My Grandfather - an Amazing Craftsman

Hi All,

I hope you're having a great day.  I've got a busy weekend going, but I wanted to take a little time and share about one of my grandfathers, Arnold Vahl.  As not only a grandparent, but also an artist, he was a huge influence in my life and my work.

I was blessed to know all four grandparents who were all amazing and talented people, but today I'm going to highlight my Grandpa Vahl.  Last week, while at my parents place in Texas, I came across a very old photo of Arnold Vahl; my grandfather.  He's seated at a work table in a print shop where he worked.

My Grandfather: Arnold Vahl (seated).

 As a young man my grandfather served a four year apprenticeship to learn the art and trade of being a lithographer.  He learned to create the master artwork for printing; they etched the artwork into the surface of very heavy stones.  Labels were then printed off of these stones.  The precision work on these stones is exceptional and the detail; nothing short of amazing.

Lithography Stone; artwork etched by Arnold Vahl. Size: 10" x 8"x 2.5"deep.

Not long after my grandfather became a skilled craftsman in lithography, printing technology advanced and lithography stones were no longer used.  So my grandfather became a printer.  He ran huge printing presses.  I remember once when I was a young boy, visiting the shop where he worked.  He showed us around...everything seemed so huge and magical - as printed products came out of these big printing presses on large sheets.  If I remember correctly he worked on an 8 color press.  I remember they did a lot of labels for Oscar Meyer back then at the shop where he worked.

Lithography Stone; etched by Arnold Vahl

Arnold Vahl was a very talented man.  He learned a trade and when it became obsolete, learned a new one.  He was an artist and skilled in many ways.  He was also a painter.  He painted oil paintings, signs...I remember him producing many creative projects.  He was meticulous and precise.  He never did sloppy work.  Perhaps something that became habit when he was etching the precise artwork on to the surface of the lithography stones.

Tools of the master: scribes for etching, pens, pencils, brushes, watercolor pads, a steel triangle.

My Grandpa Vahl was musically talented also.  He was a very good violin player.  I believe I remember hearing about him playing in the orchestra pit for the silent movies.  I just remember enjoying his playing at parties when I was a kid.

My grand dad has passed on several years ago now, but I'll always have fond memories of him.  As a kid, he would bring me piles of scrap paper from the print shop to draw on.  I never ran out of paper and he always encouraged me in my drawing and artwork.  He was also the guy that showed up at the house with Grandma and had some kind of treat that he would judiciously dole out (Hershey's Kisses or MnMs).  He enjoyed listening to the Brewers game on the radio, on a summer day while enjoying a cold Pabst Blue Ribbon and he loved playing dice games.

As a kid we sometimes butted heads; we were so different and so alike in so many ways.  I've learned so much from him and as an artist myself, I treasure the photo, the stone and tools I now have of his, but most of all I treasure what I've learned from him.  I wouldn't be the artist or the man I am today, without so much of the experience that he passed on to me.  Thanks Grandpa.

Have a great weekend everyone.

Peace,

Tom

On Line Portfolio:  www.Behance.net/tk-art
On Facebook:  www.facebook.com/pages/Tom-Kreienbrink-Art-and-Design