Caricaturists fell in love despite resisting early on

When they met 12 years ago, Celestia Ward and Robert “Rob” Sundin III wanted nothing to do with a relationship.

They had lots in common. Both grew up in Las Vegas. Both had been caricature artists for 10 years. Both worked for the same company in Las Vegas doing caricatures at the Excalibur, 3850 Las Vegas Blvd. South. He was a divorced father with a busy schedule centering on his three children and didn’t want to complicate his life. She wanted to focus on her career. No, they didn’t want a relationship.

Three weeks later, they were dating. Two years later, they were married. She took on the new role as stepmom to Sundin’s children, Alex, Patrick and Mikayla, saying, “My mom was a single mother, and I was the oldest of four children. I guess taking care of children just came naturally.”

Upon Ward’s first meeting with the children, one of them ran to her and gave her a big hug. Today, the family also includes one dog and two rabbits.

Easy sailing? Yes and no: Ward and Sundin live, love and laugh together, but they are artists working in a fickle industry.

“Sensible artists marry someone in business, teaching or nursing — some profession that provides health insurance and a pension,” Ward said. “We’ve had financial ups and downs, and at times, had to break down and find other jobs just for the health insurance. Robert worked at a jewelry store for a while, just for their employee insurance. I applied for a position with the police department and came very close to an entire career change, just for the health care and perks Metro offers.”

Sundin said many artists go without insurance, but it’s something that has always been important to the couple. They have always kept some sort of coverage, which proved necessary several years ago when Ward was hit with an E. coli infection that required emergency surgery and a month in the hospital.

“At least with the coverage we had, the amount we owed for medical bills went from around the cost of a house to that of a car,” said Ward. “So I have joked that it took us a few years to pay off that invisible car that I bought. And we both spent time on the phone negotiating prices after the fact. It’s so strange that you can do that with doctor bills, but you can. And we did.”

With the new Affordable Care Act, the couple have seen great improvements in the out-of-pocket maximums and deductibles of their private insurance.

Although places in casinos that once hosted caricature artists are gradually disappearing, Ward and Sundin are still working relatively full schedules. They have their own website, are well known in town, and they work with agents in Las Vegas and around the country.

The fact that Las Vegas is the country’s convention capital also helps fill their calendars. Both worked the recent Consumer Electronics Show, and their growing collection of convention badges includes names such as RCA, Samsung and Microsoft.

As artists over the years, Ward and Sundin have had different strengths but have grown to trust each other’s eyes.

“Robert knows I have a pretty good sense of composition,” said Ward, “so sometimes, he asks for help with layout. I know Robert’s ability to stretch a likeness goes well beyond my caricature style, so I employ his help. We regularly show each other work and say, ‘Is this a hit or a miss?’ You get drawing-blind after hours of staring at a piece that you’re working on. It helps to have an expert artist in the other room who can view it with a fresh eye and point out a flaw that has completely gone under your radar.”

What brought the couple together 12 years ago was circumstance. Ward had graduated from Western High School, 4601 W. Bonanza Road, and attended Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She started in pre-med but graduated with a degree in writing.

After college, Ward worked in academic publishing but spent evenings and weekends as a caricature student and artist. When she decided to leave academic publishing and focus on art full time, Ward came back to Las Vegas and was hired by the same company employing Sundin.

Sundin held a number of retail jobs after graduating from Chaparral High School, 3850 Annie Oakley Drive, and while attending community college. He remembers walking through the Excalibur and watching a caricaturist. He had always envisioned some kind of career in art, so he wondered if he, too, was good enough to become a professional caricaturist. He contacted the company sponsoring the Excalibur booth and was told he needed more work on his skill. He did the work, and on April 1, 1992, he made his professional debut as an Excalibur caricaturist.

Because Ward and Sundin use their hands in their work and rings get in the way, they don’t wear them. In fact, 12 years ago, when Sundin proposed to Ward, he did so without a ring. Instead, he held out a small airbrush compressor as if he were offering something more useful than a ring.