Protected from the Cold

It's hard to find information in English on the young Japanese illustrator Akitaka Ito,

so I'll just share a selection of his animal portraits and hope that their beauty, 

tenderness and subtle humor will warm up your day!

Monday Matticchio - Fox bracelet

Sunday Safari - Barbagianni

Massimo Caccia

 Alice Melvin

Oiva Toikka, Littala barn owl

Peter Vos

Catherine Ledner

Jan Mankes, 1913, thanks to Huismus 

François-Xavier Lalanne, Oiseau de nuit (grand), 2004

Matt Dangler

Annegert Fuchshuber, Zwei und Mehr

Saverio Polloni

Matt Cipov

Plankton Art Co.

SImona Mulazzani, illustration from Vorrei avere...

Martina Merlini

Dan May, The Witness

Renée Tremi, thanks to Artodyssey

The Shrine

Thanks to my daughter and music connoisseur Michelle for sharing with me 

this beautiful and haunting video for The Shrine/An Argument by Fleet Foxes. 

Directed by the very talented Sean Pecknold, who is also brother of Ryan, 

the band's frontman.

Everybody Must Get Stoned

Instead of our traditional Monday appointment with Franco Matticchio, this week 

we have a special treat: a series of illustrations of cats and stone-throwing mice 

from his children's book based on the lyrics of Ti tirano le pietre,

a famous 1967 Italian song very similar to Dylan's Rainy Day Women 12 & 35.