Detail from Holy Nativity, Steve O'Loughlin

,,,and very merry New Year from Clan Murphy and Idylls Press! For your enjoyment, we’re sharing with you a detail from a “blessing of the animals” piece painted by artist Steve O’Loughlin for Holy Nativity Episcopal Church in Westchester, LAX. I happened across it the other day on the web, and the artist kindly permitted us to post it for you. Click on the picture to go to the artist’s online gallery, where you can see the entire piece—it’s a beautiful example of a contemporary take on a traditional theme.

The Idylls Press office will be closed from December 24 through January 4, 2009, as we take some much needed time to “chill” with our clan. When we come back, we’ll have some new reviews and some news to share about Idylls Press’ latest title, a gorgeously illustrated edition of Oscar Wilde’s classic, The Picture of Dorian Gray.

In the meantime, if you’d like to order any of our books during our down-time, please contact your local indie bookstore or order through our online Amazon store.