In Transit

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Yippee!  I've been approved; signed the paperwork and forked over my rent & security deposit.  I'll begin renting a studio space in Oil City's Transit Building on May Day—the maddest, merriest day of all the glad new year.  In the meantime,…

Listening to books

I'm a big audiobook fan.  While I stand and paint, or drive to out-of-town schools, I devour books by listening to them. Sally Alexander, a friend of mine through the western Pennsylvania chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers &…

Happy Rabbie Burns Day!

From the Vance & Louise Torbert Collection.

Oh boy, more pirates!

I just found these photos of the decorations we did for Vacation Bible School at Third Presbyterian Church in Pittsburgh.  The theme was pirates, and since I'm your go-to guy when it comes to pirate stuff, Michelle (our associate pastor) asked…

An early Christmas gift

Our British friends, the Wallaces (John, Sarah, William & Sam) sent a delightful little children's book about a British family who travel around the United States.  It's titled: Flight Three, U.S.A., A Ladybird Book of Travel Adventure. …

Trouble in the Poconos

I was sure sorry to read about this—it looks like Frank Frazetta's kid tried to burgle the gallery.

Kids and reading

Illustrator Kelly Light writes a thoughtful essay about encouraging kids to read.  And how do you do that, without making it seem like an obligation?  She has a daughter, so her recommended reading is girl-oriented.  I should get myself together…

Have a hubble bubble Christmas

I just received a book in the mail—a copy of The Year Without a Santa Claus by Phyllis McGinley, with illustrations by Kurt Werth.  The J.B. Lippincott Company published this title in 1956. This was the poem that inspired the animated TV…

You’re a mean one, Mr Grendel

Let's face it: there's nothing new.  We create only by standing on the shoulders of giants.  What came before is a blueprint for our every effort.  The legacy of Western culture is a valuable gift because without it, there's hardly anything…

It’s never too late

Here's a wonderful story about some overdue library books, and how the anonymous borrower redeemed his/her honor 50 years later.