10 Best Of The Best 2009 Calendars

by Toby

Every year it becomes harder to choose a calendar. The subjects expand and the art work gets better and there are more publishers to check out. This year, I found many wonderful calendars produced by individual artists, some of which are among my collection of 10 Best Of The Best 2009 Calendars..

1. Best Perpetual 2009 Calendar: calendreco®

Dessi Ivanova, the owner of MODDEA design studio, created this perpetual calendar from a double thick acid free paper, buffered to insure its longevity. The processes used to to create the paper were all eco-friendly and you can read about them on the calendreco site. Her elegant, thoroughly modern design is composed of one board of numbers and three days of the week boards that are interchangeable.

calendreco™ perpetual calendar

2. Best Deviant 2009 Wall Calendar: Witchfinder

A digital painter, known as wildlifehoodoo at Deviant Art is a talented artist with a bent towards deviance. We know that the artist is a man from England and that Witchfinder, a General with a preference for witches, is the artist's first calendar. Find the Witchfinder 2009 Calendar here.

Witchfinder 2009 Calendar by wildlifehoodoo, March

Witchfinder 2009 Calendar by wildlifehoodoo, October

This is the back cover of Witchfinder. I just couldn't resist sharing it with you.

Witchfinder 2009 Calendar by wildlifehoodoo, back cover

3. Best Nature 2009 Calendar: Regenwald (Rainforest)

The Regenwald, German for rainforest, published by Palazzi, is an array of gorgeous photos from the wilds of the rainforests, of course. They photos are subtitled in German, French, and English. The finishing on Palazzi paper is top notch, and calendar photos don't get to look more vibrant than these.

Regenwald, Palazzi

4. Best Space 2009 Calendar: Sternzeit (Star Time)

Again, Palazzi does its subject justice. These marvelous space odyssey photos are mesmerizing!

Sternzeit, Palazzi

5. Best Art Nouveau 2009 Calendar: Gaudí

I know you don't always want to see the same old Art Nouveau architectural photos, so outside of the commonplace we go to Spanish architect, Antoni Gaudí, one of the very early practitioners of Art Nouveau. Here are two months from the lovely Gaudí calendar , published by Tashen.

Gaudí, by Tasen, February, 2009

Gaudí, by Tasen, June, 2009

6. Best Modern Wildlife Artist 2009 Calendar: The Art Of Charlie Harper

You've probably seen hundreds of Charlie Harper's characters on cards and posters and not even known they were his. Harper defined himself as a "minimal realist." His art is simple, defined by geometry, with more than a touch of whimsy. The prints in the Charlie Harper calendar are taken from two of his books: Beguiled by the Wild (1994) and Charlie Harper: An Illustrated Life (2007; the year of Mr. Parker's death).

Charlie Harper

7. Best Design Photography 2009 Calendar: Modernism Rediscovered, Julius Shulman

One of the best, if not the best design photographers of the 20th Century, this calendar is perfect for those with a love of photography, design, architecture, or all three! In two years, Shulman will be 100 years old! Available from Amazon.com, the calendar is punctuated as a tear out, so you can easily save the photos you fall in love with.

Modernism Rediscovered, Julius Shulman

8. Best Hobby Art 2009 Calendar: Spindlicity Spindles

You don't have to spin your own yarn to love this calendar. It's warm, fuzzy, and down-homey, and the photography is exceptional. (Of course I like anything that's trompe l'oiel , and the spindles look like they're coming right at you.) Some of the actual spindles are for sale at Spindlicity, as well as the calendar. Also available at Amazon.com .

Spindlicity Spindles

9. Most Adorable 2009 Calendar: Looking at You! by Futurowoman

Futurowoman, a photographer who lists her photo artwork at Deviant Art, has created Looking at You, a calendar of Polaroids of "Big Eyed Dolls," and they are precious. Deviant? No, but really cute!

Looking at You! by Futurewoman

Amelie Starring Blythe (May)

10. Best Collector's Calendar: Lavazza 2009 Calendar, by Annie Leibovitz

Oh, this is so awesome and so collectible, as all the Lavazza's are... It is a limited edition calendar by the Italian coffee company that made its mark on lifestyle and design more than Starbucks! This year's calendar juxtaposes Italy's great architectural monoliths with Annie Leibovitz's modern fashion models, but they are often wearing nothing but a cup of Lavzza on their fingers. Get a Lavazza 2009 calendar if you can, and hang on to it!

Lavazza 2009 Calendar