Abstract Saturday: Cecil Skotnes

South African (1926 - 2009) He was best known for his woodcuts. Though he began as a painter, he was drawn to woodcutting and made his mark in that medium, later creating the woodcuts as the work itself by painting directly on the carved panel, rather than merely using them to create prints.

Couple - c1965 | Carved, incised and painted wood panel — **Couple** - c1965 | Carved, incised and painted wood panel

Cecil Skotnes | Head | Carved, incised and painted wood panel | 105 x 85 cm Sold - 2014 via Johans Borman Fine Art — Cecil Skotnes | **Head |** Carved, incised and painted wood panel | 105 x 85 cm
Sold - 2014 via Johans Borman Fine Art

Cecil Skotnes | Untitled | 1999 | Incised Painted Wood Panel | 63.5 x 83.5 cm via SMAC GALLERY

Monkey's Wedding by Jeni Couzyn, 1971 | Cover by Cecil Skotnes

+cecilskotnes.com

Tom Swift in the twenties

Here are some earlier Tom Swift books, this time from the twenties. Tom Swift books were a series of science fiction adventure novels published between 1910 and the 2007, numbering over 100. They were written by "Victor Appleton" which was a pseudonym for numerous ghost writers over the life of the series. Tom was usually a teenager, who was very scientifically inclined and inventive. Many of the inventions in the books directly inspired actual ones, including the TASER, which is an acronym for "Thomas A. Swift's Electric Rifle".

Tom Swift and His House on Wheels. New York: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, 1929. First edition.

Tom Swift and His Talking Pictures. New York: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, 1928. First edition.

om Swift and His Big Dirigible. New York: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, 1930. First edition.

Tom Swift Circling the Globe. New York: Grosset & Dunlap Publishers, 1927.

+Heritage Auctions

The book jackets of Arthur Hawkins Jr.

Arthur Hawkins, Jr. (1903-1985) was a legend of jacket design who created some of the most striking covers of the mid-twentieth century beginning in the 30's. Here are just a few examples, some from my own library, from his huge volume work. The "Postman" cover has always been a favorite of mine, though it's unsigned and I just figured out it was his.