diff --git a/core/src/main/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImage.java b/core/src/main/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImage.java
index dbc49f8..c278032 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImage.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImage.java
@@ -151,32 +151,33 @@
         if (image != null) {
             setBounds(0, 0, getImage().getWidth(null), getImage().getHeight(null));
             invalidatePaint();
-        }
-        else {
-            image = null;
-        }
+        }       
 
         firePropertyChange(PROPERTY_CODE_IMAGE, PROPERTY_IMAGE, old, image);
     }
 
     protected void paint(PPaintContext paintContext) {
-        if (getImage() != null) {
-            double iw = image.getWidth(null);
-            double ih = image.getHeight(null);
-            PBounds b = getBoundsReference();
-            Graphics2D g2 = paintContext.getGraphics();
-
-            if (b.x != 0 || b.y != 0 || b.width != iw || b.height != ih) {
-                g2.translate(b.x, b.y);
-                g2.scale(b.width / iw, b.height / ih);
-                g2.drawImage(image, 0, 0, null);
-                g2.scale(iw / b.width, ih / b.height);
-                g2.translate(-b.x, -b.y);
-            }
-            else {
-                g2.drawImage(image, 0, 0, null);
-            }
+        if (getImage() == null) {
+            return;
         }
+        
+        double iw = image.getWidth(null);
+        double ih = image.getHeight(null);
+        
+        PBounds b = getBoundsReference();
+        Graphics2D g2 = paintContext.getGraphics();
+
+        if (b.x != 0 || b.y != 0 || b.width != iw || b.height != ih) {
+            g2.translate(b.x, b.y);
+            g2.scale(b.width / iw, b.height / ih);
+            g2.drawImage(image, 0, 0, null);
+            g2.scale(iw / b.width, ih / b.height);
+            g2.translate(-b.x, -b.y);
+        }
+        else {
+            g2.drawImage(image, 0, 0, null);
+        }
+
     }
 
     // ****************************************************************
@@ -209,27 +210,23 @@
      * returned.
      */
     public static BufferedImage toBufferedImage(Image image, boolean alwaysCreateCopy) {
-        if (image == null)
+        if (image == null) {
             return null;
+        }
 
         if (!alwaysCreateCopy && image instanceof BufferedImage) {
             return (BufferedImage) image;
         }
-        else {
-            GraphicsConfiguration graphicsConfiguration = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment()
-                    .getDefaultScreenDevice().getDefaultConfiguration();
-            BufferedImage result = graphicsConfiguration.createCompatibleImage(image.getWidth(null), image
-                    .getHeight(null));
-            Graphics2D g2 = result.createGraphics();
-            g2.drawImage(image, 0, 0, null);
-            g2.dispose();
-            return result;
-        }
-    }
 
-    // ****************************************************************
-    // Debugging - methods for debugging
-    // ****************************************************************
+        GraphicsConfiguration graphicsConfiguration = GraphicsEnvironment.getLocalGraphicsEnvironment()
+                .getDefaultScreenDevice().getDefaultConfiguration();
+        BufferedImage result = graphicsConfiguration.createCompatibleImage(image.getWidth(null), image.getHeight(null));
+        Graphics2D g2 = result.createGraphics();
+        g2.drawImage(image, 0, 0, null);
+        g2.dispose();
+        return result;
+
+    }
 
     /**
      * Returns a string representing the state of this node. This method is
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImageTest.java b/core/src/test/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImageTest.java
index a1acb03..b3a49a7 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImageTest.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/edu/umd/cs/piccolo/nodes/PImageTest.java
@@ -28,12 +28,17 @@
  */
 package edu.umd.cs.piccolo.nodes;
 
+import java.awt.Graphics;
+import java.awt.Graphics2D;
 import java.awt.image.BufferedImage;
+import java.io.File;
+import java.io.IOException;
+
+import javax.imageio.ImageIO;
 
 import junit.framework.TestCase;
-
-import edu.umd.cs.piccolo.nodes.PImage;
 import edu.umd.cs.piccolo.util.PBounds;
+import edu.umd.cs.piccolo.util.PPaintContext;
 
 public class PImageTest extends TestCase {
 
@@ -52,4 +57,54 @@
         PImage aNode = new PImage(new BufferedImage(100, 100, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_ARGB));        
         assertNotNull(aNode.toString());
     }       
+    
+    public void testToBufferedImageReturnsCopyIfToldTo() {
+        BufferedImage img = new BufferedImage(100, 100, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_RGB);
+        BufferedImage copy = PImage.toBufferedImage(img, true);
+        assertNotSame(img, copy);       
+    }
+    
+    public void testCanBeCreatedFromFile() throws IOException {
+        BufferedImage img = new BufferedImage(100, 100, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_RGB);
+        File imgFile = File.createTempFile("test", ".jpeg");
+        imgFile.deleteOnExit();
+        ImageIO.write(img, "JPEG", imgFile);
+        
+        PImage imageNode = new PImage(imgFile.getAbsolutePath());
+        assertEquals(100, imageNode.getImage().getWidth(null));
+        assertEquals(100, imageNode.getImage().getHeight(null));
+    }
+    
+    public void testCanBeCreatedFromUrl() throws IOException {
+        BufferedImage img = new BufferedImage(100, 100, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_RGB);
+        File imgFile = File.createTempFile("test", ".jpeg");
+        imgFile.deleteOnExit();
+        ImageIO.write(img, "JPEG", imgFile);
+        
+        PImage imageNode = new PImage(imgFile.toURL());
+        assertEquals(100, imageNode.getImage().getWidth(null));
+        assertEquals(100, imageNode.getImage().getHeight(null));
+    }
+    
+    public void testImageCanBeSetFromFile() throws IOException {
+        BufferedImage img = new BufferedImage(100, 100, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_RGB);
+        File imgFile = File.createTempFile("test", ".jpeg");
+        imgFile.deleteOnExit();
+        ImageIO.write(img, "JPEG", imgFile);
+        
+        PImage imageNode = new PImage();
+        imageNode.setImage(imgFile.getAbsolutePath());
+        assertEquals(100, imageNode.getImage().getWidth(null));
+        assertEquals(100, imageNode.getImage().getHeight(null));
+    }
+    
+    public void testPaintAnEmptyImageNodeDoesNothing() {
+        PImage imageNode = new PImage();
+        
+        BufferedImage img = new BufferedImage(100, 100, BufferedImage.TYPE_INT_RGB);        
+        
+        PPaintContext paintContext = new PPaintContext(img.createGraphics());
+        imageNode.paint(paintContext);
+    }
+
 }