Putting Pencil to Paper:
Iowa woman captures engine artistry
By Leslie C. McDaniel; photographs and illustrations by Susan Eddy
"I grew up around it," she said. "First with my dad. We were always running around, looking for old engines or tractors -- well, we still do. And then with my husband ... It's just been a part of my life."
Although she's restored her share of engines (an Emerson-Brantingham awaits finishing touches in the garage), in recent years her passion for vintage equipment has bloomed through her pencil drawings. A natural artist, she's had little formal training.
"I've always been interested in art," she said. "In my senior year in high school, my art teacher really encouraged me."
She's produced a series of drawings entitled "Timing," which focus on engine timing gears. Those drawings have been reproduced on notecards. Another drawing (featured on the cover of this issue) is simply called "Ignitors." It looks as if a bag full of ignitors was spilled out on a table, and the artist went to work. In reality, it was a bit more complicated than that.
"I like to take photographs, too," Susan said. "When I was at the Mt. Pleasant show one year, I saw a guy set up a table that was covered with engine parts. He had a bunch of ignitors on the table, and it just looked interesting to me."
The intricate detail of the project required a major investment of time.
"I wanted to make sure each ignitor looked the way it was supposed to," she said.
Pregnant with her first child, Susan began to fret about completion of the drawing, anticipating that after the baby was born, she'd have little time to draw.
"When I get started with something, I like to keep at it, try to get it done. It's hard to get back into something once you've stopped," she said. "It was getting awfully close to my due date, but I finally made it."