Arthur Geisert — a tale of wisdom, art, and a little bit of humor

Children's author/illustrator, cartoonist and storyteller Arthur Geisert is surrounded by his latest book panels and completed cartoons in his Elkader studio. (Press photo by Caroline Rosacker)
By Caroline Rosacker
World famous children's author/illustrator, and cartoonist Arthur Geisert was born to graduated teen parents in Dallas, Texas in 1941.
His parents relocated to Southern California following WWII. His father found work as an apprentice electrical engineer and his mother stayed home caring for their young family. His father would continue to educate himself during most of Geisert's formative years. "My father attended night school to further his career," Geisert remembered. "When I did my homework, my dad did his. We worked at the kitchen table."
When NASA assembled a group of electrical engineers to design the space shuttle and stealth fighter planes, Geisert's father was one of the elite group.
Faith foundation
Arthur Geisert and his brother had a tough beginning growing up in southern Los Angeles. The family lived in a housing project in a narrow one-story wood-frame home built to house shipbuilders during the war. Geisert's third-generation conservative Lutheran background laid the foundation for the two young brothers. "I had the privilege of knowing my grandfather and my great-grandfather who were devoted Lutherans," he said with gratitude.
Third grade inspiration
Geisert always enjoyed art, but an experience in the third-grade classroom solidified his decision.
He described his teacher, Mrs. Bear as small in stature and somewhat plump. She wore a long hoop skirt with a petticoat underneath. She hovered across the hardwood floors and gravel playground causing the skirt to fray at the bottom. The biggest quandary that plagued the elementary students was whether she had feet. To this day the mystery remains. "We would often try to get a glimpse of her feet as she glided across the floor," he recalled. "We were quick to steal a peak when she sat down in a chair causing her skirt to lift, but no one ever saw her feet."
In the third grade, Geisert decided to pursue three possible career goals. He wanted to become an artist, mountain climber, or cowboy.
He gave up on becoming a cowboy when he saw the actual size of a cow and didn't have access to a pair of chaps.
His mountain climbing dreams were dashed when he saw a television program about mountaineers climbing the Matterhorn. "There was a bad accident and the final scene showed a person swinging in midair on a rope. That put an end to my mountain climbing career," he said with a laugh.
Crayon war
An encounter with a tough Italian bully during a Friday afternoon art class sealed the deal. Geisert would become an artist.
Art supplies were few and far between for Mrs. Bear's third grade class. Broken pieces of crayon with few color choices pushed Geisert over the edge. "I wanted to draw and color a black horse, but there was not even a small piece of black crayon to be found," He told The Press.
He looked across the table at his nemesis, Chuck Trianti, and spotted a coveted black crayon. "I asked politely if I could borrow it and he said, 'No,'" he explained. "Something came over me and I launched out of my chair."
With the superhuman strength of a third grade student, Geisert had the bully facedown on the table with his feet flailing in the air. The would-be artist pummeled the side of his head until the teacher broke it up. "I heard the kids shouting and Mrs. Bear hollering, 'Boys – boys!' At that precise moment I knew I was willing to fight to become an artist," he said with conviction.
Career path to success
Geisert graduated from Concordia College in Seward, Neb., with a B.S. degree and from the University of California Davis with an M.A. in 1965. He pursued additional studies at Chouinard Art Institute, Otis Art Institute, and the Art Institute of Chicago. Geisert taught primary grades and art for one year and later as a college professor, but soon discovered his real passion was in the studio. The proverbial starving artist struggled for years to sell his unique etchings and build two homes. He drew on his carpentry experience in several of his first books.
"My wife, and I, who were married for 40 years and are now amicably divorced, and my son were living in Galena when Houghton Mifflin discovered my work at an exhibit," he noted. "This resulted in my first picture book. It took ten long years."
Illustrious career
Geisert's lengthy resume includes 30 children's books published in the United States, Japan, Korea, France, Spain and Germany. His cartoons have appeared in the New Yorker and other publications. Further accomplishments are:
• Art teacher at Concordia College, Seward Neb.; River Forest, Ill., and Clark College, Dubuque.
• Invitational lecturer at colleges, universities, and institutions, including the University of Wisconsin, Madison; University of Minnesota, Minneapolis; and the Smithsonian.
• Exhibited artwork at galleries and exhibitions, including the Society of American Graphic Artists, New York, N.Y.; Society of Illustrators Museum of American Illustration, New York, N.Y.; Art Institute of Chicago, and Dubuque Museum of Art.
• A member of the Los Angeles Printmaking Society; Boston Printmakers; Art Institute of Chicago; Print Center Philadelphia, Penn.
• Awarded the Illinois Arts Council fellow; Ten Best Illustrated Children's Books selections New York Times; Reading Rainbow Review Book se lection, and both Reading Magic Award, and Parenting; Honor Book, Parents Choice, Ten Recommended Picture Books selection; Time, and Honor Book; Boston Globe-Horn Book; and honorary doctorate, Concordia University.
Casting aside accolades, Geisert humbly describes himself as an obsessive-compulsive Lutheran etcher.
Bernard Iowa
Pop. 98
Following his divorce, Geisert moved to Bernard – population 98. “It was a rowdy, Catholic, fun town,” he fondly recalled. “Everything took place at Coe’s Bar and Grill. It was the heart and soul of the community.”
There, Geisert would have his greatest success. The small community was deeply committed to family and one another. They were instrumental in his personal and professional growth.
Next stop – Elkader
A commercial building that had space for a studio and was within walking distance of amenities caught his attention in Elkader. He used the picturesque, friendly community as inspiration for his latest children’s trilogy, Pumpkin Island; How the Big Bad Wolf Got His Comeuppance; and Turkey River Trolls, which is in the final stage of publication.
A near-fatal accident, which he insists be referred to as fatal, because his heart did stop, put an end to the 83-year-old’s longtime love of etching. “I etched for 50 years. I am having a hard time giving that up. I was very good at it,” he shared. His illustrations for his newest book indicate he has adjusted quite well.
Cartoon scrutiny
Geisert would like to pursue cartooning again and understands the intense scrutiny each cartoon has to encounter to appear on the pages of the New Yorker.
The magazine receives approximately 5000 cartoons each week that are reviewed by the cartoon editor. Two hundred are set aside and looked through by the magazine’s editor and cartoon editor on Wednesday afternoon. Ten or twenty are chosen by Wednesday evening and put through the library test to see if they have ever been printed before. They are scrutinized by the legal department to make sure they are not offensive and fact-checked to make sure the drawings are reasonably accurate.
The cartoons that survive the rigorous checks are sent back to the illustrators to polish up for publication on Thursday evening. “It can take years before your cartoon is published – if at all, but it is nice they do pay handsomely right away,” he commented.
Geisert’s eclectic mix of collectible oddities, clotheslines dangling with submitted cartoons, and walls full of already-sold prints of his upcoming book The Turkey River Trolls provide the perfect backdrop for his creative genius.