I attended a professional lecture at a local museum and got to learn about an interesting and creative artist that I am very fond of. That artist is Ralph Steadman. His exhibition has been on the road in America and I was lucky enough that it moved into Eugene for a four month stay. The exhibition was called “A Retrospective: Ralph Steadman” and as his fan, I could not have been any happier to see his work in person. When I heard there was to be a lecture on his work, I had to attend.

The lecture I attended was called “Steadman On Steadman” which was held at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon. It was conducted at the museum on a Saturday which was the  fifth of October. The guest speaker for the event was Ralph Steadman’s daughter Sadie Williams. I was a bit bummed out that Ralph did not show up, but I was excited to hear from his daughter’s perspective of him.

Sadie Williams’ lecture is my first art lecture and was worth attending. She talked as we were at the dinner table and she did a great job entertaining us(audience) with stories of her father and sharing with us intimate tid bits of his personal life. We also got a treat to see a recorded message from Ralph Steadman that he made. He apologized for not making an appearance due to him feeling under the weather. Ralph also wished his fans well wishes. The lecture had amazing depth and I got to learn some very interesting things about Ralph through his daughter Sadie’s eyes.

One of the interesting things I found out about Ralph was that he had taught himself to draw. This was interesting because I thought he learned his craft at an art school. Sadie said that her father would just carry pen and paper on his person and just draw what he would see. The way he taught himself is familiar to the way I taught myself to draw as well. He just practiced his own craft over and over again and became a professional at it. This information was an important thing for me to listen to because it just shows how with determination and with practice, you can achieve what you strive to become. Sadie said that her father believes that anyone can draw with practice. 

Another interesting fact that I found out about the Gonzo artist, was that Ralph idolizes Leonardo Da Vinci. Like Da Vinci, Ralph dabbled in art, innovatations, and music. He wanted to accomplish what his idol had accomplished. The Gonzo artist built a plane with a rear engine that he flew off his roof. The plane crashed immediately without anyone in it. Not to much detail went into that incident other than him moving on to remote control planes of his own design. On the music side, Ralph composes and sings his own songs when he is not painting with dirty water. Besides drawing and painting, he also makes sculptures. One of his sculptures is one of Hunter S. Thompson. For aiming to be like Da Vinci, Ralph Steadman has accomplished great success in the innovation of his art style. 

Ralph Steadman is a rare artist that I am privileged to have around  in this world. His art really speaks volumes to me and this lecture from his daughter/manager Sadie, gave me a more intimate look into the life of a man I idolize. This event was well over an hour and after that, My girlfriend and I ventured “A Retrospective: Ralph Steadman”  exhibit till closing time. It was a total package event and felt like I was exploring his thoughts and dreams. If you have never heard of this man, I hope you seek him out in your next Google search. Better yet, go see the exhibit for yourself at the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art. Will only be in Eugene till January 19 of 2020.