Michael Sporn Animation – Splog

- Bill Peckmann filled my box with some delightful images by illustrator Keith Ward. These are the illustrations of a book of Edward Lear‘s poems. I’ll let Bill’s word carry the rest of the post:

Through the generosity of Denis Wheary and his Keith Ward book collection, we are able to pop up a few pages from an old, wonderful 1932 book. The pages are some of the complete “Nonsense Rhymes” of Edward Lear, beautifully and charmingly brought to life by Mr. Ward. Even though small in it’s pocket book size, the book is large in it’s presentation, and the accomplished illustrated art belies the age of the young 26 year artist, Keith.

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Bill Peckmann also sent the following note and email:

Putting Keith Ward on the front burner again, has made a couple of neat things happen. With the help of Leif Peng, I was able to get in touch with Keith’s daughter, Eileen, and her son, Alan (Keith’s grandson).

Between the two of them, we can start to learn about the artist, Keith Ward, as a man. Up until now, it has not easy to get any kind of history on KW. Another one of those great talents that shouldn’t be falling through the cracks of art history. (Sadly, it happens too many times, thank God for blogging!)

Her son Alan is an artist in his own right. Here’s is Alan’s blog (click on above). On it, he makes comments about his grandfather, it makes very interesting reading.

I will also send you their responses to my inquiries, if you don’t mind reading other people’s mail. Hopefully, with the help of Leif Peng and myself, KW will become less of a mystery.
Too bad Rowland Wilson isn’t with us anymore; he’d be getting the biggest charge out of all of this. He was a huge KW fan and never got to know anything about him. Funny thing is, they both lived in the environs of Westport CT. and then they both moved to California, and IMHO they are both a cartoonist’s cartoonist and both never seemed to get the recognition they so richly deserve, go figure.

Here is the letter from Eileen Ward Scott-Moncrieff, Keith Ward’s daughter. She lives in Scotland. I had sent her and her son, Alan, all of our recent posts of KW’s work.

Dear Bill,

Thank you for your email and your appreciation of my Dad’s work. Of course you can send my email address to Leif Peng, whose websit I’ve seen.

I was born in Connecticut, my parents designed and built (had built) a house in the woods on Echo Hill, Silvermine Road, New Canaan. Daddy worked from home and in later years he built a studio in the yard. The studio he originally designed had a huge slanted window, and he worked there for many years until I was a teen-ager. He worked for many advertising agencies in New York, and would send his work in–sometimes latterly I would be his courier. He always wanted to work free-lance, even in later life, after I married a Scotsman and moved to Scotland, where I still live. After I left home he and Mother moved to California (the bottom dropped out of the illustration world in the 50s when photography replaced illustration), where he continued to work as a painter, and had a gallery and taught classes. I noticed, by the way, something by Paul Webb on your website you sent Alan–he also lived on Echo Hill in Silvermine–there were 5 houses there–once when Paul was sick Daddy did his comic strip for him until he was better!

My father was always kind and generous with his time. He would always stop work and help me with anything I needed. He never said, “Go away, I’m busy.”

I too am an artist, but for years I lived under the cloud of my father’s talent–he could draw anything out of his head, which I could never do. I remember I was doing some portraits of children of some people I met, and Daddy came into NY to see what I was doing. He said, “You have something I don’t.” Which amazed and touched me. It wasn’t really true I don’t think, but he always supported me, and respected me–which is true humility, I think.

I dream about him a lot, he died when I was in Kosovo. He was in a home in California when he died, not Florida. He had had a stroke in his eighties and that, coupled with his near-blindness finished his painting. But up to the time he had the stroke, he was still teaching classes, despite the macular degeneration, just getting more and more impressionistic….My mother had died 3 years before and my brother took him back to California–he never lost his humor or his happiness. He was almost 94. He was the best man I ever knew.

If you have any specific questions I will be glad to try to answer them.

Thank you for your interest and appreciation of my Dad.

All the best,
Eileen Scott-Moncrieff

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