About Wally Torta - and what happened next

Of late, I've taken to wondering about people who were a big part of my blogging life back when I began.

One such is Walt Taylor aka via his various nom de drawing plumes "Wally Torta" and "Crackskull Bob" and "Reuben Fletcher"

Those who were around all the good drawing blogs back in the early days of blogging will remember him. He was one of the very best when it came to drawing people and encouraging others to do the same. He was also hugely innovative in terms of using various media and he very much engaged with everything possible in digital terms.

Walt Taylor drawing people in his Drawing Group (see below)

I've been wondering why I've seen so little of him of late - and now I have the answer (although I'd more or less guessed what was happening)

It's made me realise how old I'm getting and how long ago it was when I started out on my blogging journey. 

In full it says (on this post on his Walt Taylor Facebook Page - where you can read the many comments by his friends.

Dear friends of this beautiful human,
As some of you know, Walt has been traveling the rocky road of dementia. It is full of twists and turns and some days takes Walt out of his neighborhood and quite confused. 

After many hard hours it has been decided Walt should be in a community where he is safer. 

Within the week Walt will be calling The Ballantine on Granby Street in Norfolk his home. 

The adjustment will be difficult. No longer will he be able to walk a few steps to Café Stella, or amble about Ghent. The new faces will cause even more confusion. This is where we are calling on his local friend community. 

Please come to see him. A quick visit will do. In time his mind may not remember you, but his heart will. 

DM me if you have questions. It may take me a bit to respond as I am trying to keep my nose above this sea of paperwork and details. 

Annnnnd…look for news regarding a sale of Walt’s work to raise funds for his ongoing care. 

Peace,
Deborah Antony

Below are some of my references to him over the years. Most discourse took place via comments in each other's blogs

•  (from 26th April 2009 - Who's made a mark this week?) If you click the little flags on the map you see a drawing - he was always one to innovate!

Wally Torta (Crackskull Bob) achieved something similar with one of his local papers some time ago. Wally has been experimenting with a feature of Google Maps which hasn't been used too much by sketchers to date. This is a larger version of Wally Torta's Downtown-Some sketch highlights of downtown Norfolk, Virginia 

Wally Torta's Downtown (Norfolk, Virginia)

• a reference to his old sketching pal Cindy Woods......

Wally (Crackskullbob) told me that he and Chris Bonney went to visit Cindy this last week and had a portrait party with Cindy in which Wally did the drawing featured above and in CINDY WOODS. Cindy also drew Wally and this has been shared in wally torta and cindy woods in The Portrait Party (from 23rd November 2008 - Who's made a mark this week? which covered the demise of Cindy Woods)

• The return of Crack Skull Bob - back when I was building my blogroll nearly 20 years ago

• He won My "The “Tales from the Frontline” Amusing Musings Trophy" back in 2009 -see The Making A Mark Awards 2009 (Part 2)

• This is when he rechristened the Norfolk Drawing Group (from 12th July 2009 - Who's made a mark this week? #104)

• (from 7th February 2010 - Who's made a mark this week?) I've long been a believer that some of the most interesting people to draw in a life class are the other artists! I love Wally's drawings of people participating in Figure Drawing Group on Crackskull Bob

• back in 2006 Walt Taylor won my "The Best Blog Project of 2006 Virtual Challenge Cup" (see Blogging Art in 2006 - The Making A Mark Awards)

What's really sad is that the many years of Walt drawing and his drawings seem to have disappeared because he swopped over to his own domain - and I guess that has gone the way these things do when you forget to renew the domain.....