A daughter’s perspective

I always knew my dad as an artist and photographer: even before he started to work from home he drew on everything (napkins, scraps of paper, my bedroom wall) and it felt like every day was photo day. Either we posed for jobs (book covers, movie posters, catalogs, advertising) or he snapped reference material or directed a “family and friends” photo shoot.  I hung around in his studio and helped in the darkroom and when a bit older delivered jobs to NYC.  It was fun and a way to connect with my dad. We didn’t converse much but through observation I learned a lot - from what it meant to do a job properly to how to see and appreciate beauty, balance and good composition. Once the Harlequin projects started to arrive, I also learned about the process described here and the essential illustrator challenge: how to present your point of view within set parameters. I think my dad did a good job with that. I see him in every cover, even the ones where he disagreed or maybe had to rush because of a late change. I feel happy when I look at the art, probably a mix of nostalgia and seeing his skills and realizing that hundreds or even thousands of people saw it when they read the book.

It was a year or so after graduating from college that he told me he had started to save his Harlequin cover art, materials, and photo shoot results – and that the collection would be my inheritance. I didn’t give it much thought and we never spoke about it in detail. It was only when he died that I realized the complexity of inheriting a parent’s artwork. What exactly were his wishes? Can I throw anything away? What should I try and for how long? My full-time job prevented thinking more, so everything sat in boxes for 14 years, first in my apartment (where I took photos of the art) and then in a storage room in Queens. 

Eventually, after a move and job change, I took the first step, which was to create this website. The second, thanks to a Steve Heller blog post, was to make a donation to the Browne Popular Culture Library at BGSU. And the third was to create a ‘home archive’ and get all the art and materials organized into acid-free boxes. Now I hope to start to get the word out and reach fans of the genre (or introduce people to it) via chats, exhibitions, and more social media presence. Apart from a small “private family collection” it would be great to find new homes for as much of the rest as possible.

Thank you for your interest in my dad’s work. I can be reached at frankmkalan@gmail.com.
Christine

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