Stephanie Piro's Cartoon Blog

Love, Love, Love Cartoons: Day 2

2012-02-02T06:51:00.000-08:00

I love drawing kitties. Especially grumpy ones! Big Eric...I'm talking to you, sweetie!

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Cartoons

2012-02-01T05:23:00.000-08:00

Ah! It's the time of year to celebrate LOVE! And what better way to do it than to draw love and valentine cartoons about the ups and downs of everyone's favorite subject. I'll be posting some new and old cartoons now till V Day. Hope you enjoy them!

SLUSH

2012-01-22T13:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Me (and Everyone Else Born on January 3)!

2012-01-03T09:38:00.000-08:00

Some people have birthdays in May or June when everything is green and there's no competition from big name holidays to overshadow your special day. Not so, us who are born on January 3rd the traditional day of going back to school or work or where ever you go to uncelebrate once you're burned out on a month of celebrations. So unfair. And I especially have a month of celebrating to deal with. See chart below:

On the other hand, this is the cusp of a brand new year! Today, January 3rd, is just the beginning. We are on top! All those other events have a whole year before we get to them! Happy Birthday, Kyle and Brian. I know you know what I'm talking about.

Happy New Year!

2011-12-31T15:54:00.000-08:00

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 10

2011-12-25T07:58:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas y'all. A very special hohoho to the fabulous followers of this blog! Thank you! You give credibility to this place! The following card is this year's. The Koala is based on a Koala teddy bear I once had. Following the art is a photo. More on that at the end.

Now for the photo. This was taken at Sagamore Hill, Teddy Roosevelt's Long Island home, back when I was about 19. I asked the two Rangers, who were stationed there, to pose with me while I pretended to be apprehended for who knows what anymore and the Ranger on the left is holding my Koala. You can kind of make it out, there. It may be the only photo of it so look closely! Have a fabulous rest of the Christmas Day. Cheers!

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 9

2011-12-24T14:18:00.000-08:00

Here is a card from 2003. In it a short haired kitty grows longer fur to keep him warm in the winter. For inspiration... I morphed our kitty Conor Makem into his brother Big Eric. Hope you enjoy it. Merry Christmas Eve!

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 8

2011-12-23T14:20:00.000-08:00

This card is one of my very favorites. I know, I've probably said that for each post. This one features the "Terrible Tea Time" ladies. I hope you can read it. Honestly...my hand writing HAS improved since 1991 when I drew this up.
At the end of the cards look for a special holiday extra.

We were having a raffle at the library for Patron Appreciation Day on Wednesday (the 21st) and a patron donated an item that I REEEEAAALLLLYY wanted. It was Christmas in a jar.

It was perfect. It really captured everything about decorating for the holidays without all the bother. Christmas in a Jar is all you would ever need.

The only problem was...the staff wasn't reallly supposed to try to win. So I put in John's name. Hey, he's a patron. Right? Well, almost. But I knew I would never win. The odds were against me. Then, yesterday, I got a call from Tami, the Assistant Director. She said... to come to the library. She had something to tell me. So I went in and she, Patience and Randi surprised me!

They had basically put in names of relatives so that if any of them drew a name, they would give it to me!

That was SOOOO nice! So thanks, ladies. Have a very Merry Christmas!

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 7

2011-12-22T12:59:00.000-08:00

It is a well known fact that the older you get the more you hate snow. When you are a kid... someone else does all the maintenance, or the maintenance you do is fun. Not anymore. There is no fun to be had shoveling the flat roof, even though there is now a door so one no longer has to climb out the window. So here's hoping for a sunny Christmas and a happy global warming to all!

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 6

2011-12-21T06:53:00.000-08:00

We have crows that hang around. Sometimes we feed them. Sometimes they feed themselves... if they have access to the garbage bags.

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 5

2011-12-20T04:58:00.000-08:00

This one is from 1992, not long after Nico and I had taken up habitation with a certain grumpy (but never dull!) banjo playing Scots person.

Happy Birthday, John!

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 4

2011-12-19T05:50:00.000-08:00

This card was from 2004. I draw a lot of dogs. In fact two cards featured black and tan dachshunds. They are graphically fun to draw like black and white cats.

