by Godfrey J. Ellis This cartoon illustrates a concept used by Joe Miller called the Curse of Knowledge. He makes the point that we don’t always know what we know and tells the story of trying to teach his son how to drive a car. The lesson assumed his son knew things that he didn’t […]
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Abe and the 12% Haters
by Godfrey J. Ellis All of us have detractors and haters and we all have our fans and supporters. It’s a part of life. In the book, we talk about not letting the negative opinions of, at most 12% of the people we meet get us down. One of the examples to illustrate this point […]
Communication Sucks
by Godfrey J. Ellis This drawing is to show the difficulty with communication in the English language. Even if the speaker chooses words wisely, the listener must then decode the words into an assumed interpretation based on culture and personal experiences. The cartoon asks how phrases such as this one can be effectively shared.
The Big Squeeze
by Godfrey J. Ellis This cartoon was NOT drawn for the book. In August of 2019, we attended a 50th reunion of the Vancouver 1st Ward. Participants were encouraged to share the story of their joining the Church at that time. My story, from back in early 1963, included the funny incident of two large […]
In the Cooking Pot
by Godfrey J. Ellis – 1992 This painting was done in 1992 as a joke for my niece Christina. I was then 42 years old. Christina’s son, Tyler, had crawled into a cooking pot that was sitting on the ground by their tent when they were camping in a mountain retreat. She shared a snapshot […]
Torn Knees (Ellis)
by Godfrey J. Ellis – Acrylic 1990 The source photo of 10-year-old Braden Ellis was taken when he was sitting on the porch of the Huntamer family home in Lacey, Washington in 1990. We thought it was very cute. Braden is now a father of 3 including a 13-year-old. This was painted long before torn […]
Joseph Fielding Smith
by Godfrey J. Ellis – oil 1970 This painting of the prophet of the time, Joseph Fielding Smith, was the first true portrait that I can remember painting. I was a 21-year-old missionary in France when I painted it for the contacting boards that my missionary companion, John Horejs, and I were building. It came […]
The Banjo Lesson (Ellis)
by Godfrey J. Ellis – Oils 9×12 1970 This small painting of my brother, Barry Ellis and his daughter Tania, is dated 1970. Since, I was on my mission from 1969 to 1971, it is likely that my mother sent me the reference photo (dated 1969) and that I painted it at the same time […]
The Ellis Book, Volume One: East Grinstead to 19th Century Southwark
by Godfrey J. Ellis and Merry E. Ellis The Ellis Book, Vol 1, is a family history or genealogy work that deals with the Ellis families of East Grinstead, England. It starts with the very earliest Ellis names, from the Norman invasion in 1066, through the time of Shakespeare, and follows them into the late […]
The Ellis Book, Volume Two: The Descendants of Henry and Sarah Ellis
by Godfrey J. Ellis and Merry E. Ellis The Ellis Book, Vol 1 was, almost by definition, a family history or genealogy work. As such, it requires a little more commitment to read. That’s because, 1) it is based on scarce and ancient records, which are largely birth, marriage, death records, and wills. In addition […]