tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-29175697259184938902011-12-20T04:32:03.050-08:00Leif Penghttps://profiles.google.com/111672213320663226648noreply@blogger.comBlogger61100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2917569725918493890.post-9941759565286610452009-08-05T04:33:00.000-07:002009-08-05T04:40:00.325-07:00

This blog was created to supplement the biographical material at rayprohaska.com with even more details and artwork from Ray Prohaska's career. Below are the posts previously published on the Today's Inspiration blog. To read these chronologically, begin with the post immediately below this one and scroll down. When you reach the bottom of the page, continue by clicking "Older Posts". New

Leif Penghttps://profiles.google.com/111672213320663226648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2917569725918493890.post-75807785423958734682009-08-05T04:32:00.000-07:002009-08-05T04:33:02.707-07:00

Recently I received a note from Tony Prohaska, the son of prominent mid-century illustrator Ray Prohaska - another artist I've been meaning to devote some time to on the blog. Prohaska was born in Mulo, Yugoslavia and came to the U.S. as a child. He studied art in San Francisco and found work on the West Coast and Chicago before moving to New York in 1930. There he established a successful

Leif Penghttps://profiles.google.com/111672213320663226648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2917569725918493890.post-13637474934515731342009-08-05T04:31:00.000-07:002009-08-05T04:32:10.552-07:00

* I asked Tony Prohaska if his dad socialized much with any other big name illustrators and - wow! - the stories! As well as being immensely entertaining, these anecdotes shed some light on the status enjoyed by illustrators of that time as legitimate celebrities in their own right. From Ray Prohaska's son, Tony:"When Ray first came to New York he became friends with James Montgomery Flagg, who

Leif Penghttps://profiles.google.com/111672213320663226648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2917569725918493890.post-91512298054280051142009-08-05T04:30:00.000-07:002009-08-05T04:31:29.208-07:00

Tony Prohaska writes, "Ray was a member of the Society of Illustrators from the time he moved permanently from Chicago to New York, sometime after the ‘29 Crash. Through the S.I., Ray became friends with all the illustrators in N.Y. at the time, but his particular favorite, almost a father figure, was Arthur William Brown. Ray and Carolyn were constant companions with “Brownie” . He was a

Leif Penghttps://profiles.google.com/111672213320663226648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2917569725918493890.post-90429827219129886442009-08-05T04:27:00.001-07:002009-08-05T05:24:59.582-07:00

Ray Prohaska was represented by Lester Rossin Associates - the same studio that represented David Stone Martin. Though Rossin had quite a few high profile artists (including Ray) in his 'stable', almost every Lester Rossin ad I've seen from the early 50's features Martin's art ( as in the example below).In 1956 Ray Prohaska received an Award of Merit for the piece below from the New York Art

Leif Penghttps://profiles.google.com/111672213320663226648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2917569725918493890.post-86569786438956857822009-08-05T04:24:00.000-07:002009-08-05T04:25:52.182-07:00

A Ray Prohaska illustration recognized for an Award of Merit by the New York Art Directors Club, 1947... ... and another, from a decade later.I asked Ray's son, Tony, if his dad felt obliged to experiment with new styles during the 50's, to keep up with changing trends. Tony replied, "I think the Art Directors kind of dictated that (the style thing).""I remember Ray saying, in the late fifties

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