Artist of the Month




With corporate success as his springboard, Bridgeton man fulfills his dream of writing novels with suspenseful themes and inspirational messages.

Steve Stranghoener was born in St. Louis, raised in Florissant, graduated from Hazelwood High School and earned a B.S. in education with a major in history from the University of Missouri.  He taught history and coached football and track at McCluer High School and social studies at Hazelwood West High School before embarking on a business career at McDonnell Douglas Corporation.  Steve and his wife, Bonnie, moved their family to Bridgeton in 1986, the same year he joined Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc.  The Stranghoeners are members of Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bridgeton where Steve serves as chairman of the board of elders.  He earned his master’s degree in business management from Maryville University in 1987.  Steve and Bonnie’s three children graduated from Pattonville High School and the University of Missouri.  Steve is an avid sports fan and enjoys local athletics.  He helped to form the inaugural edition of the Pattonville Pirates Football Booster Club and served as the first president.

Steve left Anheuser-Busch in December 2009 to pursue his adolescent dream of becoming an author.  In the past two years he has penned four books.  He likes to bridge the gap between the secular and spiritual worlds writing fantasies, thrillers and murder mysteries from a Christian perspective.  Steve’s aim is to write tales of suspense and intrigue that can stand up to anything available in the commercial realm while delivering a thought-provoking and inspirational message based on rock solid theology.  He delights in St. Louis settings that highlight local landmarks such as St. Ann’s very own treasure, Northwest Plaza (see Tracts In Time).  Steve and Bonnie have three, soon to be four, young grandchildren that they are certain will aspire to be proud PHS Pirates someday and part of the fabric of our Rock Road Community. 

Brief overviews of Steve's novels:



In Murder By Chance, a baffling rampage by what appears to be a bloodthirsty beast serves as an unlikely backdrop for an exploration of man's origin. This whodunit takes the form of a whatdidit as forensic evidence leads to a werewolf panic and raises the question of whether we are the product of random chance or a creator God.



Asunder: The Tale of the Renaissance Killer brings to mind what might happen if you folded The Silence of the Lambs into The Shack. It's a bizarre amalgam that is repugnant while uplifting; repulsive while instilling hope with its astounding visions of heaven and hell. Asunder is a study in good versus evil and the stunning transformations that can occur as our old and new natures battle tooth and nail within our hearts, minds and souls.



In The Last Prophet: Imminent End, JD Uticus is torn from his mundane lifestyle by a miraculous occurrence, his tragic death witnessed by millions of people and astounding resurrection that thrusts him into the public eye, dubbed as the Last Prophet with a message from God about the end of the world as we know it. Its an apocalyptic thriller whose fabric is woven with an erudite treatment of the most compelling questions facing mankind ... when will this world meet its imminent end and then, what lies beyond in the eternity that stretches out ahead?



In Tracts In Time, Baker Paulson must experience a precarious journey through time to save the life of his grandson Ike. In an ironic twist, Baker and Ike encounter a time twisting memory portal in of all places, a dead shopping mall, Northwest Plaza, that holds so many fond memories from Baker's youth. In a literal race against time, Baker finds the true meaning of life in struggling to save his beloved grandson.

Steve Stranghoener's books are available at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com. For more information about Steve and his links to social media, please visit : http://stevestranghoener.authorsxpress.com/ 


Phil Jarvis, January 2012 Artist of the Month

I started working with Phil Jarvis in the 1980's when he was a sign painter at B&N Signs and I worked in advertising for two major St. Louis area home builders.  Through  the years, Phil and his associates at B&N, collaborated with us on directional and monument entry signage for over 30 new home communities in St. Louis and St.  Charles Counties.  Places like The Vineyards, Twin Chimneys and WingHaven, in St. Charles County and Barrington Downs, Baxter Ridge and Lake Chesterfield, in St. Louis County.  If you live in any one of those communities, the chances are real good that B&N's directional signs helped you find your new home and their monument entry signs welcome you on your way home from work every night.  Steve

"Due to the falling economy and housing decline of 2008, I was sadly laid off from B&N Signs, where I was employed for over 30 years. It was a blessing in disguise. I immediately began accepting work for signs and murals around my neighborhood, Benton Park West, in South St. Louis City. From there my reputation as an artist has grown. The work I do now is more creative and more challenging than anything I was able to accomplish working at B&N. I can finally bring my skills learned as a sign painter and my love for making art together." Phil Jarvis
Picasso Blues



Music Major
Still Life with a Peach
One
Indigo Sign

To view more of Phil's work, please visit www.philjarvispaintings.com


Linda Smith, June 2011 www.artbylindasmith.com