Artists You Should Know: Norman Rockwell

He's a beloved figure in American art, and because of the very thing that made him a bit insecure. Rockwell called himself an illustrator as if it was a somewhat lesser classification than painter, which brings up a pet peeve of mine. He was a fabulous painter, and a staggering genius at portraying human emotion. Who gives a rip if his paintings were on magazine covers? In what parallel universe does this detract from their initial execution as paintings?! Geez. I was so sorry to learn that this bothered him, and wish I could've told him how much his work means to me - as an American, as an artist and as a human being.

Thanks, I think, to Stan, who wrote, "Hey Shelley - where the (blank) is Norman Rockwell?" Well, hey Stan - he's here now, and just in time for the holidays. You'll just have to try to excuse me for not writing any (insert your favorite expletive here, Stan)-ing faster, 'K Bud?