The Way We Were

I've just been reading some books by the painter, Eric Sloane.  He was even better with pen and ink.  He illustrated and wrote a series of books about life in the 18th and19th C. that are full of beautiful diagrams of tools, machinery and trees. In "A Reverence for Wood" he explains the proper way to dismantle a barn... (don't just knock it down with a tractor !) He also writes about how back in the day, people knew how to get along with the environment so much better than we do now (even though we think we are so smart).  They are great little books:
Once Upon a Time: The Way America Was
A Reverence for Wood
A Celebration of Bells
I just unearthed this painting I did a while ago, which also takes place in late early 1900s (and it involved a barn.) I like the way the colors came out.

Artists of Deception

This book I designed and co-authored.  It's based upon the exhibit I co-curated with Rick Beyer, who has been researching this unique WWII outfit for his documentary film, called "The Ghost Army." It will be released next year.  My father was in this outfit, along with many other artists, including Bill Blass and Ellsworth Kelly.  Three cartoonists: Victor Dowd, Bob Boyajian and Roy Harford, who worked worked on Captain Marvel and many other comics before and after the war, were also in this outfit.

"We were sleeping in hedgerows and foxholes, but nothing kept us from going someplace to do a watercolor" John Jarvie, 603rd

They were all sent to Europe armed with rubber tanks, phony artillery, and sound effects in order to deceive the enemy. They also brought along their sketchbooks and painted their way across Europe.  This 48 page paperback, printed by Sotheby's, is jam packed with photos, drawings and stories of their unique adventure.  For more info about the Ghost Army visit Ghostarmy.org. To see more pages and to order this book visit Amazon.