More Edward Gorey Mugs

On my posting from January 22, 2012, I showed a number of Edward Gorey designed mugs that I have in my collection. A generous follower of this blog has sent photos of three mugs that I did not show.

There were two mugs created for the Signals catalog to advertise Mystery!, the weekly series of classic and modern murder stories. The two designs were made with printing that partially disappeared when the mug was filled with hot liquid, revealing new plot twists. While nice in theory, the mugs never really worked that well, and with repeated use the disappearing ink goes mid-tone grey. These mugs must also be hand washed. This is the second design, the first being shown in my previous post. The small helicopter that appears to be hovering at a distance is one of the more unusual aspects of this mug.

The other two designs forwarded to me are mugs that feature Figbash, that enigmatic creature created by Mr. Gorey for his book The Raging Tide. Figbash cavorts merrily on both of these mugs, dancing with a gramophone horn on one and floating amongst commas on the other. The mug with the commas was created for Mr. Gorey's show Inverted Commas.

Dracula & Dark Shadows

We have been watching a lot of Dark Shadows at our house over the past few months. The 1960's & 70's daytime soap is awash with vampires, ghosts, the supernatural, and more than a few passing references to classic horror films. I have not heard that Edward Gorey was ever an avid watcher of the show, but it seems to be the kind of daytime entertainment that he would have enjoyed for its high camp tone and occasional, questionable production values.

While looking up information about actor Humbert Allen Astredo, the actor who played warlock Nicholas Blair, I came across the fact that Mr. Astredo played Van Helsing in the 1985 national tour of Edward Gorey's Dracula. The tour starred Martin Landau as Dracula, and came to the newly completed Ordway Theater in St. Paul, Minnesota on February 4 & 5, 1985. Bill and I attended both performances of the play.

The House With A Clock In Its Walls Art

 I was asked to pick my five favorite pieces of art from the Edward Gorey illustrations for The House With A Clock In Its Walls by John Bellairs. My picks and comments are now on the bellairsia website.

Gashlycrumb Tinies Stained Glass

As many followers of this blog know, I co-own Century Studios, a stained glass studio in St. Paul, Minnesota with Bill Campbell. Each year, we like to create and donate a stained glass window hanging to the Edward Gorey House which they can auction or sell. The piece relates to the theme of the current exhibition, and each is a one-of-a-kind creation.

In 1963, The Vinegar Works was published as three separate books housed in a decorated slip case. The design of the box features a skeleton family dressed in their Sunday best. This year, we have chosen one of the skeletal children who appear on the spine of the box as the theme for our stained glass suncatcher.

The piece is completely hand made using American-made art glass. We chose an unusual textured red glass for the background of the figure. The figure and decoration are hand painted by Bill onto the surface of the glass and is kiln fired to become permanent.

To find out how you might obtain this one of a kind piece, contact The Edward Gorey House.