I was alerted to a local Estate Sale by a friend, who told me there were several drawings of nudes by Mr. Bill Peterson that I might be interested in (my friends know me well).
While looking at the nude drawings, I started talking with Bill’s wife and she told me a little about her husband.
Bill was the private chef to his army base commander in Biloxi and he got to travel a lot. He loved creating things with his hands; art, sculptures, woodworking, food and teeth. When he left the army he became a maker of dental implants. He loved visiting the rodeo, and took photos of the folk he saw and would often draw them. Sometimes he copied photos others had taken that he found in magazines. He liked people with interesting faces. He grew a long mustache that he waxed and curled. Bill was, according to his wife “quite the character, and just a little bit crazy”.
I tried (I really tried) to feel a connection to the nude drawings, but it just wasn’t there. What I did feel a connection to were the drawings of the cowboy’s and characters that Bill had drawn.
Bill passed away a few months ago. I’m sure there are many people wearing the dentures that Bill crafted who are very happy with his work. I’m very happy with the work he did just for the enjoyment of it, and I’m grateful he left his mark on the world.
