Jon Murrill transitioned from a career in art education to painting murals full-time in his hometown of Roanoke and surrounding areas of southwest Virginia. Here, the spray paint can-wielding artist poses on a lift before his “Neon Owl” piece at a coffee shop in Blacksburg.

Roanoke Muralist Seeks to Inspire Passion for Public Art

Joseph Kellard December 26, 2024

A Norfolk Western 1218 locomotive emerges from a hazy, sage-green landscape painted on a three-story brick building in downtown Roanoke. The mural, titled “Nature Train,” features two tall trees shedding leaves, along with a squirrel and vines clinging to what was the world’s most powerful historic steam locomotive built by the railroad, now the Norfolk Southern, based in this city of southwest Virginia.

Photographer Bernard James snapped this picture of Ray Charles at the Saratoga Jazz Festival in New York, one among his 150 images of famous musicians he is shopping to collectors. (Photo: Joseph Kellard)

Photographer Finds His Groove Capturing Legendary Musicians

Joseph Kellard April 24, 2023

For years, Bernard James kept his film photographs of legendary musicians, from B.B. King to Aretha Franklin to Miles Davis, in photo albums few ever saw. The North Carolina resident eventually framed these images that he shot at music festivals during the 1980s and ’90s, and some were showcased in group exhibits at libraries on his native Long Island. Now he’s taking more steps to share them with the world.

Theodora Zavala showcases her diverse paintings in solo and group exhibits at galleries, colleges and libraries in New York City and Long Island.
*Photos Joseph Kellard and Theodora Zavala*

Artist Theodora Zavala Captures the Essentials

Joseph Kellard March 6, 2023

Theodora Zavala paints in multiple genres and diverse subjects, and therein lies a lead to what fundamentally drives her as an artist.

Parisi Rides Nostalgia to Bulk Vending Success

Joseph Kellard February 27, 2023

Frank Parisi’s office showcases machines that speak to his life in the bulk vending industry of gumballs, toy charms and plush toys.

A Salute to My Father

Joseph Kellard June 15, 2019

When I was a community news reporter, I wrote several stories about veterans, most of whom served in World War II. Some were grand marshals of parades, others were new recipients of medals or honors, and a few were featured in film documentaries and books. In telling their stories, I discovered something that united many of them.

Gail Neuman stands beside one of about 25 steel wire trees she has sculpted the past two years. Her poplar-like recreation is displayed at The Omni, a Long Island corporate building with a lobby that doubles as an art gallery. (Photo: Joseph Kellard)

Wired Into Winter Trees

Joseph Kellard March 13, 2019

There’s something about the way Gail Neuman explains how she constructs a sculpture that inspires a likeness to an architect detailing blueprints for a building.

Blowing His Own History

Joseph Kellard April 3, 2017

Edward Jimenez had flown in from Southern California to play his trumpet in midtown Manhattan, and I had just crossed the street from Central Park when our paths crossed.

The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center held its first performance, Samuel Barber’s Antony and Cleopatra, on September 16, 1966. (Photo: Joseph Kellard) — The Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center held its first performance, Samuel Barber’s *Antony and Cleopatra*, on September 16, 1966. (Photo: Joseph Kellard)

Metropolitan Opera’s Tour Offers Peek at Backstage Productivity

Joseph Kellard September 16, 2016

Maria Callas and Mario del Monaco stared at me from a wall in a corridor. I locked eyes with the celebrated singers, their portraits on canvas were the first of various theatrical encounters when I toured the hidden halls of the famed Metropolitan Opera House earlier this year.

In her autobiography Infidel, secular activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes about the life-saving impact Western novels had on her while growing up in Africa and Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Joseph Kellard) — In her autobiography *Infidel*, secular activist Ayaan Hirsi Ali writes about the life-saving impact Western novels had on her while growing up in Africa and Saudi Arabia. (Photo: Joseph Kellard)

Harlequin Saves

Joseph Kellard April 1, 2015

In the acknowledgements of her haunting yet heroic autobiography Infidel, secular activist and ex-Muslim Ayaan Hirsi Ali thanks several people who helped her to survive the brutal Islamic and tribalist cultures from which she was raised in Africa and Saudi Arabia. But the people who likely helped her most are those she never met, specifically authors from Emily Bronte to George Orwell to Danielle Steel.

I reunited my cousin, Lynn, for the first time in many years after she travelled to New York to cheer on the Denver Broncos before they played in Super Bowl XLVIII at MetLife Stadium in February.

My Inaugural Year in Review

Joseph Kellard December 31, 2014

This is a first for me, writing a year-end review of my productive activities and accomplishments. It derives from my practice, initiated in 2011, of faithfully keeping a log of three good things that I made happen each day, all 365 of them.

Photos of lower Manhattan serve as a backdrop for models of the Twin Towers at the Skyscraper Museum in New York. The photo on the left shows the area before the towers were built; the second after construction was completed. (Photo: Joseph Kellard/… — Photos of lower Manhattan serve as a backdrop for models of the Twin Towers at the Skyscraper Museum in New York. The photo on the left shows the area before the towers were built; the second after construction was completed. (Photo: Joseph Kellard/Courtesy Skyscraper Museum).

My Memories of the Twin Towers

Joseph Kellard September 14, 2014

The Skyscraper Museum in lower Manhattan has a section devoted to the World Trade Center that includes models of the Twin Towers, photos of the towers in various states of construction and completion, and extensive videos of the building project.

A stainless steel replica of the Twin Towers is the centerpiece of the September 11, 2001 Memorial at Eisenhower Park in East Meadow, NY. (Photo: Joseph Kellard)

On September 11, I Tune Out to Think About What's Important

Joseph Kellard September 11, 2014

It is September 11, the day when I leave my TV and radio off and avoid mainstream news and commentary about the atrocities committed on American soil 13 years ago.

Ken Marino, a New York City firefighter who was a casualty of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center  on September 11, 2001. (Photo: Marino Family/Joseph Kellard) — Ken Marino, a New York City firefighter who was a casualty of the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. (Photo: Marino Family/Joseph Kellard)

Ken Marino Remembered for His Unmatched Passion for Firefighting

Joseph Kellard September 10, 2014

If its dimensions could have been quantified, Ken Marino's love for firefighting was an Empire State Building among skyscrapers. His interest in the profession was sparked at the time when young boys begin thinking about what they want to be when they grow up.

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