Inspiration comes from everywhere.
If my earliest drawings indicate anything, most of my inspiration came from nature —especially animals. My work is replete with dogs, cats, and horses. As I grew older, popular entertainment turned my head—especially comic books. The colorful drawings below are a sampling of my creative output while in grade school. The stories behind these characters are seared into my soul: the misunderstood Spider-Man, the gruff but loyal curmudgeon Benjamin J Grimm, the hard-working Iron Man with the weak heart; even the dread Dr. Doom inspired me with his quixotic fight against Mephisto for the soul of his mother.
Oh, and the black & white drawing above? I drew that picture back in 1996. That’s a self-portrait of me soaking up these stories at my grandparents’ house. Howabout those pants?
My creative bent comes honestly from both nature and nurture. In first grade, my grandmother, a fabulous seamstress, sewed me a Superman outfit. The costume caused a bit of a dispute with my mom when I insisted I wanted to wear it to the school Halloween party under my street clothes. You know, like Clark Kent. Mom pointed out I would overheat. She won that battle. But I would go on to wear it repeatedly through that year. And then my two younger brothers both grew in and out of it. And finally, my son wore it day and night until it finally gave up the ghost. Superman's costume in the comics wasn't as durable as my grandmother's.
Before I was ever born, my grandmother was designing costumes. The source of her inspiration were the movies she loved. When a favorite actress's dress caught her eye, she would run home, create a pattern, and make one for herself! She was a cosplayer decades before cosplaying was even a thing.
And, of course, she also drew those glamorous actresses she admired. Look at the attention she gave to the eyes of each of these starlets! The one marked "VL" is Veronica Lake. Notice that the face underneath her is crossed out? I do the same thing when I'm unhappy with a drawing. Can you identify the other actresses? Some are labeled, some are not.
My grandmother, Evelyn, married twice. Her first husband, Alton R. Kalkwarf, died in World War II and was buried in France. A few years back, my mom sent me copies of his wartime letters to Evelyn. They are beautiful and say so much about the man that cannot be conveyed through just a picture or two of him in uniform. As my grandmother wrote: “His letters to me were so characteristic of him - kind, gentle, finding good in everything and everyone.”
His writing is inspirational. Below are two passages he wrote, which I hope will stir your own thoughts. One is about Clouds; the other is about the Moon. Both are about my grandmother.
The Clouds
“As I sit here near the open window, my thoughts are wandering through the spaces. In the fleecy white clouds drifting lazily through the skies, I visualize our dreams, yours and mine. Some of our dreams travel endlessly and uninterrupted, just as some of the clouds do, onward to realization. Others are caught by turbulent winds and are tossed about and sometimes scattered and shattered. Still, though, when the winds die down, the pieces assume a new form, take a new course, and sail on to new fulfillment with new vigor and new promises. Such is our life, and anyone's life, built on dreams, new dreams and old dreams. It's an age-old philosophy - two dreams meet and merge. Their composition and destination are the same, so together, there is strength, happiness, and fulfillment. Our dream - yours and mine, Dear, merged when we met. It has been tossed about and has had smooth sailing, and is still sailing stronger and more steadily toward a happy fulfillment for you and I."
The Moon
"Darling, the moon is 'beautiful' tonight. It just sits up there and looks down at me, and I can understand why it has such a beaming countenance. It has the good fortune of being able to look down on your lovely person. This also makes me feel more close to the moon because he can look down upon both of us at the same time - so, darling, we really are close together - you, the moon, and I. Dearest, it is all right isn't it, if we share a little bit of our life with the moon. I imagine he is awfully lonesome - all by himself up there."
Studying my grandmother's art and my grandfather's letters reminds me how important it is to leave a legacy—to let people who may only ever see a photo of you with a lousy haircut know who you were deep down inside. This is at least one reason why we create, and maybe the most important reason.
Until next time. Always Be Creating!
Bill
Mom & dad would love this tribute. Nicely done❤