Artist April McConn looked out the window of her studio, taking in the flat landscape of the Colorado plains as she started her new painting of ancient Rome. McConn has spent the last two years creating popular paintings of life in the Roman empire, despite not having access to the massive architecture the Romans are […]

Halfway through the 1999 film The 13th Warrior, the Northmen’s much-feared serpent of fire is seen in the distance, working its way around the mountain towards them. One of the Northmen bangs a gong to warn the villagers, and as the villagers seek shelter the stranger among them, an Arab named Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan, starts […]

As a parent, one of the things we encourage our children to do is to take in entertainment from various time periods, including books, music, and movies. One of the older films we watched recently was the 1986 film Crocodile Dundee, a comedy featuring an Australian man from the Outback and the female news reporter […]

It is truly interesting that fan art is this week’s topic, since it is something I am not only intimately familiar with as an illustrator, but this week my freelance life centers around that very idea. One of the things I enjoy doing is interviewing the cover artists for Apex Magazine, and I am sending several […]

Imagine for a moment that a visually impaired teenager has an interest in building a marble machine, where a small marble can roll down a series of pieces connected to a wall, landing in a cup at the bottom. This project would take materials that the teenager does not have, with knowledge he cannot easily […]

The transcendent experience of seeing an original piece of art in a museum is substantially better than any reproduction could possibly be. Seeing the original artwork in a museum offers reflection, education, and admiration that a reproduction can not provide. The unique crafting of the original artwork piques interest for further works by the artist, and similar artists and movements, far more than any reproduction can match. This article was originally written for my classwork with CSU-Global, a portfolio project. I have adapted it from a strict APA style to a more web-friendly style.

In my home office, behind my computer monitor and at the front of my desk, is a board of various quotes that help me think. Most of them sit outside of my view tonight, in the dark of the evening, but one in particular from Theodore Roosevelt stands out in the light from my lamp. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds;

Note: This article was written in 2010 for a “Visitor’s View” section of Legacy Magazine, when I worked for the National Association for Interpretation. Legacy Magazine was the organization’s magazine, sent to 5,000 members at the time as part of their membership. It is written in an open, easier to read style for varied audiences, […]

Every home has different needs, but the standard furniture we have in them is normally the same. We have beds, dining room tables, dressers, and chairs or sofas. Once you determine what your needs are, you’ll know what furniture your home needs to have. One consideration is having furniture that serves multiple needs, giving your […]

When we talk about beds, we inevitably are looking for the right bed for our homes. There are a few different styles of beds to consider, and those considerations are important before choosing the bed you need. While the choices you make for your bedroom needs vary greatly, it is important to know ahead of […]

There are certain energies that your home has, and we like to talk about feng shui as a way to balance those energies for good health. One aspect that’s not always discussed is the lighting in your home. Balancing the lighting in your home can be difficult, since most areas of the home have multiple […]

Imagine this: you’ve just remodeled your living room, and you can’t quite figure out why it doesn’t work. You have that beautiful, brand new sofa and matching lounge chair. You have a nice set of small tables that accent them perfectly. You’ve painted the walls a relaxing color, matching your new furniture well. Even the […]

Each new year, many of us start off with resolutions. We look forward to the new year as a rebirth of sorts, a revitalization, and we make those resolutions to try and have a better life. One of the most popular resolutions is to live a more healthy life. That can mean quite a lot […]

We are in the busy December holidays now, and many of us are involved in the hustle and bustle of the season. There’s not a lot of extra time to stop and think about your future needs, in between friends and family, shopping, even decorating. For a few reasons, now is actually a great time […]

For many people, November and December mean an increase in the number of guests in their homes. Those guests range from friends coming over for dinner on the big days, to extended family members staying for a few days, a week, or more. Before the busy times get here, it’s good to stop and think […]

Buying new furniture can be a lengthy process, and a lot of thought goes into to purchasing the right pieces for your home. The comfort of the furniture, color, structure, the look and feel, the list of things to consider can get pretty long. What can occasionally be forgotten about in the process are the […]

It can be fun and exciting to buy new furniture. You’re bringing something into your home that you love, that will become a part of your life. But buying furniture isn’t always easy, there are many things to consider before your purchase is complete. First, before you even get to the style of the furniture, […]

When you are buying items for your home, whether it’s furniture, or bedding, even flooring, you want them to be of the highest quality. You also want them to be safe and healthy for your family. We talk about “organic” and “natural”, and even that products are classified by how healthy they are. But what […]

Note: This is a sample of the sales copy and product information that I wrote for my position at Haiku Designs from 2012-2013. It is designed to be an informative landing page, from here this page would lead off to the individual rug styles. It is also designed to have some marketing sense, to both inform and to help keep traffic coming to the website for valued information.

As an avid comic reader, it would be difficult not to hear of Neil Gaiman’s stories. Somehow, though, with the hundreds of comics that I have (possibly thousands, but too hard to count in a box under the bed), I have yet to pick up a comic by Gaiman. After reading his latest novel American […]