Author: Paul

Everybody has them. Don’t be afraid to ask. And you won’t have to ask if you just get this new book, appropriately titled, Frequently Asked Questions About Coyotes. It’s published by the Western National Parks Association and Illustrated by Paul Mirocha. FAQ Coyotes won a 2009 media award for publications by the Association for Partner in Public Lands. … Read More

ONE OF THE LESSER-KNOWN MYSTERIES OF SCIENCE is Cocinella psychoanalytica, order Coleoptera, family Coccinellidae, commonly called the rorschach ladybug. Why would such a common insect be absent from the entomological literature until recently. It is impossible that no one had noticed it before now since it is actually quite common in it’s range–all of temperate North America east of the Mississippi River. This attractive beetle … Read More

  What could be more all-American than the hot dog? The Mexican hot dog? This recent import from south of the border may have improved upon that icon of American cuisine. There’s even a new Spanish word for a street-vendor of the Mexican hot dog: hotdoguero. Hot dog historians argue, local chefs dispute how to … Read More

It was a privelidge to collaborate directly with Barbara, the author, to create this cover image for the first hard-cover edition of her book, Small Wonder. It was also unusual for an author to be involved as, almost, an art director for her own book, but that’s how involved she liked to be. I met with her … Read More

Perhaps this is the most difficult subject to ilustrate: DEATH. Especially that of an elkwith all that good meat going to the coyotes. But, in fact, individual death enables life in general to continue. Here’s the actual specs I got from the editors of Bugle Magazine:Illustration 1 – late fall scene – dried grasses, fallen leaves, perhaps a … Read More

This article in a mainstream medical journal outlines ways doctors can use simple centuries old remedies from nature for the common “tummy-ache”. As the article says, most of these complaints are caused by the stresses of growing up and may be eased in simple ways before resorting to expensive tests. After all, chamomile worked for … Read More

When Quaker Oats wanted to promote their new wild berry flavors, they first hired food photographers, but  the photographs of the bowl of oatmeal just did not do the trick. The ad agency called on me to do a super-realistic digital painting of the oatmeal and montaged it with the more whimsical bicycle image by illustrator Katy … Read More