In a design sense—and posthumously, anyway. Their professional paths nearly crossed: early in his career, composer-bandleader Raymond Scott recorded for Columbia Records but left the label in 1941, one year before Flora was hired by Columbia’s art department. I’ve long wanted to revive the Flora album cover tradition by adapting his art on new CDs. In 2006, Seattle’s Reptet released Do This!, whose cover was bedecked with a Flora three-eyed monster we call a “triclops.”…

Perhaps we haven’t been formally introduced. I’m the second book of Jim Flora art published by Fantagraphics. I was born in February and shortly thereafter found myself distributed in bookstores and on the virtual shelves of e-tailers. Even though I’m almost four months old, some of you aren’t aware of my existence. So I just wanted to say “Hi,” and give you a gentle poke in the ribs. Go find me and take me home….

Now, as it did in 1943 when Flora provided this illustration for a Columbia Records magazine ad:The smiley flora has antecedents: Title page, Pip Pap Po, print from woodcut, Little Man Press (Cincinnati), 1940

A rare early 1940s relief print of a Jim Flora woodcut, printed by the artist over 60 years ago, is now being auctioned on eBay by the late artist’s family. The auction closes on May 25. The untitled, unsigned and undated work reflects Flora’s early 1940s style, when many of his paintings, sketches and commercial illustrations featured disconnected body parts and pulled-apart faces linked with pin-lines, like a Calder mobile. Flora learned woodcutting at the…

It’s just weird that RCA Victor, releasing a 1955 narrative kiddie record of The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Seuss, would assign cover art to Flora instead of using Ted Geisel’s original figures. Probably a copyright permissions—or lack of them—issue. Still, it’s weird. You’d think the Seuss rights owners who gave RCA permission to use the literary work would object to another artist’s commercial portrayal of the classic illustrations. Flora’s great, but Seuss…

Detail from Primer For Prophets, 1954 CBS-TV trade publication,an alphabet booklet with each page illustrated by Flora

rnie (not Bert!) writes: “the important part here is the artist. I’d never heard of him, but his work is pretty well known in certain circles.”

Above is a rare Flora mid-1950s cover. (Granted, not one of his more spectacular illustrations.) We don’t recall where we obtained this lo-res gif, but it’s the only proof we’ve ever seen of this 7″ EP’s existence. We’ve been trawling for it on eBay and thru online rare vinyl dealers for years, with no success. We’d like to own a copy. We don’t care about the condition of the disc—it can be scuffed, gouged, or…

click for panoramic magnificence Flora created the woodcut RAILROAD TOWN in 1951, during his 15-month family sojourn in Mexico. It’s a manic mural, crammed with sinister figures interlocking like rune-shaped brickwork. Pictured above is a 2007 relief print, with black ink on 280g archival-quality Rives BFK cream. The block measures 11″ x 22-1/4″, and the full print (with border) measures 18-3/4″ x 30″. Working with Yee-Haw Industrial Letterpress of Knoxville, we will produce a limited…

Detail, 1943 magazine ad for Columbia Records saxophonist Horace Heidt. First line of ad: “Did you ever see a magician pull a gnu out of an old coffee pot?” Merlin knows that the dung of the wildebeest reduces the bean’s natural acidity, resulting in a more savory brew. Just like Kopi Luwak.