Northern exposure

Posted a screen-grab of the local newspaper's website, now sporting your's truly. On the main archive page, there's a wall of mixed thumbnailed panels by everyone the paper runs via syndicates, these 'toons are in the mix there as well. Now while I might not be in the same league as Oliphant or Cagle & his posse of talent, at least I'm on the same page now, eh. Reminded me of the previous years I used to run a weekly cartoon in the independent Anchorage Press paper, and sharing the same page as one of my all-time greatest heroes, Matt Groening's "Life in Hell." Rubbing shoulders with someone like that, if only in print, was a private feather in my creative cap. Being an egomaniac with an inferiority complex, it's the little things that really mean a lot. Sometimes very, very little...

Anyways, it's also something of an opportunity to pretend I'm in a virtual gallery and critique my panels alongside with the works of established professionals in the industry. First glaring contrast would be the obvious black + whiteness versus full-color, which seems to be the prevailing trend these days. OK, more like the vast majority of artists, but aesthetics aside, in most cases I don't think it really adds much in the way of using color. That said, there are some notable exceptions; a couple peers in particular up in my neck of the woods do some nice work using watercolor and digital color, it can be a real subtle touch to a piece. Part of my attraction to this media is the stark, graphic look and nature of the drawings, which to some degree is echoed by the content, not just the fact that being simple black & white meant easier to reproduce. Nowadays, what with technology being where it's at, animation is all the rage for editorial cartoonists. Or rather, in most cases, paying someone else to animate your work. I tend to plateau pretty quickly with such advances (no, I ain't gonna Twitter either), or another way of looking at it would be staying in my comfort zone/ rut and say "no thanks, got enough on the drawing table as it" (so he says on his blog).
I mean, hell, I still use an outhouse....

This weekend was really weird, in that while on a shopping trip to the grocery store, there seemed to be someone around every corner that had seen the editorial cartoon panel that had just run in Friday's newspaper, and had a kind word of encouragement or support to say too. After a while my girlfriend started making fun of the scene, as it did got a little bizarre after a dozen or so encounters. Usually flying under the radar is par for the course with art; there's a buffer zone in maintaining anonymity that has some funny benefits. I still remember the first year I ever stuck stuff up on the wall in a public place; starting around the late 80's, I used to mount copies of the year's best cartoons and display them at a place called Hot Licks, a local café and crafters of gourmet, hand-made ice-cream. There was a long wall running the length of the business from the doors to the ordering counter, which meant folks usually had to stand in line directly in front of the month's current exhibit. Since at that point I was pretty unknown, I could indulge in some voyeuristic behavior by lurking behind a newspaper and watching people's reaction to my work. Humbling to say, but the meta-lesson here was a harsh demonstration that A) most folks don't have time nor seem to care, about anything up on a wall much less cartoons, and B) of those that do, the underwhelming majority, as like gallery-goers in general, rarely if ever react in any outwardly discernible way. Now, there have been some hilarious cases to the contrary; like watching people howl, spew, whap their partners etc. - these rare observations stick out in memory mainly because they were so far out of the norm. As per an earlier posting re: ranting on the grim odds of casting pearls before the public, lots of luck connecting with people that way. But every once in a while it can score you a few beers...

Now fast-forward many years to the new exhibit up at the Museum of the North: tucked away back in the farthest corner - ta-daa, the barbarians have officially breached the walls of the shining castle on the hill, or the Ivory Tower as it were. Pretty smug, I know...
Yet at the risk of this post turning into (yet another) navel-gazing vanity piece, being identified/associated by one's work is definitely a surreal experience, especially in a small-town community; putting not just a name (which in my case is an indecipherable signature) but a face with the art. Up here it's easy to be a big fish, except that the relative size of the pond is immense - a big pond. So it really is a very special feeling to interact with folks over art while just out & about in the neighborhood; it gives a common connection and a touchstone for participating in a community at large, not just an insular circle of fellow practitioners. But again, more often than not, they will be the only ones with any empathy or real understanding with issues and concerns of an artist. Casual conversations struck up on the street can be just as rewarding and full of insights though; the constant balancing act between catering to the lowest common denominator i.e "dumbing down" humor to where most anyone can "get it" (and this equally applies with Fine Art I think), versus staying true to your vision/maintain artistic integrity, and take the gamble on faith that at least a few folks will connect the dots on their own. Beats me - though I think that's yet another justification for doing a lot of work in a lot of different styles/media/contexts; just increases both the odds of either/both through multiple venues and outlets. As in, it's just that much more easier to satisfy the spirit when the stomach's full.

So full-circle now with the ol' "camping out at a café" experience: twenty-odd years later, incognito in a different coffeeshop, checking out the herds of people streaming in all wearing a tshirt that I designed ... how weird is that? That warm, fuzzy glow I feel inside either means I feel artistically validated, or I need another shot of bismuth subsalicylate to offset the volume of consumed coffee.

*pictured: the amazingly awesome Lori Neufeld, KUAC volunteer coordinator, news anchor, dj, and now, fabulous cartoon model