314-504-3478
Saint Louis, MO
Toys Were Us
I want a Cootie Bug . . . If you grew up Christmas observant, your annual ritual may have included the visit to Santa to share your memorized list of toys. If not, maybe you'll still find something herein to appreciate. The Missouri History Museum in St. Louis has a...
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Music in the Key of Whimsy
Strings, Pipes, and Loud Clashing Cymbals! So what's with all these cartoony musicians I keep plastering all over social media? Thanks for asking. There is a bit of a backstory for why I do so many musical images, especially since I'm known more for kid's...
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True Colors
Meet John Gnagy. From five years old onward, a fair number of my Christmas or birthday gifts were art related. My talent was identified early, and encouraged with a variety of creative aids. On that fifth Christmas I received a deluxe John Gnagy art kit. John Gnagy...
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Reformed Whimsy
Happy 499th! October 31 is the 499th anniversary of the start of the Protestant Reformation. To be fair, to say Happy Anniversary is one-sided, as that turning point in history isn't welcomed or celebrated by all. Yet through the past almost 500 years, more Christians...
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A Few of My Favorite Autumnal Things (and Places)
Candy Corn Do you love this stuff? I had my first taste of the season last week when I was enticed by an open dish of these wonderful tricolored kernels. I don't eat a lot of them, and forbid anyone to actually buy me a bag, such is my weakness for them. But in great...
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The Deal of the Arts
For What It's Worth This self-portrait was painted by Rembrandt in 1660. It's called the Altman Rembrandt, because it was bequeathed to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (NYC) by Benjamin Altman. I assume to bequeath is to give for free, but I'm sure Altman paid dearly...
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Love of Labor
The Picnic Happy Labor Day to you. Whether you labor in a field, a factory, an office, or a home, this is a day to honor you. My father was a factory worker. He worked on the assembly line. He was a United Auto Worker, and fiercely proud of it. In retirement he rode...
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Play
A Brief Note This is my first post in a while. Just as I recommited to posting once a week, I suffered a detached retina, underwent surgery, and went into a fairly slow recovery which is still happening. I'm getting better each day, but the fixed eye is still quite...
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Signs
Getting Our Kicks After a couple hours of driving south out of Chicago we were ready for a break, and I suggested we go into Pontiac, IL. I remembered a quaint town square surrounding the courthouse, and that the town promised a pleasant, nostalgic atmosphere. What I...
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Poor in Spirit
There were some present at that very time who told him (Jesus) about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they...
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Sweeping Beauty
Mid-Century Modern My art education was at the St. Louis Community College campus at Forest Park. This spare and efficient urban campus, designed by prominent mid-century architect Edward Durell Stone, rose from the ashes of the Forest Park Highlands amusement park....
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Patient Whimsy
Patient adjective 1. able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious. I've been an illustrator for a long time. Long enough to remember using older tools of the commercial artist's craft. Stuff like Rubylith, rubber...
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Creatures
Spike For Valentine's Day Judy gave me this Topsy Turvy mug. I have a small collection of toys, trinkets, stuffed animals and a few gee-gaws in my studio. Emphasis on a few, I'm not a "collector" of stuff and being something of a minimalist, I believe less is more....
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Jazz
Louis Armstrong When I was a kid, we didn't go to church on Sunday night. Nobody I knew went to church on Sunday night. We watched Ed Sullivan on Sunday night. Everybody I knew watched Ed Sullivan on Sunday night. This was the heyday of The Ed Sullivan Show. I saw...
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Piece of My Heart
The Day Valentine's Day, St. Valentine's Day, to be exact, is a holiday fraught with ambiguity. No sooner have the stores removed the trees, ornaments, and Santa's throne, the hearts appear. Pink-hearted cards, heart-shaped boxes of chocolate, chalky heart candy...
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