New and Brilliant Work from Dave McKean

Sometimes I have a sneaking suspicion that the reason I like Neil Gaiman so much has something to do with Dave McKean. His beautiful art graces the covers of Sandman, the pages of such stories as The Wolves in the Walls and Coraline, and their movie mirrormask seemed one continuous piece of McKean's strangely gorgeous art, which often defies definition and classification. He also has many works apart from Gaiman, including the well-loved if not always well-remembered Cages. If you're not familiar with his work, I suggest you remedy that as soon as possible.

This Wednesday we are getting two new books of McKean's work, The Particle Tarot Major Arcana (a hardcover collection of his illustrations for his own Particle Tarot), and Postcard from Vienna, a collection of black and white drawings inspired by the city of Vienna, and the artists who've worked there over the centuries.

Anyone who likes anything should at least be able to appreciate some of the beauty in what McKean does, which is take everyday objects and people and turns them into beautiful, sometimes frightening, and always surprising images that could be from dreams. Which, incidentally, is what makes his work so complimentary to Gaiman's.

To check some art from Dave McKean, try his official website and come by the shop on Wednesday to see it up close. Well, up close re-printed in a book. You know.

The image here is The Tower from Dave McKean's Particle Tarot.

-Elizabeth