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.
Read MorePhotographer 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
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.
Read MoreTheodora 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
Theodora Zavala paints in multiple genres and diverse subjects, and therein lies a lead to what fundamentally drives her as an artist.
Read MoreParisi Rides Nostalgia to Bulk Vending Success
Frank Parisi’s office showcases machines that speak to his life in the bulk vending industry of gumballs, toy charms and plush toys.
Read MoreA Salute to My Father
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.
Read MoreWired Into Winter Trees
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.
Read MoreBlowing His Own History
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.
Read MoreMetropolitan Opera’s Tour Offers Peek at Backstage Productivity
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.
Read MoreHarlequin Saves
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.
Read MoreMy Inaugural Year in Review
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.
Read MoreMy Memories of the Twin Towers
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.
Read MoreOn September 11, I Tune Out to Think About What's Important
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.
Read MoreKen Marino Remembered for His Unmatched Passion for Firefighting
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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