The Art Of Ed Mell

The Art Of Ed Mell                                             "When painting a sunset or extraordinary rock configuration, I view it with an eye toward design integrity, I am an idealist attempting to elevate the power of the original vision by reducing it to its architectural elements." Commercial art teaches you techniques. It is always something I will be grateful for, that and the discipline. In commercial art school, skill is stressed as much as imagination. You needed to do things right. Students were taught to approach art that way so that somewhere in the future, when they discover their imagination is the most important thing, they will always have the discipline and the skill to draw upon."                                             http://www.overlandgallery.com/Artists/Mell.html

Thomas Jefferson's Laptop

Thomas Jefferson came up with the idea of a portable writing desk during his 200 mile coach rides between his home at Monticello, Virginia and the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

He designed this desk, with an adjustable book rest and a locking drawer. He gave the drawings to Philadelphia cabinet maker Benjamin Randolph to build.

The Declaration of Independence was written on this "lap box."

The original lap desk is on display at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history-archaeology/small_feb01.html