50th Anniversary of the Corvair !

I worked at Campbell Ewald in Detroit on the Chevrolet account for a few years starting in 1956, first as head art director on Chevrolet sales promotion, then on the national magazine ads. After that I was working with Fenton Ludtke in a special group called PLUS ONE. We were in direct competition with the regular Chevrolet group and were encouraged to come up with wild ideas.That lasted about a year for me. Jim Hastings was moving up and offered me his job as creative director. I decided against it as I wanted to pursue an illustration career and I quit the agency. I was also weary of agency politics. Upon quiting, I was immediately rehired to work on a very secret project, the Corvair announcement ads. Hastings set me up in an office in the GM Building near Campbell Ewald, my first job as a freelancer. Because of my involvement with these Corvair announcement ads I was invited to come down to Jacksonville, Florida for the CORSA's 50th anniversary bash. I'll be meeting my old friend Fenton Ludtke as he was also invited. Should be fun.



Dave Newell, Chevrolet historian, asked me if I would design an anniversary medallion, which is shown above.



These are the announcement ads that I designed for the Corvair. I decided to use a strong decorative cartoon approach which Chevrolet approved.

More of my work for Ford Times

The Garden of the Gods in Colorado.


A more graphic approach was used in this rendition of the Kentucky Dam.


Another stylistic interpretation of Kentucky Lake.


This double spread painting was done for Ford Truck Times. I did work for Lincoln Mercury Times as well. These paintings were all done between advertising assignments.


A painting of a rodeo in Carson City, Nevada.



This is a photograph that I took from a lookout tower in the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia. The art director of Ford Times, Arthur Lougee, wanted me to do a painting using the photo as a guide. I tried and tried, but just couldn't make it work, so he decided to use the photo for the cover.


A cover painting for Ford Times, it's a view of Jackson, Wyoming.

Ford Times was a great outlet

The harbor at Galveston, Texas. Some of my paintings were done on the spot, others were done from photographs taken while traveling.


A painting of Pecos River Canyon done using a reference photo that I had taken while in the area.


The harbor at Gloucester, Massachusetts.


A painting of Gail, Texas.


Monte Ne near Rogers, Arkansas.

More Ford Times paintings

Pivot Rock in Arkansas.


Wupatki ruins in northern Arizona.


A painting for a story about snowshoes.


Jim Donahue, my boss and owner of Allied Artists art studio in Detroit took Herb Schiebold and I on a trip to Mexico in 1947. On the drive down we stayed at the Casa de Palmas Hotel in McAllen, Texas where I painted this watercolor. That's Jim sitting in the chair on the lawn.


Here's a decorative version of Kelly's restaurant in downtown Houston, Texas where we had dinner one evening.

Have fun on the 4th !

I did a variety of art for Ford Times

A painting of the winter birds at Montauk. I was starting to use the Designer's Colors opaquely rather than as washes of color.


The Black Hills, South Dakota.


Scotts Bluff, Nebraska.


Bad Water in Death Valley.


A decorative version of an adobe brick making maxchine.


A map of homegrown legends in the United States.

I had fun doing art for Ford Times

Doing art for Ford Times Magazine was fun and a welcome break from the advertising assignments. It was also giving me a lot of exposure nationally.


Another rendering done using washes of Designer's Colors.


A western scene rendered with colored inks, this is probably the last painting I rendered using the ink medium.


A painting of Acoma rendered with Designer's Colors.



Both of these paintings were rendered with Designer's Colors on Whatman hot pressed illustration board using washes of color.