I had a hard time convincing The Boy to make zucchini muffins. He just couldn’t get over the fact that putting a vegetable in a muffin would be a good thing. He finally relented when he found out that chocolate chips were part of the recipe. Needless to say, he’s a fan! Continue reading
Embedded below is a PDF of the April 1981 edition of DUCKWORK which was CREATED FOR THE PHILADELPHIA COLLEGE OF ART COMMUNITY. It was a newspaper put together by PCA students for PCA students, and I found a pile of them free for the taking in the entrance of the building at 260 South Broad Street which housed most of the art school’s classes at the time. I was there on that delightful Spring day portfolio in hand nervously interviewing for my space in the Fall 1981 semester. I grabbed it either heading in or heading out; threw it into my portfolio and still have it 41 years later. Continue reading
One hundred seventeenth in a continued series creating a collage using five elements.
This along with a number of other classified style advertisements for perfectly legitimate products and services appeared in Marvel Spotlight No. 25 published by Marvel Comics in 1975. It was a comic adaptation of Ray Harryhausen’s 1958 fantasy epic The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad. Continue reading
Star Wars clobbered me over the head with its bombastic musical score, fantastic sound design and revolutionary optical effects. I was dazzled as were millions of other kids in the Summer of 1977. It was like a new religion — the religion of summer blockbusters started with the release of Jaws in 1975. I bought the posters, the iron-on teeshirts and I joined the official fan club. Star Wars forever! Bring on the inevitable sequels and the 10,000 knockoffs featuring plucky heroes, wise-cracking sidekicks and elderly wizards on quests! It will never get old.
Then some time in the late 1970s or early 1980s I saw the director’s cut of Dawn of the Dead at a midnight show in a small theater in Somers Point, NJ. It wasn’t a long time ago or a galaxy far away. It was set in Pennsylvania in 1979 during a zombie apocalypse. It wasn’t the most polished production being that it was shot in a wildcat manner by amateurs and semi-professionals with a budget that was probably less than the space opera’s catering budget. It did have a loopy energy, and I sat in the theater not knowing what was going to come next and enjoying every minute of this extended cut. During that magical midnight screening I forgot all about George Lucas and obsessed over George Romero.
The original Dawn of the Dead is not as easy to find than its remake or the many zombie shows it inspired, and if you have never seen it, the movie may disappoint. It is very much a product of its time and low budget. Many of the zombies are extras with an obvious coating of gray grease paint. My guess is their participation was probably had for the price of a box lunch. It doesn’t really hold up, but at the time it was glorious. It showed that a movie didn’t need an army of technicians and a boatload of money. It needed an idea, energy and a camera. It was DIY. It was punk rock.
I know, I just posted a blueberry muffin recipe – but these have lemon zest and juice AND a lemon glaze! I’m thrilled to see summer fruit make an appearance in the market – especially blueberries and peaches. These muffins are very good! Continue reading
Back in the fall of 1981 when I was starting my freshman year at The Philadelphia College of Art, DUCKWORK was the school’s quasi-official newspaper. It was produced by some of the fellows who went on to become independent comic publishers and operated out of a tiny office on the 13th floor of what was then known as Anderson Hall at Broad and Spruce Streets in downtown Philadelphia. Continue reading
Saturday is Caturday so here is our favorite domestic shorthair, Plywood!
I made this lap quilt for one of my favorite neighbors who is celebrating her 92nd birthday today. The squares are six inches, backed by a fleece throw. Happy birthday Jeanette!
Olivia Newton John in Xanadu (1980)
Johnny April and Bay
Bay passed away about a month ago. He was part of a group of neighborhood guys who held court in the park at the end of our street. Weather permitting, they’d gather with coffee, a deck of cards, and engage in animated conversation. Over the years, the number of members dwindled, leaving Bay as the last man standing. Godspeed Bay, the park isn’t the same without you.
I designed the cover of a new novel by W.L. Emery which is now available on Amazon:
“The itinerant wizard with the sesquipedalian vocabulary is back in another anthology of short stories. Accompanied by his traveling companion Mirrabelle, Otheldo encounters mermaids, a violent demon from another dimension, and an evil wizard who has enslaved an entire tribe of fiendishly powerful ape-men. The good news is that he’s employed.”
