This is one of the quirkier things I’ve seen lately. An exploded diagram view, when executed well, can’t be beat. This comes via the always fabulous ThingsOrganizedNeatly via Mike Mitchell’s Tumblr of Amazing Things.

Neville Trickett is a breed apart. He seemingly does everything. And he does it with extraordinary ability. He’s a painter, collector, gardener, retail genius and all-around master of the visual world. Trickett says these paintings are his attempt to see again. He finds the images on the internet and then gives himself 15 minutes to paint each one. The gesture of these small studies manages to capture everything and more about the things themselves. See more of his paintings here. And do take a look at his photostream if you want to peer into his vast cabinet of curiosities.

Another terrific blog discovery yesterday: WEETSTRAW!! Animals are actually strange to draw because their anatomy makes less sense than one would expect. So for a fledgling attempt, this method may indeed work.

This image is from a 1997 book about Kindergarten written by Norman Brosterman, with shimmering photography by Kiyoshi Togashi. Kindergarten was a 19th century invention whose original purpose was to teach children about art, design, mathematics and natural history — among other things. This is news to me. I thought those early school days were all about getting me out of the house so that I wouldn’t drive my mother mad. I haven’t yet seen this book, but it is on the list. If there are other images similar to this one, I will indeed be happy.

My friend and all-time favorite librarian, Sue, gave me this book one day not too long ago. As soon as I opened it up I was overcome by a rush of tender memories. I loved that little bunny and his independence. He made me want to escape into the forest and live in the hollow of a tree. Such a good present!