"Authentic Alaskan Tours" + "The Helpful Alaskan"

Here's a coupla panels that illustrate the recurring motif of the Ol' Timer - not so much of a caricature but one of any number of iconic sourdough types populating the dirt roads of rural Alaska. The first is a fairly common occurrence amongst residents of Alaska: playing host to friends & family from the Lower 48 invariably results in assuming the role of tour guide. That in itself means one or more of the following duties: historian, naturalist, cook, driver, maid, sherpa and more.

Hint: From the actor who starred in Robin Hood (1922) and Mask of Zorro (1920)

That said it's always an opportunity to brush up on trivia nuggets. Maybe even read a map for once, or at least ask for directions.

But seriously, having a captive audience has given me lots of practice for new material. Like how Denali is North America's longest river. And the aurora scale used on the official forecast secretly goes up to ten (that's when you need to use the wipers on the car to see the road), and the state is actually a small island located off the coast of California etc. etc.

I think somewhere before in another posting I mentioned how I was deliberately aiming for more of a Instagram/foodie aesthetic instead of what used to be formal process shots (ie separate scans of sketchbook doodles + pencil stage of panels). This is leading me to investigate all sorts of interesting contexts in which to photograph my artwork. Or at least it must look amusing to the casual bystander that sees me taking odd pictures. They should see what goes in my mind coming up with the ideas for the cartoon - now that's a real curious process.

For years I've noticed that the smaller the community, the greater the propensity of folks to just strike up in-depth conversations anywhere at any time. This is evident at Fred Meyers, the post office, cafes and bars, or even in the middle of the street. They're like little eddies in the flow of our everyday activity.

Update: I licensed the Vernon Nash folks - the local Antique Automobile Club of America group - to run this panel in their newsletter. The friend that asked for permission also regularly makes my annual retrospects (and supports the arts with their patronage) noted how uncannily this particular panel depicts a fairly common behavior whenever a member has to pull over to the side of the road during one of their public runs.

Over the years it’s been an amusing side-effect to hear from folks how a cartoon documents an event in retrospect, or even unknowingly presages it. I actually was inspired  I love these instances over the years when Life Imitates Art... or is it more of a case of Art imitating Life?