A favorite subject and hangout of the artist, Fair Grounds. Click to visit Wally’s flickr page.

You’ve probably seen Walt Taylor around.

is

Who

He is typically on foot, out and about–an older, bearded gentleman with soft, white hair and a warm smile. He’s often armed with a moleskine and pen, sketching architecture, people, street scenes.

No?

Well, ok, he’s not totally conspicuous, to be honest. And I’d imagine this is a purposeful thing. His larger artistic identity even shares in this elusiveness. He goes by many aliases; Walt Taylor, Wally Torta, Crack Skull Bob.

Torta?

Wally

His bio at squarespace:

“Ruben Fletcher

Well, there’s not much to tell. I live in Iowa City, Iowa with my folks. I sell appliances out at the mall. Some day I might tell you about my parakeets.”

His flickr bio (nearly as cryptic and just as hilarious):

“As stupid as I wanna be in Norfolk, Virginia.

I’m Male.”

Yet Walt Taylor is a major part of why this area has its surprising and charming little culture. A local treasure, his body of illustrations are a reflection of the beautiful, the decrepit and the mundane, as seen all over the Seven Cities through the eyes of a true artist. They are recognizable to most residents as the long-running Sketchbook series, which graced the pages of The Virginian-Pilot with its subtle, surprising wit. Taylor’s talent is now featured in the Pilot as editorial cartoons. His work has been collected in the book DOWNTOWN: A Downtown Norfolk Sketchbook with Snotty Commentary.

Get a free glimpse of his collection on Google Maps by clicking the image below:

Click image to view Wally Torta's Hampton Roads.

This piece originally ran on May 24, 2009. If you enjoyed this maybe give $5 to keep AltDaily alive through 2012.