Sounding Better in Latin
/Tim Keller and I started drawing together shortly after we met at the age of 12. That was almost 30 years ago. You get to know a guy pretty well in that time, even a guy who was as private as he was. Tim passed away on September 30, 2018.
In the book Lonesome Dove, one of our all-time favorite characters, Augustus McCrae, misquoted a Latin phrase. “Uva Uvam Vivendo Varia Fit”. From what I can find, it seems to mean one grape ripens around others. I’ve thought about that a lot since Tim’s health took such a downturn. Tim Keller was a good man and a fine friend. I’m a better person for having known him.
Illustrator’s Social Club was our way of staying in practice and staying in touch. We even managed to get a few people to join us along the way. We were especially happy to get to know Rubin Pingk, Chris Hack and Bryan Tipton who contributed so much so many times. They’re good grapes.
Now that Tim has passed on, it doesn’t feel right to keep ISC going. So let’s end it with a couple things Tim drew. I don’t think the Batman was as finished as he would have liked, but it seems like a new, perfect example of where he wanted his style to go. And for purely selfish reasons, I’m re-posting a piece that I feel was one of his most poignant.
Ars Longa, Vita Brevis.
-Michael Hay