Memorial Day in Illustrations
Looking to Memorial Day in Illustrations, I am celebrating and observing two sides of the American holiday, Memorial Day; Summer and Service. Occurring always on a Monday, we naturally experience the resulting phenomenon known as Memorial Day Weekend, the ‘official’ beginning of the Summer Season. Exciting stuff!Uppermost, though, on this Holiday we honor those who served our country, sometimes making the ultimate sacrifice…
I made this artwork for The Reader’s Digest Company while sitting at a kitchen table in a beachfront house in New Jersey many years ago.The image below was also for Reader’s Digest. A patriotic farmer planted this field…
‘In 1861, Secretary of the Navy Gideon Welles broke with a long-held U.S. tradition and asked Iowa Senator James Grimes to author legislation creating a Medal to recognize valor among enlisted personnel. It was hoped the new decoration would increase morale among seamen and marines.’ The Navy Medal of Honor illustration below was also commissioned by Reader’s Digest, for their First Day of Issue philatelic series:
A lot of detail went into this drawing!Next, I want to share a memorial portrait I created for my Uncle, in the Wall Street Journal hedcut portrait style I pioneered. Frank Van Pevenage was a World War Two veteran who commandeered a cannon across Europe in those dark days. He was a great man and I am privileged to be his nephew!
For the weekend part of this, the ’Summer Kick-off’, I’ve assembled a few illustrations on the theme…
Graduation occurs this time of year— “School’s Out!” 
Time for the beach, and all the attendant pleasures of sun and surf.
Easy with the sunbathing—- it can be brutal out there!Let’s finish with a picnic lunch… the first of many:
…and a Memorial Day Weekend cookout —Yum!