I just learned that a friend of mine, Bernard Perlin, passed away in January. He was 95.

I met Bernard in 1995 when he came to Spokane to speak to the local ad club about his experiences producing WWII propaganda posters for the Office of War Information. Bernard was an exceptionally talented artist, and his war posters remain some of the most iconic from that era. One of my most prized possessions is an autographed copy of his famous “Americans Will Always Fight for Liberty.”

I visited Bernard in his Ridgefield, Connecticut home in the fall of 2012. My family and I enjoyed lunch and listening to his amazing stories. We walked away with a wonderful painting he first completed in 1966. (I say “first” because he reworked the canvas over time.) It now hangs in helveticka’s new studio.

Bernard Perlin was, and shall remain, one of the most incredible people I’ve ever had the pleasure to know. RIP, BP.