John Hendrix Sketchbook Cover

(Above) Sketchbook cover by illustrator John Hendrix. Click image for larger view.


JOHN HENDRIX DESCRIBES HIMSELF AS “A DRAW-ER OF PICTURES.” I like to check out his blog Drawing on Deadline, where I (and the world!) are given access to his wonderful mind. Hendrix is a top illustrator in St. Louis, and in the country. His work has received national and international accolades, and is the author of a wonderful, fully-illustrated and award-winning book John Brown: His Fight for Freedom, which can be purchased on Amazon here.

John fills sketchbooks with his drawings like St. Louis Cardinal Albert Pujols hits homers out of the batting cage. Above you’ll see the cover of one of John’s many sketchbooks, a lovely reuse of old stamps he found at a rummage sale. It’s a work of art itself and I dig it. Check out his blog/Web site Drawing on Deadline (see link above), for a peek inside his mind.

Natural Brillance

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ISN’T IT WONDERFUL TO SEE creativity emerge from nothing more than a pair of scissors and ordinary leaves from trees? This goes to show that the best creativity doesn’t have to be complicated or elaborate—just original. These brilliant manipulations of leaves is by illustrator Christoph Niemann. Extremely diverse in styles, more of Niemann’s portfolio can be seen here.

Niemann’s illustrations have appeared on the covers of The New Yorker, Atlantic Monthly, The New York Times Magazine and American Illustration. His work has won numerous awards from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, the Art Directors Club and American Illustration. He is the author of two children’s books, “The Pet Dragon” which teaches Chinese characters to young readers, and “The Police Cloud.” After 11 years in New York, he and his family moved to Berlin.

A Look Behind the Scenes

ARTHUR SARNOFF (1912 – 2000) WAS AN AMERICAN PAINTER AND ILLUSTRATOR famous for his tasteful pinup girls and humorously humanized hounds that played cards, pool and golf. Yep, he was the guy! He was also known for cover art for numerous magazines, including the “Saturday Evening Post,” “Cosmopolitan,” “Good Housekeeping” and “Esquire.”

These sketches, found listed on eBay and purported to be by Sarnoff, would be studies for larger works. Quick and gestural, they do show insight into the beginnings of an illustrators hand. I especially think the baseball sketches are quite nice. Sarnoff created numerous fine art prints, including portraits of President John F. Kennedy, Jackie Kennedy, Bob Hope, Arnold Palmer, and other luminaries. His anthropomorphized dogs were among the best-selling prints of the 1950s and his iconic work was frequently exhibited at museums.

Gil Evlgren: The Man Who Loved Women

(Above) Gil Evlgren (1914 - 1980): Self Portrait, charcoal on paper, 20” x 15”
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(Above) Gil Evlgren: On the House, 1958, oil on canvas, 24” x 30”
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(Above) Gil Evlgren: Darlene (Bedside Manner), 1958, oil on canvas, 24” x 30”
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(Above) Gil Evlgren: It’s Nothing to Sneeze At, 1947, oil on canvas, 24” x 30”
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(Above) Gil Evlgren: A Polished Performance, 1964, oil on canvas, 24” x 30”
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(Above) Gil Evlgren: Something’s Bothering You (What’s Wrong?), 1957, oil on canvas, 24” x 30” Click any image for larger view.


(Above) Gil Evlgren: Check and Double Check (Now Don’t Get Me in a Corner), 1946, oil on canvas, 24” x 30”
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(Above) Gil Evlgren: Sheer Delight (This Soots Me), 1948, oil on canvas, 30” x 24” Click any image for larger view.



I WISH I HAD KNOWN GIL EVLGREN, WHO PASSED AWAY IN 1980. THIS MAN WAS A GREAT PAINTER, AND AS AN ARTIST, he chose to be an illustrator. He is best remembered for his work as a painter of pin-up models. Most consider Mr. Evlgren the greatest pin up artist of all time.

I titled my post “The Man Who Loved Women” because in my mind, there is no way a person could paint women so beautifully without loving his subject. Always with class and style, and the highest standards of taste, Evlgren painted beautiful women like no other. When you click on the images, you can see his painterly technique. It’s rich and lush—like the women he painted. I would have liked Gil, I know it.

Heritage Auction Galleries upcoming online auction, has 8 vintage Evlgren oil paintings up for grabs this Tuesday, Oct 27. The auction is called the 2009 October Signature Illustration Auction #7016. It will be held in Dallas, TX. If you would like to bid, click here. I do need to let you know that most of his paintings will begin bidding at $30,000 - $40,000.

There is a Web site about Mr. Evlgren here.

Heritage Auction Galleries, located in Dallas, TX is the largest collectibles auctioneer and third largest auction house in the world.

An Obsessed Collector

(Above) LESLIE THRASHER (American, 1889-1936)
She Loves Me ...She Loves Me Not
Oil on canvas
17 x 15 in.
Signed lower right
From the Estate of Charles Martignette. Estimate: $1,000 - $2,000.

(Above) AMERICAN ARTIST (20th Century)
Crack Detective, pulp cover, July 1943
Oil on canvas
19 x 16 in.
Not signed
From the Estate of Charles Martignette. Estimate: $1,000 - $1,500.

(Above) AMERICAN ARTIST (20th Century)
The Couple in the Green Light
Oil on canvas
16 x 22 in.
Not signed
From the Estate of Charles Martignette. Estimate: $800 - $1,200.

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(Above) ELLEN BARBARA SEGNER (American, d. 2001)
Sunbeam/Stroehmann’s Bread ad illustration
Gouache on board
11 x 15.5 in.
Not signed
From the Estate of Charles Martignette. Estimate: $700 - $900.

(Above) AMERICAN ARTIST (20th Century)
The Wire Tap, men’s magazine illustration
Gouache on board
20 x 15 in.
Not signed
From the Estate of Charles Martignette. Estimate: $200 - $400.

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(Above) “When I asked for a divorce, I told him I only wanted one thing -- everything!”

BILL WARD (American, 1919-1998)
Men’s magazine cartoon illustration, 1963
Mixed-media on paper
23 x 15.5 in.
Signed lower left
From the Estate of Charles Martignette. Estimate: $800 - $1,200.



(Above) CHARLES CLYDE SQUIRES (American, 1883-1970)
The Intruder
Oil on canvas
24 x 36 in.
Signed lower right
From the Estate of Charles Martignette. Estimate: $600 - $800.


A FRIEND AND GALLERY OWNER IN CALIFORNIA alerted me to this great auction of the late Charles G. Martignette who died in 2008 at the age of 57. Martignette traveled all over the U.S. in the 70s and 80s buying illustration art when no one else was interested. His house was found to be filled floor to ceiling with paintings, as were several warehouses. Pulp fiction, romance, sports, gunslingers, cowboys, science fiction, cartoons—you name it, Martignette bought it. His only criteria— it had to be American and aimed for a mass audience. But before you call Charles crazy, remember this: the best collections in the world come from people just like him. His lifestyle and habits may be abnormal to most people (he never married, btw) but his life must have been full and exciting.

There are many great illustrators in this auction, with some extremely high prices (some have already been sold)—but for this post I selected 7 illustrations with an estimated selling price under $2,000. Check out the auction here.

Heritage Auction Galleries is the largest collectibles auctioneer and third largest auction house in the world. With nearly 460,000 registered online bidder-members, they are also a leader in internet auction sales. Their reputation for professional business practices and vast expertise in the field of art and collectibles make Heritage a great place for those seeking to add to their collections.