The Goblin King by Debra Hathaway and Eric Heath

Dragon Wings LLC, located in Maryland, has produced some of the most beautiful marionettes I believe I have ever seen. All of them look like time-worn, thoroughly loved childhood playthings from a bygone era. As their site says they, "design, sculpt, paint, cast, carve, sew..." all of their creations.

Both Debra and Eric are married, are the proprieters of Dragon Wings and have teamed together to create these creative and artful objects of beauty. Eric, a Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Clown College graduate, is also responsible for Syracuse University's "Orange" mascot! Additionally, Dragon Wings will reach a milestone next year, turning 20.

I decided to list this one since Labyrinth is one of Kevin's favourite childhood movies. This particular marionette was made custom by for a very cool lady.

They also do amazing commisions for marionettes of pet(s).

Tiempo by Francisco de Goya

It was recently reported that Goya's Children With A Cart painting was stolen during its journey from an Ohio museum to an art exhibit in New York City. The painting, estimated to be worth over $1 million, was originally a model painting for a tapestry.

Goya's work is probably not as well-known as other artists today. He was a Spanish painter who was often hired by royalty to paint portraits and other works of art. In his old age he went deaf in his left ear. Today it is thought to have been the paint that Goya used which contained lead. Much of Goya's art is typical for the era in which he painted; however some of his work is far from ordinary. In fact some of it is frightening, disturbing and, yes, even grotesque. One drawing in Goya's Caprices series, for example, includes ugly old witch-like women manhandling a couple of very small children. One of the witches in the drawing is stoking a fire with a baby's exaggerated flatulation while another old woman fellates a baby. Many lovers of his art have said his most disturbing images are nothing short of brilliant, namely the pieces that belong to his Black Paintings collection.

One of his most startling paintings include Saturno Devorando a su Hijo (Saturn Devouring His Son).

The above art is entitled Tiempo, which means Time in English. Please click on the image for a better view. You may see much more of his art here.

Whale And Eggs by Brook Slane

Kevin bought this piece a couple of months ago from Brook Slane, an artist he discovered and quickly became a fan of. His favorite, however, was already sold by the time Kevin contacted him so Kevin went ahead and bought a very limited edition print from him.

I’m still not too clear on what the title of this is… I just call it Whale and Eggs This is definitely my favorite of Slaine’s work. He’s really talented at creating whimsical characters and putting them in very imaginative situations.