—Leonardo da Vinci

(cross-Canada tour)

Neil Young is touring across the country in support of the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation, raising funds to help the northern Alberta aboriginal band in their fight to preserve their land from oil sands development. The Canadian tour dates include: Jan. 12 Toronto, ON- Massey Hall; Jan. 16 Winnipeg, MB- Centennial Concert Hall; Jan. 17 Regina, SK- Conexus Arts Centre; and Jan. 19 Calgary, AB- Jack Singer Concert Hall.

Tokyo, Japan

Four years ago today, our friend and colleague Shigeo Fukuda, the great graphic sensei, passed on into the next dimension. Japan’s consummate visual communicator, Fukuda-san is known around the world as a playful prankster, a modern-day Escher, and an imaginative creator who “dramatically shattered cultural and linguistic barriers with his universally recognizable style.”

Perhaps Alan Fletcher described him the best (in Masters of the 20th Century): “Shigeo Fukuda is a star in the design firmament—on second thought, maybe he’s more of a comet.” Fukuda-san—there’s no doubt that you’ll continue to light up our heaven…

Shown above a few samples of Fukuda-san’s engaging posters.

—John Lennon

—Rumi

Portland, Oregon

I’m unsure how Emily‘s illustrative work came to my attention… but I like it.

Santander, Spain

By a street artist named Pejak…

—Voltaire

(source unknown)

—Thomas Merton, 1915-1968 (No Man Is an Island)