Tim Ladwig

The summer after graduating from high school in 1970, I worked at Communication Arts Associates (CAA) as a graphic designer and illustrator. The following Fall semester I began studying graphic design at Wichita State University while continuing to work at the studio. I began to teach Bible Clubs with World Impact in the inner-city neighborhoods and moved into one of the staff homes with Al Ewert, the Director. The years that followed were filled with wonderful friendships, and the joy of seeing children, young men and women and adults coming to Christ. There were rough times too.

Preparing Bible Club lessons involved creating large colored drawings of the stories we taught. My aim would be to tell the story visually so that children could understand even without words. Their honest reactions, positive and negative, to the illustrations was an invaluable education in telling a story with pictures. World Impact started two schools, one in Los Angeles and One in Newark. I spent a year assisting in the 4th grade in LA, and about a month teaching art classes in the Newark school. While in Newark, the principle encouraged me to begin a children's picture book set in our student's world. The book became Psalm Twenty-Three.

When I returned to Wichita, I married Leah, who grew up in the community where we taught clubs. At the time she assisted in the clubs and worked at our health clinic. A startup New York publisher took on Psalm Twenty-Three and marketed it well. The company ended up not making it, but the rights were purchased by Amy Eerdmans, daughter of the head of Eerdmans publishing after she had just started a children’s division, Eerdmans for Young Readers. They did their own design and a good job of printing.

We have 3 grown children, Briana who is studying design and illustration at Kansas University. Makayla is a nurse at the Hutchinson Federal Prison. David, our youngest, just moved to Hoboken N.J., his base for pursuing music production in New York City (a subway ride across the river).

From the author

In the Author's Own Words

I lost an eye when I was eight years old. While at home recovering from surgery to remove my injured then infected eye, my dad bought a beginner’s set of oil paints and a canvas board. He wanted to encourage me and knew I liked to draw before the accident. My first painting was of a clown—of colors straight out of the tubes. Dad had it framed. It wasn’t good, but he succeeded in showing me I could still draw and even paint with one eye the same as with two. 

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Of all the books I've illustrated, Lily along with Psalm Twenty-Three, are my favorites. Lilias is such an inspiring story of what it means to lay down our life, the promise of our talent and our pleasant situation in favor of trying to give the knowledge of Him to others from the motive of love. It is particularly meaningful to me because she was such a wonderful artist.

From this wonderful interview on liliastrotter.com