The Softer Side of Sharks

Though Shark Week has come and gone, it’s never a bad time to celebrate the ocean’s apex predator. Enter Norman and Shark, the delightful children’s series from a Texas author that celebrates the fearsome aquatic creature.

Carrolton artist and writer Heather Karlsson was only five years old when she had a terrifying encounter with a shark. Luckily, it was only on the television. She snuck out of bed and came downstairs where her parents were watching Jaws. She got down just in time to see a man bitten in half by the shark, an experience that scared her so badly that her mother had a difficult time getting her to even take baths afterward.

That incident planted the seeds for Karlsson’s art series, Norman and Shark, which has steadily grown into a cult hit. Drawing inspiration from Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes) and Will Henry (Wallace the Brave), the paintings show the unlikely friendship between a Scandinavian hedgehog named Norman, recently immigrated to Texas, and a lonely bull shark of indeterminate gender named Shark.

The series started out as doodles that Karlsson would share with colleagues in her musical instrument repair business, formed after being a clarinetist with the Dallas Symphony.

“It was never meant to go anywhere,” she said in a phone interview. “But people kept telling me to share it with the world.”

From there, she taught herself to paint, incorporating Norman and Shark into detailed pastoral landscapes. Norman does all the usual cute animal stuff, but Shark is never seen except for his fin and occasionally a sign he uses to communicate non-verbally.

The scenes resemble the wholesome characterization of Mary Engelbreit mixed with the timeless light style of Thomas Kincaid. However, the quirky juxtaposition of Norman and Shark’s friendship has a slight punk rock flavor, similar to the people who add Star Wars or Godzilla to thrift store paintings. Norman and Shark have been in a two-year residency at the McKinney Art Gallery thanks to the popularity.

“Oh my word, she is loved by everybody,” said Justin Zimmerman, the gallery owner in a phone interview. “Kids, adults, she’s definitely grown through the gallery. People come to a gallery just expecting the usual beautiful art, but with her, it’s like Where’s Waldo. People stand there looking and laughing.”

Demand for more on the pair’s adventures led to Karlsson writing a children’s book about how Norman and Shark met, which is due out this fall. In the meantime, she has grown an unlikely populist audience, from line workers to ranchers, who find the work cute but meaningful. 

“I started doing these landscapes to make people laugh,” said Karlsson. “Look around. The news is bad. The world is on fire. My sister threatened violence if I didn’t write a book, and since she’s stronger than me, I did it.”

One possible reason for the broad appeal is Shark’s nature. There is a kind of rebel disability to Shark, a creature of strange instincts that Norman loves just as they are. Because Shark can’t breathe on land, Norman pulls them around in a wagon filled with water. When asked for a name, Shark simply responds with “Shark” because they don’t see the point in otherwise having one.

According to Karlsson, Norman doesn’t get in the water with Shark because he knows Shark has instincts that they have to fight. Rather than judging Shark or making them change to suit himself, Norman focuses on accessibility and understanding, giving Shark what they need to be an active part of their lives.

“Most of my friends are neurodivergent,” said Karlsson. “After seeing Shark, a few of them suggested I get tested. I probably should, but I’m afraid of doctors. When it comes to neurodivergence, Shark is sort of coded that way. Sharks have their own way of dealing with the world. Unfortunately, it involves tasting, but they aren’t mindless monsters.”

With six years of Norman and Shark under her belt and a growing fanbase, Karlsson has no plans to stop. She keeps a notebook full of ideas for new characters and settings for the duo to interact with. A pre-launch event at McKinney Art Gallery drew a full crowd and enough funds to finish the children’s book.

It’s ripe to become a hot pop art commodity, but for now it is something smaller and sweeter than a media empire. After she was married, Karlsson was talked into snorkeling on her honeymoon by her new husband. After relaxing from a fetal position in terror, she found herself joyfully chasing a little dogfish shark around a reef so she could pet it.

It’s proof that no one has to fear anything forever. From childhood scares to sweet summer bonding between unlikely friends, Norman and Shark is a bright spot in a confusing and uncertain present. No wonder people stand there staring into their whimsical world, loving how nonsense makes sense if you just do it kindly enough.