The Louise Stewart Collection
Louise Stewart received training as a fine artist rather than
as an illustrator like myself (not there’s anything wrong with
illustration) and with scarcely more than the stroke of her pen is able to
capture the essence of a person or of a moment. Her art has some of the economy
of Zen painting, but is, somehow, a bit more electric. Here are some of the
sketches she made while attending various fantasy and literary conferences
with Karl, once they had finally, at long last, united, after Karl’s
carrying the torch for her for pretty much his entire life. (Well do I remeber
Karl, well into his cups, late one night on the front porch of Toad Hall, flinging
his empty beer bottle toward the abandoned mansion of the long dead Knoxville
Opera singer Madame Brailey with an anguished cry of “Louise!” and
the answering anguished cry of our friend Butch McCoy of “Karl! That’s
my car!” when
the alcohol-impaired throw fell short.) Here also a number of photos she made
during what may have been the last truly happy days of Karl's life.
All images © Louise Stewart
Louise and Karl
Favorite Haunts
Karl in the Underworld
