Today is Viktor Schreckengost's 100th birthday. You may not recognize the name, but you've seen his work. Not only was he an artist in the traditional sense, in painting & pottery, but he also designed a lot of industrial things, including toys.

In Cleveland, his hometown; his work is everywhere, from the bird building at the Zoo, to school auditoriums and even the backyard, where thousands of kids pedaled little toy cars designed by him.

 At the nearby Rocky River Library his crowning piece of pottery is displayed, the Jazz Bowl, which was designed for Eleanor Roosevelt when her husband, the future president, won the govenorship of New York state. It's quite stunning, large & vividly colored. A perfect example of the Art Deco style which characterises so much of Shreckengost's work. You can see quite a bit of his various projects at a website devoted to him: viktorschreckengost He was playful, but no less of an amazing genius.