HE DREW, SHE DREW Reception

Rochester, NH: Friday night, July 8, 2011, was the reception for the gallery show I'm participating in this month with my friend Stephanie Piro. Titled HE DREW SHE DREW, it's the inaugural "Art in the Pantry" original art show.

My thanks to Susan Jackson-Rafter, the chef and owner of The Portable Pantry for hosting.

The event was very well attended, with many artists, business people, musicians, members of the press, curiosity seekers and people who just like cartoons. Well, I suppose that "people who like cartoons" is the common denominator. More thanks to my friends and neighbors who dropped by. Above: Stephanie talks about her cartoons. Paraphrasing one of her comments: "Women like stories and men would rather just read a punchline."

I talked a bit about my cartoons as well, crediting Stephanie with one of my favorite sayings about cartooning: "I cartoon for love, but money's better!" Here are a couple of points I made:

• I am fortunate that editors who like what I do
• A good cartoon is based on a universal truth
• I get ideas by being aware, reading the news, understanding trends, etc.
• A secret of cartooning: it's hard work

There were other points too, but I can't recall all of them.

 

Above: nicked from Stephanie's blog: Stephanie Piro and Mike Lynch. Photo by John Klossner.

The show is through Saturday, July 30, 2011 at The Portable Pantry, 12 Hanson Street, Rochester, NH.

HE DREW, SHE DREW Gallery Show

Rochester, NH: All this month you can see HE DREW, SHE DREW, a collection of original cartoon art by Mike Lynch (that's me) and Stephanie Piro (she's GREAT!) at the Portable Pantry Cafe. This is the inaugural Art in the Pantry event. It's a unique opportunity to see original cartoon art by two local professionals (and get some good eats, too)!

Tonight, Friday, July 8th is the reception. Come on over between 7 and 9pm. Say hello and stay for some hors d'œuvres and wine.This event is free and open to the public.

Video: The Uncanny Adventures of Okie Cartoonists

Opening June 12, 2010 in Oklahoma City, OK: The Uncanny Adventures of Okie Cartoonists.

From the press release:

Did you know that Chester Gould, creator of the classic Dick Tracy comic strip, grew up in Pawnee, Oklahoma? Discover this and more in The Uncanny Adventures of Okie Cartoonists, an interactive, kid-friendly exhibit at the Oklahoma History Center! Oklahomans have played a major role in the evolution of comic books, comic strips, and editorial cartoons. You will discover how industry pioneers such as Chester Gould, award-winning editorial cartoonist Jim Lange of The Oklahoman, and current Supergirl and Superman writer Sterling Gates have created, drawn, or written some of the most recognizable characters in American popular culture.

This exhibit opens in June 2010 at the Oklahoma History Center.

NYTimes: Berndt Toast Gang Exhibit

Above: A great shot of MAD Magazine master caricaturist Mort Drucker at the board in his studio. Photograph by Ruby Washington for the New York Times.

The Berndt Toast Gang, a group of Long Island cartoonists, will exhibit members' work September 16th through November 30th at the Art-trium Gallery.

Article about the Gang here.

Joe Wos & the Toonseum

Above: From the May 17, 2008 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Wonder Woman, Joe Wos, Betty Boop. A big tip o' the hat to Dr. Lynch for cutting this out of the PG and sending it along.

Last month, I had the chance to visit Joe Wos at the Toonseum, which is part of the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh. Joe was kind enough to show my wife and I around, and we all went to Joe's office to peek at some treasures. So, here are a few behind the scenes photos.


Joe took us up to his office. On a table were a couple of boxes and plastic bags full of HALF HITCH originals by Hank Ketcham (with an able uncredited assist by Dick Hodgins, Jr.). These are all awaiting cataloging.


These are gorgeous strips, and deserve to be seen. Above is one wonderfully illustrated panel. Ketcham had donated these originals to an armed forces facility. The personnel discovered that they could not file the strips away in traditional filing cabinets -- so they cut each original down so it would fit. Arrgh! So, not only do the strips need to be cataloged, first they have to be matched up and affixed together.


Joe has an amazing story about this lightboard that I am totally forgetting. I'm sorry Joe! I know it's an animation lightboard from the 1930s and some seminal animation was done on it. Arrgh! again.


Above: Joe Wos, Mike Lynch (Photo by Stacy!)

He's collecting cartoonists' drawings. One day this board will be full of original doodles!


Above: a closer angle. You can see Dan Piraro, Morrie Turner, Robb Arnstrong, Mike Lynch ....


Above: just a portion of Joe's bulletin board with all sorts of fun stuff; originals by Dan Crum. Tom Yeates, a lovely photo of Mssrs. Wos & Guisewite. Click to super-size.

My thanks to Joe for the time he took out of his schedule to show us around. There is a new exhibit of titled Just Kidding Around!: Children in Cartoons and Comics opening June 7th, featuring original art and rare items related from newspaper strips and kids TV. The exhibit runs through August 3rd.

NYC: Artists Against the War Reception Tonight

If I lived in NYC, I would be at the Artists Against the War reception at the Society of Illustrators tonight.

STUCK IN THE MIDDLE Party

Hey, Ariel Schrag and some of the gang she edited from STUCK IN THE MIDDLE will be having a party over at Rocketship this Friday, May 18th. And a slide show, too. Hope it's not vacation photos. Ha ha ha ha.