Norman Rockwell is so well known, and so universally admired amongst Illustrators, that it sometimes makes it easy to overlook him. We hear his name, and immediately think of Thanksgiving, and puppy dogs with band-aids… so we don’t bother to explore him further.

Norman Rockwell was an incredibly versatile storyteller, and deserves a closer look more often than many artists give him. Whenever I go through his work, I find something new to appreciate. That’s why over the next few days, I’d like to show off our buddy Norm a bit. Some great paintings, his photographic reference, and his personal inspirations.

For starters, let’s get rid of that ‘puppy-dog’ notion right off the bat.

Southern Justice (Murder in Mississippi), 1965.