I will always be grateful to Professor Davis Taylor (English Dept.) for noticing that I actually spent more time in studio art classes than I did in science labs. He asked me if I’d considered going into dentistry instead of medicine, since part of doing dentistry is artistic. With logic typical (for me, anyway) of a twenty-year-old, I responded, “Why would I want to do that? All the dentists I’ve ever known were jerks.”
Luckily for me, I followed his advice. And happily, I went into a subspecialty in dentistry that involved as much art as it did science—maxillofacial prosthodontics, making facial prostheses for patients that had lost ears, eyes, or noses, usually from cancer surgery.
Since I’d continued to take art classes over the years, I knew when I retired that I wanted to spend my time painting and drawing, and I’ve been happily doing mostly that since I retired. Although it’s important to first learn how to draw and paint things that are realistic (e.g., my drawing of the dogs below, and the not quite finished portrait next to it), there’s no point in trying to compete with a camera. Drawing and painting what I imagine or what I feel and think I see is the most satisfying to me (e.g., my painting, the cottage up at the lake, above).
Also, I’ve been playing a guitar for so long I should be really good by now. (Not!) And I’ve been blessed with good fortune again, as I’ve been taking guitar lessons from my freshman year roommate, Roger Lasley ’72. Roger was a really good guitar player when he came to Carleton at 18, but now he’s amazing, and he’s a wonderful teacher. Learning about music theory and the structure of chords is completely new to me. I’ve read that really working hard to learn something challenging is one of the best ways to maintain our brains and bodies. Although it’s mostly a joy, especially learning old Beatles tunes.
— Todd Lund