Erik Nitsche

Erik Nitsche (September 7, 1908 - November 14, 1998) was a Swiss-born designer who, after moving to the United States at the age of 26, had a long and successful career as a graphic designer and art director. He's most famous for the work he did for General Dynamics, the engineering company, but also created many iconic record album and book covers. I love his abstract geometric images humanized by delicate color palettes. Enjoy!

General Dynamics Annual Report 1955 via

Poster for General Dynamics, Convair 880: world's fastest jetliner, 1959 via galerie123.com

Poster for General Dynamics, General Dynamics, liquid carbonic, medical gases, 1960

Poster for General Dynamics, Astrodynamics, Atoms for peace, 1955

Poster for General Dynamics (Triga around the world, General Atomic) 1960

Gebrauchsgraphic, April 1956

Fortune Magazine, 1954

J.S Bach, The Well-tempered clavier, Decca Records

Debussy, 12 Etudes for Decca Records

Decca Records via

Rachmaninoff for Decca Records via 

Segovia for Decca Records

Mozart for Decca Records

Schumann Dichterliebe for Decca Records

Schubert for Decca Records

Magazine illustration, Eyes of the fighting 9th

Book cover for Harvest Books via

This week on my drawing board

Griff, the wire-haired pointing griffon. 9x12 gouache on wood panel. The print will be in my etsy shop next week.

The old hostess fruit pie

I have a couple of vivid memories about fruit pies. My dad used to go to 7-11 where he would purchase one for each of us 5 kiddos and we would devour them feverishly. Except for my brother, Brian. He always got the lemon flavor. And he ate it soooooo S-L-O-W-L-Y. So much so that the rest of us had long since finished ours, and were drooling for more. That's when he would tease us by making sounds of ecstasy while he savored each bite, even dipping his finger into the pie and licking off the gelatinous fruity filling with great animation.

The second is the time I ran away from home, walking for over a mile in the dark. I got as far as the 7-11 at the corner by the highway, where I bought a cherry fruit pie and hid in the adjacent field to consume it. When it was gone, so was the glamour of my adventure and I turned tail and went home. This is an entry in my art journal. See more on my art journal blog, shoulda woulda coulda

Men & women in uniform

Happy Memorial Day weekend! I'll be trying to figure out how to have a great grill-out using only fruits and veggies and hanging out in the garden. I give you a few magazine covers celebrating the armed forces as well as a couple of films I'll be watching this weekend.

The New Yorker August 1943. Cover by Constantin Alajalov 

A 4th of July 1943 cover by Constantin Alajalov that is also perfect for Memorial Day

The New Yorker Feb 1943 | Cover by Constantin Alajalov

Lilliput Magazine cover by Walter Trier, July 1942

A lot of of war movies playing this weekend on tv, and there are many excellent ones. I have a personal affinity to World War II films. "From Here to Eternity is one of the best.

This has to be my favorite World War II film. William Wyler's beautiful 1946 drama of soldiers returning home after the war to try and pick up their lives. Playing tonight at 10:30pm EST or 7:30 PST on Turner Classic Movies' Memorial Day Marathon.  Don't miss it!