But the main strength are the paintings themselves, with their deft mix of quirky images, ad hoc techniques and offhand beauty (Smith).

Capsule stories, like "Sand Trap of No Return," focus reader attention in this deft mix of fact and fun.

Mr. Heppner brought a deft mix of Schubertian grace and romantic impetuosity to Max's big aria from Weber's "Freischütz."

He experimented with running on his own homemade huaraches before trying the Bite running sandal, with its deft mix of ancient sparseness and modern cushioning.

In the case of North Korea, a deft diplomatic mix of economic incentives and threats of trade and financial sanctions is beginning to yield encouraging results.

With her characteristic deft mix of deadpan humor and nightmarish horror, Bainbridge's novel centers on a sequence of upsetting photographs - some of them showing the newly deceased.

Olson, a deft mix of teacher and chairman of the board, said: "It seems the McDonald's hamburgers are grassfed instead of cornfed like in the United States.

"Elegantly Wasted" is a deft mix of rock infused with dance beats.

Here, there are good guys and bad guys, and a structure that copies episodic television right down to the deft mix of plots and subplots.

Ms. Antoni's deft mix of public and private, dream and reality, recalls performance art from the 1960's, but chastened of theatricality and given a fine poetic spin.