Art for the next generations

 The Lost Words, by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris...here excerpted by Maria Popova in her Marginalian.

I've long been an admirer of Jackie Morris' art, since she once was a blogger herself. 

She not only does elegant watercolors, but is a mistress (master?) of gold leaf.

I followed the process of Macfarlane's and Morris' publishing this book, so that words removed from the English Dictionary about natural critters and plants would not be lost to the education of the next generation.

It moved so many educators in England and Wales, that movements came up with funding to put this book in each school library in England (not sure but primary grades at least).  It was certainly sold in most of the independent bookstores there.

This done, music was also devised to express the glory of these words, these creatures that would refuse to go unnoticed in the English language. 

Lost Words Blessing Song

Then there were the Selkies, the wonderful seals. Jackie painted them with wonderful inks on great pieces of beautiful paper. She even did this in front of audiences who listened to the music composed for them. It was a wonderful joining together for those who supported poetry, visual arts, book printing, and composition of new music.

I've followed this path of Ms. Morris', which screeched to a halt with COVID. So that's when I purchased some of the art and books myself. And last week just finally realized I was ready to read "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" by Morris with her illustrations. It's a Norwegian myth story, brought back to the 21st century, or perhaps forward. I had looked at the illustrations when it arrived, but it's sat on my bookshelf for several months. It's now my alternate book for bedtime reading (I still haven't finished Robin Wall Kimmer's Braiding Sweetgrass.)

When I gave each of my loved ones a card with Jackie Morris' art on them, as part of their Christmas gifts...some of them fell very short. But the gift was made.

So the generations may be influenced by the arts.