famous authors, fluffy faces: artist chet phillips

image copyrighted and by kind permission of chet phillips

I'd like you to meet Kurt Vonnemutt. Isn't he that guy who wrote Slaughterhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions? you ask. Sort of. Kurt Vonnegut is here reimagined, convincingly so, by Dallas artist Chet Phillips. Vonnemutt has the same curly hair, generous mouth, and kind, pragmatic eyes as his original, and is one of the 20 authors making up Chet's "Literary Pets" trading card series. i crave them.

Here is another writer dear to me from way back in life - Louisa May Allcat, clear-eyed and chin up, as was Louisa May Alcott from early youth. (She grew up with the richest intellectual surroundings. Thoreau was one of her teachers. But her family was very poor, and she began to work when still young.)

image copyrighted and by kind permission of chet phillips

A likeable idea, mixing the gravitas of traditional-looking b&w authors' portraits with oddly appropriate pet faces. You may see the whole set at Chet's Etsy store, as well as a wealth of other things (oh, the Japanese Pets series!), but for the full jaw-dropping wonder of his inventiveness you should go to his website. Be sure and play with the flipbook.