Author Archives: Diana Ani Stokely
Lutefisk – graphic art
In Bosque County, Texas you will find many Norwegian descendants who hold on to the old ways. The city of Clifton has been recognized as the “Norwegian Capital of Texas.” Docents in Norwegian bunader (folk dress) give tours of local … Continue reading
Taylor – photo art
Taylor is the daughter of a friend of mine. She needed a poster for her part in a talent show on the last day of school. Taylor’s original idea was to copy the art from the music CD. I had … Continue reading
Mary – photography
Portrait photography will include setting the person at ease, moving to catch the right fall of light and shadow, and editing for impact with the cropping of boundaries. Mary was a little shy, holding back until I got her to … Continue reading
Annaprashan
When a child reaches the age to eat his first solid food, the moment is celebrated in a special ceremony called Annaprashan. The family meets in a temple, follows through a series of prayers, and receives blessings from the priest. … Continue reading
Eastman Kodak
Eastman Kodak 2-A Folding Autographic, made between 1915 and 1926. Shutter settings are T, B, 1/25th of a second, and 1/50th of a second. The f/stops range from 7.9 to 45. With its folding case, this was considered a portable … Continue reading
Peter Pan
For this poster, I looked at acrobats, like the flying circus acts, to see how the body arches and pulls its way through the air. The spiky hair was my nod to the bad boy, Peter Pan, and the color … Continue reading
Around the Square
The Hamilton Economic Development Corporation asked me to submit some photographs to use as window dressing for an empty building on the Square. I had done a similar project before, and the building was leased immediately, and still is occupied. … Continue reading
A Piece of Her Mind
It helps that I have worked with Amy Abbott for years, and we understand each other easily, without needing a lot of explanations. Amy asked me to make the cover for her latest book, a gathering of short stories written … Continue reading
Naked Yoga
Linda Seccaspina is a prolific writer. I am thinking this is the 4th book cover I have made for her, but it is hard to keep up. She likes bright colors, and is a little wacky (if you couldn’t tell). … Continue reading
Bloggin’ Baseball
Andrew Wolfenson’s second book, Bloggin’ Baseball, showcases his understanding of the sport of baseball, the business and politics of it, and the love of the game by a true fan. To create the book cover, I used a combination of … Continue reading
Baked Alaska
The wine, bread, and cheese, introductions, conversations, stories of travels came spiced with libations. The salad was tasty with laughter for dressing. The clinking of silverware echoed a blessing. While savory sides met up with the meat, our lingering sighs … Continue reading
Hotel in the Woods
This is another one of the old photos from my foray to the Homestead in Hico. It is too pale to discern details — all I could tell was the photo showed a group of people, and it looked like … Continue reading
Jessica and the Canon eos5dmarkii + 85_1p2_ii
I love my camera. Since what I love most is portraiture, I wanted to get the best possible lens specifically for that. I pondered over the camera and lens purchase for about 2 years. Finally, at the end of 2011, … Continue reading
Fiddle Player
One of our local attorneys brought in this photo. The littlest girl on the steps is his mother. That’s his grandfather standing tall in the middle. His great-grandfather is the one on the right side of the porch, missing … Continue reading
Mime
Mimes, like many painted face clowns, have enjoyed less than open-arms welcome in recent years. But I know a mime, and a kinder, more empathetic person does not exist. Children are especially fond of her act, maybe their communication skills … Continue reading
Blue Nude
I made this art on a bet. I challenged myself to draw something, anything, using only elliptical shapes, with a limit of three colors. These kinds of drawings have a surprising number of layers. By joining certain layers into labeled … Continue reading
Shelly
Shelly knew she was going to die, cancer had the last word about that. But, she planned accordingly, creating her own funeral. She wrote words to guide the preacher, picked the songs to be sung (one was from “Easy Rider), … Continue reading
In His Own Defense
Andrew Wolfenson’s first book, “In His Own Defense” is an international action mystery. The lawyer who tangles with a Brazilian femme fatale and follows her to Rio to clear his name is nothing like the law-abiding family-loving lawyer who wrote … Continue reading
Menopausal Woman of the Corn
Linda Seccaspina’s first book, “Menopausal Woman from the Corn” is funny, sad, and quirky — all delivered in short bursts of energetic muse. I do not color my hair, nor will I ever choose to do so, and I know … Continue reading
Tattoo Style
This was my submission for the 2013 Hamilton Dove Festival t-shirt.
Ayn Rand Joke
When Stephen Colbert made a Valentine’s Day joke at Ayn Rand’s expense, I decided to illustrate it. I found an old photo of Ayn, added sketch details and some funky colors, then typeset the “poem.” Just for giggles.
Cowensville High School Misremembered
Linda Seccaspina’s third book was a collaboration with her fellow bloggers, gathered over time, edited and published, with proceeds going toward the anti-bullying campaign in the high school where all these memories started. I was given a few photos, the … Continue reading
Killer of Angels
Kenneth Sibbett’s first novel, “Killer of Angels” deals with a psychotic murderer. My cover design shows a handsome fellow, little angel children reflected in his sunglasses. Even though the subject matter is gruesome, it feels like this illustration was able … Continue reading
Sister is Found!
Months after my purchase of old photos at the Homestead in Hico, I returned, and picked up a few more faded cards. Imagine my surprise when the girl who emerged appears to be the sister of the one I call, … Continue reading
Girl and Chair
Not long ago, I visited the Homestead in Hico, Texas. I was happy to come back to my shop with a handful of photographs. I particularly like to find photos of faces, taken in natural settings with ambient light. To … Continue reading