Todd K. Short November 26, 1963 - March 1, 2013 Todd Kennedy Short, 49, passed away suddenly at his home in Bakersfield, California, on March 1, 2013. Todd was born on November 26, 1963, in Bakersfield, the son of Gary and Kay (Jarrard) Short. He graduated from West High School in 1982. In the late-1980s, Todd moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he married Vicky and established a successful career as a croupier. In the early-2000s, he relocated to Marina Del Rey, California, where he worked for various art directors on numerous television commercials and a handful of music videos. He later apprenticed under an established local artist in Venice Beach, California, where he took up residence for several years and ultimately began creating, showing, and selling original art of his own. Todd returned to Bakersfield in 2010 to spend time with and care for his mother, Kay. In the few years after returning to his hometown, he produced a stunning amount of original art works. The style of his work required excellent craftsmanship as a woodworker to build the panels - skills he inherited from his father, Gary, and further honed on his own. Todd's mix of collage, colors, and resins, coupled with his ability to meld clever and often thought-provoking words together with the subject design is truly a beautiful sight to behold. Todd is survived by his mother Kay; sister and brother-in-law Casey and Michael Dickinson and their children Molly and Jacob of Scottsdale, Arizona; sister and brother-in-law Melissa and Mike Patterson of Valencia, California; the Collier and Wood families; and a large circle of close friends who adored and loved him dearly. He is preceded in death by his father, Gary, and his beloved canine companion of 14 years, Boots. Funeral services for Todd will be held at Greenlawn Southwest Cemetery, 2739 Panama Lane, Bakersfield, California on Saturday, March 23, 2013 at 10 a.m. Should family and friends wish, in lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Todd may be sent to: Bakersfield Museum of Art, 1930 R. Street, Bakersfield, CA 93301, http://bmoa.org www.bakersfield.com/obits
This obituary was originally published in the Bakersfield Californian.
