures, 1975

My favorite section on the website is a great series of greeting cards, all illustrated with lovable animals 

holding mistletoe branches. I assume that Ruffolo designed these every year to be sent to friends and clients.

All images are copyright © 2008 Famiglia Ruffolo.