shaken but not stirred : adventures in living: June 2018

Dad and Elliot January 2017

I started writing this on June 17th, 2017, about 5 weeks before Dad died... and left it blank for 321 days. How can I summarize a life? I’m not sure I could ever sufficiently pay tribute to someone so fundamental to my own being, but I feel compelled to try.

The best word I recently came up with to describe my dad was quixotic. For example, I recently found a large stack of photos among his albums which were of origami figures placed in various positions throughout his table and apartment. I think he was trying to convey some kind of story but it didn’t make any sense to me. The origami was cute and I had a good laugh. This is characteristic of so many things quintessentially Dad.

Sidney spent many of his younger years as a paper cutter in a factory after a brief stint at UPenn Wharton, which was mainly halted by struggles with mental health. However, he spent the majority of his retirement as an artist. His work was mostly geometric figure drawings but he also created an eclectic mix of wood burnings, screen prints, and tile mosaics.

I think one of the reasons I want to tell the world about my father is that he lived a quiet humble life; the kind that gets little recognition despite the depth and richness of the person. He might be easily forgotten by history, having kept his friend circle small but close and his career mostly spent in solitude. Of course Dad is impossible to forget by friends and loved ones.

Beyond all else I remember my father as kind hearted and loving. After a particularly bad bout of pain he spent the last 4th of July in the hospital where doctors worked to get the pain levels under control and come up with a plan of care. This was when they delivered the news that Dad needed to decide whether he wanted to pursue any treatments that may have only extended his life by a few weeks, or if he would like to opt for Hospice / palliative care. This was devastating news. On this particular visit, despite his fear, sadness and pain he looked at me and said,"you're the best thing I've ever done" out of sincere appreciation for my devoted care, and with so much love. I feel so grateful for the unabashed kindness Dad bestowed upon me. It seems to me so many children end up with conflicted feelings about how their parents value them and what that relationship is, but with my father that was never a question, and his unconditional love has helped propel me through every manner of challenge I've face in my life. I could say so much more about the man with the best bear hug on earth, but at the risk of getting skipped over because it's TL;DR I'll stop here and move on to my plan for honoring Dad's life this Father's Day and for his upcoming yahrzeit.

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The Honor Sidney Lust Campaign

In addition to our fond memories and the warmth that engulfs them, Dad leaves behind a legacy of 117 comb bound books of his geometric figures, in addition to other works of art and humorous books of quotes and doodles. While I will retain the original copies of his art - Dad had always intended to sell the comb bound books. He imagined they would each garner a hefty price, but his introverted nature seemed to prevent him from breaking into the art world and finding an outlet for sales. That said, I would love to see these books distributed so that they don't spend a lifetime collecting dust on a shelf and Dad deserves to have this most cherished piece of himself shared in a way that would truly honor his life.

Book 30

Instead of attempting to outright sell the books myself, which I am not comfortable benefiting from considering that he spent nearly 18 years devoted to making them; in Dad's honor I am creating a donation campaign. I plan to donate (i.e. forward on contributions) to various organizations that Dad either cared about, benefitted from or that support a cause meaningful to Dad's life, such as BJC Hospice. Although he was of modest means, Dad always loved the idea of philanthropy and would be glad to know that despite not selling his books while he was living, they will go on to do something good and big in the community.

~~In exchange for contributions of $36 or more to this campaign,~~ [edited 7/26/18 --- I initially envisioned donating one large sum to an organization or two that meant something special to Dad, however I did not receive any interest. In light of this I am willing to simply offer the books for free (but ask you to cover shipping); above and beyond all else I just want others in the world to enjoy them. If you feel so inclined please consider donating any amount to any organization you see fit in my Dad's honor.] ~~I will give each contributor one of his Geometric Designs books. Higher donations are welcome but I do not want to exclude anyone that wants to participate for whom a higher cost would be burdensome.~~

Book 28

If you would like request a specific Book # I have included an example drawing from each of the first 30 books below. I will continue to add more as I am able to but with 11,700 pages to sift through it will take me a bit of time to get through the rest of the collection. Please keep in mind that I have selected each of these as my personal favorite from each particular book (in a couple cases I couldn't choose and put up 2), but they are not meant to necessarily exemplify the other 99 pages of any particular book. While in my personal opinion many of the drawings are incredible, not all are as outstanding in intricacy and vibrancy as those you see here. Nonetheless, the following examples should give you an idea of the variety you might expect.

Each book and drawing are completely unique, and they are all done by hand (not computerized). Dad's main technique was to use a protractor and calculate a certain number of points a certain design would use, pencil out the figure and then color in the design, mainly with Prismacolor markers or occasionally colored pencils. From what I can tell, he began this endeavor around 1999 which is approximately when I think book 1 was made.

If you would like to request a book please email me at seasail13@yahoo.com to discuss shipping. If you are local to St. Louis, let me know when/where I might expect to see you and deliver your book. I will make a note here that says <out> when a book has been spoken for.