Professor Gary Gackstatter provides illustrations for new book
BY: JACOB POLITTE
Managing Editor
Meramec Music Professor Gary Gackstatter recently added another achievement to his prolific career. His drawings and illustrations were recently included in author Greg Childs’ new book, “Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau.”
According to Gackstatter, the book, which was released on April 19, has record sales for publisher Torrey House Press. It has already sold out of its first edition, and more copies are currently being printed.
“It was just… it’s just been a series of synchronicity, I guess you could say… happy accidents,” Gackstatter said. “And it was a lot of work.”
While Gackstatter is a published author, his previous books have been about the subject he teaches: music. But in his “free time” he also draws. He says that his drawings were noticed by Childs, who then reached out to him to collaborate.
“I’ve been really studying the Pueblo tribes, the Hopi, Zuni, Tewa… for years leading up to my Chaco Symphony that we premiered here,” Gackstatter said. “And that created an opportunity to draw. And that’s what I do in my -quote unquote- free time. And I started drawing scenes from the Southwest, the ancient buildings that they built, things like that. And I started drawing petroglyphs with pen and ink. And a very, very well-known writer author out there [Childs] has published 13 books on the Southwest. And that would include New Mexico, Colorado, Utah and Arizona. He lives out there and he saw my drawings and asked me if I could provide some illustrations for his new book.”
He continued, “So this is something new for me. It’s a big honor. And that artwork is going to be seen by thousands of people. And it’s really a treat. It’s like I said, it’s an honor to be able to be a part of this project and watch it be so successful.”
“Tracing Time: Seasons of Rock Art on the Colorado Plateau” is available to order now in both print and e-book formats through Amazon and other outlets.
