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December 1, 2009

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Comments by user: OldFartArtist

OldFartartist has kindly let me use his account.Roger Bergendorff was no fly-by-night wannabe artist. He was a true craftsman whose skills were honed when he was an honor student at one of the world's finest art colleges. In the eighties his resume was studded with works he had crafted for major ad agencies, motion picture distributors, card companies,etc. One needs only to research his artist's portfolio to find the truth The combination of poor business decisions coupled with the advent of the digital age hastened to derail a promising career. Most of the illustrators of the time had to adapt. Some could not. It is quite true that Roger owned firearms but is equally true that he never used them. He was indeed socially awkward and the discomfort he could sometimes inspire was never intentional. I knew him as someone who would try his best to help someone and he really did want to better himself.
Smurf, perhaps in someone's world "vintage graphic art" may mean comic books but in the world of illustrators like Roger Bergendorff it means vintage graphic art.

(Suggest removal) 3/5/08 at 5:59 p.m.

Hey, Smurf: Sometimes "Vintage Graphic Art" is straight talk for vintage graphic art. The media keeps calling Bergendorff a 'graphic artist' because no one knows what a professional Illustrator is anymore, and Roger was one of the finest Illustrators in the world in his younger days. He worked for a VERY popular, hip greeting card company in the 80s that had a stable of only the finest illustrators, mostly refined airbrush artists from the best commercial art school in America.

Roger was a hard-working, precision artist the likes of which no existing Art School can turn out anymore, but he was socially awkward, a little paranoid, and very bad with money. That's how I always knew him. Deep inside was a good heart, and a man who wanted to be better than he was in every way.

It is very sad what has happened to an old friend I have not seen in nearly 20 years.

(Suggest removal) 3/5/08 at 4:46 p.m.

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