In my journalistic career, I covered food at one time. I wrote about it, and eventually illustrated it. While writing was my first love, illustration quickly became another great love, and being able to combine the two was sheer heaven! When that job ended, the two separated. I continued to write and paint but they remained separate. Until...........

Years later, I find I'm combining writing and art again in the Stampington magazines. This is my ideal role, I think; it makes me very happy.

Be good to your friends -- Kevin Bacon.

In the beginning

My artistic life began with a simple box of watercolors. I was strictly a writer/editor at the time, and painting became a wonderful outlet for me. It didn't translate into magazine work until I was hired to write a monthly food column. The art that accompanied my column was so out of line with the text that I was mystified. After the third or fourth month, the artwork was clearly repetitive and said nothing for my writing, so I went to the editor and told him I could provide the artwork with the text as a package; it would save him money and make the column more attractive. He agreed.
My first illustration was for a piece I wrote on eggplants. The staff loved it, and some of them began to look forward more to the illustration than the text. I'm always mindful that if I hadn't asked, I may never have gottten the job. Speak up! What's the worst that can happen? They say, no thanks, and you try somewhere else....

And bread....

And Biscuits Lu for their P.R. company


And peppermills for the Compleat Kitchen

Bon appétit!

Food art

Once upon a time I wrote a food column that I also illustrated, for five years. Every so often I get nostalgic for my foodie days, so I go back to the kitchen of my imagination. I painted one last night but couldn't stop. When I finished the sixth one, I forced myself to stop because it was 2 a.m.