Barber Shop Nostalgia.

It seems every time I go down to South Jersey to see my Dad, I encounter someone from my childhood.
And of late, I've been indulging in nostalgia.

About two weeks ago I took my Dad to get a haircut, at Joe Barca's shop, in the little town of Elmer.

A visit to Joe's Barber Shop is like stepping back into a Saturday Evening Post cover, from the late 1940s.

Joe is still cutting hair at the age of ninety four. When I was a youngster, he was my barber.

On the wall he proudly displays a picture of himself, as a dapper young pilot, during the second world war. But the image I will always remember from those visits to his shop, to get my "DA" trimmed, is the one below.

It's by the illustrator Paul Detlefsen, once famous for his idyllic scenes of country life.
I, of course, was the naive farm boy in the straw hat. I knew even then I wanted to be an artist.

This is is an illustration I did about a year ago, for a puzzle company. Most Illustrators I know, no matter
their age, are fueled by the child still lurking within.

And here is an image from two years ago of Joe and his son, Joey, who is the other barber in the shop.
Next time I'm in South Jersey, guess where I'll be getting my long-overdue haircut?