The artist started most of his doodles with pencil sketches and finished them with ink, colored pencil and watercolor. Many showcased his fascination with science fiction, others featured whimsical animals and sly humor.
The artist started most of his doodles with pencil sketches and finished them with ink, colored pencil and watercolor. Many showcased his fascination with science fiction, others featured whimsical animals and sly humor.
CONCORD, N.H. Robert Seaman, the New Hampshire artist who brightened dark days by creating intricate and imaginative “daily doodles” during the COVID-19 pandemic and then kept at it for nearly five years, has died. He was 92.
Seaman died on Wednesday at Maplewood Assisted Living in Westmoreland, according to his daughter, Robin Hayes. He had struggled with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in recent years and never fully recovered after contracting coronavirus late last fall, she said.
Even in his final days, Seaman wanted to keep up his creative streak, Hayes told The Associated Press on Thursday.
“It is what got him out of bed. It’s what kept him going,” she said. “His day consisted of basically drinking coffee and having his morning doughnut, then spending a couple of hours doodling. And then: lunch, a nap and two or three more hours doodling. It was his happy place.”
Seaman’s final doodle, #1727, was released on Valentine’s Day and depicts a bull and a matador holding a red heart-shaped flag. He created a special doodle the day before for Hayes’ birthday.
Seaman, who left a real estate career at age 60 to become a professional artist, moved into the assisted living facility in southwestern New Hampshire just two weeks before it was locked down in the early days of the pandemic.
