An Artful Judge
With the passing of S. Arthur ("Art") Spiegel at 94, our community, legal and beyond, has lost an honorable jurist, civic presence, veteran, pilot, and painter. He really enjoyed putting brush to canvas. I enjoyed the chats, letters, books and visits we shared from time to time about painting. One day Art invited me to spend a lunch hour visiting the studio of Cincinnati artist, Tom Bacher, a memorable and fun experience because the artist turned off the lights to show us the glow-in-the-dark materials he added to his paints. Judge Spiegel's artwork included a large number of well-observed portraits, including a donkey with a hat on he jokingly referred to as a self-portrait. His artwork conveyed the sense of enjoyment he had in painting. But I think his interest in painting went deeper than a hobby--it reflected one (not all, but one) of Art Spiegel's chosen and purposeful ways of seeing and interpreting. Whether from behind the bench or behind the easel, his lens was wisely, uniquely and honorably his.
