Friday, September 23, 2005

Lost artwork found!

Researchers have uncovered two very old, very valuable pieces of artwork. As far as I can tell these are some of my earliest works. They were both included in letters to my oldest brother, Lee, written some 30 years ago. I was 5 or 6 years old. They were carefully preserved—probably in some kind of airtight vault.

In this first illustration, I'm sure you can appreciate the strong compositions, the well-developed characters, the limited pallet, and the incorporation of text. Amazing. My brother is an avid hunter, hence the theme. I placed myself, the guy with the gun, into the illustration, surrounded by cute forest animals in a cozy woodland scene. Bambi's got nothing on me. A tiger, a spotted leopard, a curious bunny and what I'm sure is a majestic eagle all living together under a spider like sun while I stand there shooting fiery blasts from my rifle into the air like some kind of crazed rebel, and yet still finding time to send a cheerful "Hi Lee" to my Bro. This drawing has so many levels that it is hard to find the deep meaning hiding therein, but I'm sure it exists and I'm sure it is a strong statement that I was making. Maybe I was protecting the animals from an unseen alien invasion? You don't know.

The second piece clearly shows my ability to spread peace and joy throughout the world. Children are snuggled in their warm beds dreaming of the piles of presents Santa is sure to bring them, while overhead ole St. Nick is rocketing through the star-filled sky, led by his faithful reindeer. Thin wisps of smoke trail from the chimbleys (that's what my dad calls them) of the humble little homes under the moonlit landscape. Can you feel the peace and joy yet? I used red and white to emphasize the Christmas theme with just a touch of brown to bring it all together. It's like a friggin Hallmark card.

So you can see I was destined to become an artist. I'm sure my parents kick themselves for not saving the "good stuff" from my even earlier years. Lucky for the world, these two rare pieces were saved to document the small beginnings of this artist’s life.

10 comments:

Drazen said...

The hand of a master is already evident!
A real tresure.
I think my earliast drawings that still exist are of a fokker triplane and Captain America.
great post Guy

Unknown said...

These are sooooooooooooo cute!! Soo precious.

Otto said...

These are great drawrings. I'm totally feeling the joy. If I may give a little constructive criticism, though, I think the perspective on the houses is a little off. Maybe it's just me.

MikeS said...

That was a great post Guy! A really good read. Thanks for sharing!

So when are they going up for auction at Sotheby's?

Have a great weekend!

Kactiguy said...

Drazen, Alina- Thanks!

Otto- I love good criticism. It is the only way to really grow in this buisiness. However, coming from you, an architect, I'm not really sure how to take it. I know you have an eye for such things, but you also have tools to help you draw. No straight edges, rulers and CAD programs for this guy. These houses were obviously drawn freehand which brings them to a whole new level. I would love to see some of your early work. I bet you designed some sweet Lego loading docks when you were a kid.

Smook- I was afraid people wouldn't actually read this post because they couldn't get past the fab artwork. Thanks. Unfortunatly this artwork has been placed in a private collection. This may been the only time it will be available for public viewing.

Amy said...

Hey now, I've been an art teacher for ages 5-7 in the last few years, and those are goooood! Impressive! You would totally have been one of my favorite students. :)

Otto said...

Guy, I hope you know I was totally kidding. The fact that you were even thinking about perspective at that age is impressive. As for my childhood drawings, well let's just say it's a good thing computers came along.

Suzie Petunia said...

This is why it makes me cry to throw away ANYTHING my daughter draws. I know she's going to be a famous artist!

Kactiguy said...

Otto, I was kidding too. Except for the loading dock part. If I had the money I would have you design me one for my house. I would be the envy of the neighborhood.

Suzie- I've been saving a bunch of my kids stuff but after a while I realized the draw a crap load of stuff. Now we only save the occasional great drawing. And we make sure they put their name and date on it. Can't wait to see the work of this famous daughter of yours.

Lorien said...

A loading dock? Yeah baby! That would make unloading groceries so easy! In fact, I could just have the grocery trucks deliver here and start a neighborhood grocery delivery business. Oh, the possibilities.