There is something profoundly sweet about art. Maybe it’s the fact that an artist puts days, months or even years into the creation of a work of art reflecting an idea conceived in his or her heart. These ideas come from a great number of sources of inspiration. For artist Curtis Wiklund, the sketches of his family are inspired by their subjects, and they are stealing the hearts of Internet surfers around the world. To date, HuffPost’s article Husband’s Sketches of Wife and Kids are Full of Love and Raw Emotion, written by Kelsey Borrensen, has been shared 7.5 thousand times. A short YouTube video about Wiklund’s work (click the ‘play’ button above to watch it) has received 1 million hits.
The Wiklund family (Curtis, his wife Jordin and their sons Casen and Hayden) have not had an easy past couple of years. In the past two years, Curtis and Jordin have lost two pregnancies. They were expecting, however, at the writing of the aforementioned article on 2/15/2018. The couple, who owns a wedding photography business in Michigan, have been married for eight years.
Curtis Wiklund used drawing as a form of therapy after the first miscarriage he and his wife experienced. Borrensen quoted him:
“That first loss was actually what drove me to start drawing again. I realized I needed drawing, like somebody might need to write music, journal or go for a run. Drawing was helping me process.”
Besides drawing for cathartic reasons, Curtis draws as a form of journaling his daily life with his family. A few of his sketch titles, as well as descriptions of the sketches, include:
- “This was the day we found out we miscarried” (Curtis and Jordin hold each other as they weep bitterly in their car)
- “Closure” (The couple lays in bed together, surrounded by used tissues)
- “Oh my gosh, she’s RIGHT there” (Curtis excitedly touches Jordin’s burgeoning belly)
- “Quick kiss” (Curtis stops in the kitchen to lovingly kiss Jordin)
- “Penguins” (Jordin rests her chin on her husband’s shoulder as their two boys, 3 and 4, watch penguins swim in a large aquarium)
“I would’ve missed those moments if I hadn’t drawn them, and those are the moments I never want to forget,” said Curtis, according to HuffPost. The artist prefers to capture the simplest moments. He told HuffPost,
“I tend to draw moments that made me feel something. Those moments are sometimes hard to notice in real life, and even harder to articulate to someone else. But when I can draw it, I hope that somebody else knows what I’m talking about when they see it.”
See some of Curtis Wiklund’s most heart-engaging sketches here and here. Also, don’t forget to visit his personal website and follow him on Twitter.
Are you as moved by these sketches as we are? Which is your favorite?
Read more Segmation blog posts:
- Japanese Wagashi: Sweet Art
- Winslow Homer Captured the American Spirit in Watercolor Paintings
- Why Do People Create Art?
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