Edward Gorey was an American artist/illustrator famed for his quirky, gothic and somewhat macabre drawings. In his centenary year (he was born in 1925, died in 2000), the Customs House in Leith was the venue for a small exhibition of works by artists paying him tribute.

Above: A view of The Shore in Leith from the Customs House. A blue sky in February.

Right: From the Pious Infant by Edward Gorey.

The art of drawing, illustration and printmaking is such a neglected field that it was great to have a show like this. I think most cities could really do with a dedicated gallery for the graphic arts, Edinburgh included.

Thanks to Paper Galaxy (Linda Hughes) and everyone else involved for taking the time to curate and put this together.

The exhibition was called Phantasmagorey.

The The Gashlycrumb Tinies is a great example of Gorey's work and black humour: an "ABCD" book of weird and wonderful situations ... and untimely deaths. The "tinies" come to unforunate ends.

Below: From the The Gashlycrumb Tinies (1963). This illustration is taken from the Gorey page at Lambiek.

Almost all the art at Phantasmagorey was by artists paying Gorey tribute, including a few I know such as Kate Charlesworth (who lives in Leith apparently), Tom Gauld and Steven Appleby. As you would expect, many pieces were quirky or macabre as well.

Right: The Prim Reaper by Morten Morland

Right: The Match by Ray Baker. A great "Pen on Paper" construction.

Below: I didn't catch the creator of this. Gorey loved making up strange animals.