My Bookhouse

Like a lot of other kids growing up in the 1960s (and 40s and 50s),

I was raised on the "My Bookhouse" series of childrens books.

My Mom read to me from them, the first volume was a favorite.

Along with the Bookhouse volumes, there were supplementary books,

like the three My Travelship books: Holland, France, and Japan.

The art style was similar throughout the books:

Art Deco executed in pen and watercolors.

Clean, colorful, and delightful.

These books impacted my art style that developed 30+ years later,

and also left a lingering affection for poems and short stories.

Even the musical passages are familiar,

I used to try them with my flutophone.

This may be my favorite of all of the books in the series.

My first and lasting introduction to vignettes.

1960s Cookbooks

My obsession with bold, colorful, food-oriented art

may have been sparked by illustrated 1960s recipes.

Now I run across the books at Goodwill and they take my breath away,

everything is so, well almost-artificial looking, its marvelous!

Sugar-painting iced cookies?  That's just like watercolors to me.

I don't know what some of these goodies are, and I don't care.

I'm just mesmerized by how they look.


This doesn't look anything like the grilled cheese I remember,

but the layout is just gorgeous.

Salad, bread, melons, tomatoes, hard-boiled eggs, and dessert

all in one photo?  This is the pinnacle of 1960s recipe art.

Everything seemed to be made in a mold.

Is that a crocheted plate cover?

 The top-down food angles were just becoming popular.

 Eggs, molded, gelatin, fruit - its a cornucopia of awesome!