The Mill City Times Interview: David Geister - Historical Artist, Picture Book Illustrator, Landscape Painter

Article by Becky Fillinger

David GeisterWe have so many talented people in our midst. Meet David Geister, who is up for a Minnesota Book Award for Bee Love (Can Be Hard). He creates giant murals of historical events, portraits of leaders and is an illustrator of children’s books.

In our interview he tells us about his favorite works and gives advice to young illustrators. You can find David’s works in museums, and his books and prints are available online for purchase.  

Q:  Bee Love (Can Be Hard) is nominated for a Minnesota Book Award. This isn't your first collaboration with Justice Alan Page and his teacher daughter Kamie. How did this relationship come about?

A:  True – we have done four books together now, and I have enjoyed the experience, immensely. We have the amazing Nancy Carlson to thank for the connection – she introduced Alan and Kamie to a dear friend and colleague, Aimee Jackson, who runs Book Bridge Press, and I was her the first choice as an illustrator. I am so grateful!

Q:  You call yourself a storyteller with a paintbrush. Please tell us more about this idea.

A:  My whole life has been filled with the absolute need to read, hear and tell stories. My early drawings were, essentially, my attempt at relating what I had just experienced in life, read in a book or seen in a movie.

My job as a picture book illustrator is to enhance the story, and I try to tell it in such I way that someone unable to read the text can still grasp the idea.

Of course, as an amateur historian, and as a history painter, my pencil and paintbrush have been crucial tools in recreating the past.

Q:  You were in the Marines - thank you! What were your activities as an illustrator during your military service?

A:  Thanks – I had a fairly easy time of it, all things considered. I was in a training unit - never a combatant - and my work consisted of hand-lettering big flip charts and making illustrations for slides and publications. Believe it or not, I was often called upon to create very detailed caricatures of Generals whenever there was a change of command. Strange but true!

I learned a lot during that 4-year stretch, especially my last year, which was spent on the island of Okinawa, where our shop had three Japanese/Okinawan graphic artists. I liked working with them very much. Their drawing skills with brush and ink were inspiring.

Q:  Please tell us about some of your favorite historical art projects. Where may we view them?  

A:  The World War I America murals that I painted for an exhibit at the Minnesota Historical Society are the biggest, with over 100 historic characters. That 3-piece, 30 foot-long work is now at the Minnesota Military Museum, where you can also view my scene of “The Charge of the First Minnesota at the Battle of Gettysburg” as well as my portrait of Abraham Lincoln.

B is for Battle Cry: A Civil War Alphabet, the picture book I created with my dear wife, author and educator Patricia Bauer, is a collection of 27 paintings I did to showcase various aspects of the America Civil War. It is the one thing I have done that I am most proud of; it was created with the love of my life and is my attempt to “pay it back and pay it forward” to all the authors and illustrators who inspired my fascination with that time period.

"The Charge - The First Minnesota Regiment charges Wilcox's Alabama Brigade at the Battle of Gettysburg" oil on canvas.

"The Charge" detail showing Colonel Colvill and the First Regiment's Color Party.

Q:  What advice would you give to a child who wishes to be an illustrator?

A:  Always keep a little sketch book and a few pencils with you, wherever you go – at the table (well, maybe hidden on your lap while eating, on a car trip – even while watching a movie! Try to create something every day, whether it’s the size of a postage stamp or the size of a barn door. Observe the world around you, and share whatever you find fascinating about that world, by way of your drawings. Finally – take your work seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously – and have fun!

Q:  How may we follow your news?

A:  To see just what I have been up to – and maybe even check out a teaser video of my stop-motion animation project - visit my website, www.davidgeister.com. Cheers!