Welcome to my blog, featuring various pieces from my collection of Oz books, artwork and memorabilia!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Seascapes


John R. Neill's illustrations for The Sea Fairies were just one of many examples of sea-related drawings done by the artist. He had a definite flair for ocean imagery, or dock scenes, or anything related to the sea. He did own a boat and enjoyed sailing, so perhaps this ability isn't so surprising.

I have a large watercolor sketch of a sailboat on rather rough water that show's Neill's skill, even in a simple sketch. The back of the board has a second sailboat image. This was a common habit of Neill's, using the back of a drawing to sketch other ideas - the sign of a frugal artist.

The existing full page illustrations for The Road to Oz are another example of this thriftiness - many of them have a sketch on the reverse side for another illustration in the book.

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