#personal collection

[arcadebroke]

Urban Aztec Godzilla | Burning Variant

arrived today from Mondo.

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 472

Worlds Beyond Time: Sci-Fi Art of the 1970s

Adam Rowe

Abrams 2023

Another new book from Abrams. We’ve gotten to the point in publishing where, if you’re like me and like large-format art books, you need to get used to the idea of buying them when they are released. Fewer and fewer publishers are taking the risk of releasing art books, and they are staying in print for shorter and shorter periods of time. So, when I heard about this book, I made a point of getting myself a copy, and I’m glad I did. While my preference in vintage book cover art leans more toward the pulp era, it is the 70s covers that I find myself the most familiar and nostalgic. Featuring some all-time greats—Frazetta, Vallejo, Elson, Emshwiller, Mead, the Dillons, et al—and divided into subject categories such as spaceships, cities and landscapes, plants, animals, aliens, fantasy realms, and cryptozoology, this is a beautiful and very welcome look at an incredibly creative, experimental, and occasionally ridiculous sci-fi decade.

[catsofyore]

Discreetly placed security cat. Photo from my collection, ca. 1950s.

[byseanbrown]

[gunhilde]

Socks found in the Northern Necropolis of Antinoe, 4th-6th century AD, on display at the Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Firenze.

[f-liiiz]

Carol Christian Poell Leather Fencing Jacket

Fall / Winter 2007-08 MALE LM/2267 - JUICY-PTC/10 (Calf Leather)

[asuddensway]

Maison Martin Margiela line 11 leather face watch bracelet

A/W 2006

[evenlis]

In my dreams, nothing else mattered and I was happy to be yours. Free to be yours.

- Evenlis

[izasfaceups]

In honor of 2024 being the year of the dragon in the Chinese zodiac, it felt appropriate to repaint my own noodle dragon girl Dollzone Po in white skin. I had absolutely hated the previous Faceup I’d put on her for many reasons, so I was happy to redo her. Also who can resist shimmer freckles?

See for yourself in the before and after below!

The new Faceup is much much cuter in my opinion. I opted for no applied eyelashes this time because her eyes are just so dang small!

The redo was prompted by her new wig, which was the first wig I’d ever sewn like this. The part is messy, but acceptable to me and not bad for my first time working with sewn wefts!

She’s just so adorable, I’m glad I finally bonded with her

[cyborg00-why]

The newest addition to my humble borg collection, also happens to be what I think is the smallest non-chibi figure ever made for the series. Surprisingly she is able to stand on her own and all details are clearly painted. Francoise is just 1.5" tall including the hardware she hangs from and was sold as part of a Special Collectors Box Cyborg 009 set. I am not actually sure what year these were released let alone if it was for an anniversary or other promotion. However, I do know the briefcases came in red, silver, and black.

photo source: x

Each briefcase has it's own serial number and to my knowledge the contents of each set was identical. Francoise specifically was made for a camo phone strap and was just one of the items in the set. Additional items were a solid silver supergun pendant, a white uniformed Joe Shimamura pvc figure, an exclusive clear file, sticker book, several postcard prints, a series of collectors art cards, a themed note pad, and several posters. Complete sets are still fairly common to find depending on briefcase color, and I've seen the necklace and Joe figure sold on their one on mandarake pretty frequently as well.

Despite all the goodies I've only ever been interested in the Fran phone strap. Seeing her sold for dirt cheap on her own felt like it was meant to be! Here she is in comparison to two other figure keychains to get a better idea of scale. Interestingly even among merchandise Francoise seems to have the most variation in hair color as well.

[bones-ivy-breath]

Photo of unknown origin. Personal collection and scan.

[arcadebroke]

[archivist-dragonfly]

Book 538

John Abbot: Birds, Butterflies and Other Wonders (Art of Nature)

Pamela Gilbert

Merrell Holberton / The Natural History Museum, London 1998

In July 1773, John Abbot (1751—c. 1840), a twenty-year-old amateur naturalist, left England to spend the rest of his life in Virginia and Georgia to collect and paint specimens for clients in England and Europe. For nearly sixty years, until his death around 1840, he worked meticulously to catalog, paint, and supply specimens for collectors and other naturalists. Though his work was prolific and in demand throughout his life, he never sought greater recognition and virtually never published, as opposed to his contemporary John James Audubon, despite having painted and catalogued many bird specimens well before Audubon began work. Besides being a talented artist, particularly of insects, Abbot was also a gifted scientist and naturalist. Many of the specimens he painted were extinct within forty years of his death, a consequence he predicted following the increase in human population and changes in farming practices.

[anunwanteddreamer]

I may have an issue. But I love my collection and I'm always adding more.

[byseanbrown]