Veterans Day '08

Best to all Vets out there....all who've served, and all who currently are! Both of my granddads served in WWII and I think of them today. One other comes to mind today -- Mr. Thomas Kustelski. His son Tom and I have known each other since the 6th grade -- by far the oldest friendship I have. Yesterday was one of the toughest days for the elder Kustelski. He said goodbye and buried his great wife of 55 years, and mother of his nine children of which my buddy Tom is the youngest. Add to that -- today's Mr. Kustelski's 76th birthday and he's a great American military veteran. As tough as yesterday was, today might be even tougher for him. So I'm thinking of him.

The artwork is an oil painting/shadowbox assemblage I did for REALMS OF FANTASY MAGAZINE several years ago. They asked me to illustrate a wartime ghost story called "Last Tour of Duty" by Devon Monk and this was my solution. Still one of my favorite early works...