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 3

2011-12-18T06:06:00.000-08:00

Believe it or not, John and I have attended a local hunt ball a couple of times. Decked out and everything. There are people there who actually dress up and ride around after hounds... but do not chase a fox. Just something dragged and fox scented. Which is good. I do not advocate hurting foxes. Dressing up...and John in a tux, of that I approve. Here is a little Christmas card story featuring a fox...and a bunny.

10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards: Day 2

2011-12-17T05:11:00.000-08:00

I've done quite a few cards with cats (and some with dogs) and lots with trees. Here is a cat and tree card from 2001.

The 10 Days of Home-Made Christmas Cards

2011-12-16T18:18:00.000-08:00

I've been making and sending out my own cards for years and years (and years!). I usually try and make each card a mini-graphic novel. I thought it would be fun to post some here, one each day leading up to Christmas. I've had to rearrange them or otherwise some of the panels would be upside down! Some are colored and some are good old pen and ink. This one was a favorite. I, personally, have several Elvis ornaments. But then...doesn't everyone?

Finally! "This Year Is Mine" Cartoon Cat Calendar!

2011-12-15T13:40:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to write and draw up a new cat calendar. It's a lot of work as I try to write all new material and then have to draw it up and color it, upload it to a site like Cafepress (took FOREVER!) and finally... it is available for sale. I am very happy with this one and I think you will be, too. Here's a link to where you can buy it:
This Year is Mine

Now, don't just take my word for the funniness of this calendar. Here are

And finally...

If you don't want to be eaten... order yours, today!

The Turkey Prince

2011-11-23T15:50:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to put my "classic" tale of the Turkey Prince online for Thanksgiving for years. I wrote it in my 20's and my style has really evolved since then though I still consider this one of my best and favorite works. Here it is finally... I re-wrote the captions because, believe it or not, my handwriting has gotten much much better since then. So, Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy it.

A Visit To The Pen Doctor

2011-11-22T09:36:00.000-08:00

Back in the late 60's and early 70's when I was in Art School (SVA!) and I was drawing cartoons and trying different drawing implements I started out using a Rapidograph.
It was favored by a lot of art students back then. I used it for several years trying the different points... but I was never crazy about it, though I liked the barrel and the fountain pen aspects.
Then... I found the pen supreme! The pen I had been searching for. The pen of pens! It was the PERFECT pen for my drawing style!

So, for several years...all was well. Then, in the late 70's, the pen was discontinued by the manufacturer!!! I managed to stockpile several extra pens and points partly thanks to an art
store Rowland Art Studio, in Concord, NH, whose owner saved them for me! (Can't remember his name he sold and moved in the early 80's, but thank you if you are out there somewhere!). I called Koh-i-noor and was told they didn't have ANY parts or pens anymore. Was there no hope? I babied the pens over the years...but things happen. Points get split. Ink doesn't flow right.

I was down to just a couple of working pens...
even after Friend of Friends Steve bought me a couple for my birthday (!) on ebay! I have written about my search for other equally good pens but none lived up to the flexible lines I needed.
Last year John and I went to the Ohio State Cartooning Conference and we were on the shuttle when I saw that Bill Griffith, creator of Zippy, was sitting across from me. He had beautiful pen lines. I asked him what he used.

(Bill Griffith does not really look like his creation...in case you were wondering)

He said he had had a special pen made for him by a man named Richard Binder who lived in, of all places, New Hampshire! He also repaired pens. He was called the Pen Doctor. So, I immediately contacted him to see about having a pen made. He replied right away and asked to see my drawings. I e-mailed some samples. Once he analyzed them he let me know he could make a pen for me but it might be too expensive (because of the Flexible nib I needed) and to see if I could find an old pen that worked or could be repaired. A friend who is an auctioneer gave me a beautiful pen not long afterwards.

The pen had a flexible point but corroded insides. I took all my non-working pens and spread them out.

It was time to act. I contacted Richard Binder and told him I was sending him all my pens and points for his expert diagnosis and hopefully repair. He was most gracious and said it would take about 16 weeks (!) to fix them all, if he could, and that he would let me know the cost before he did anything. It sounded good to me... so I labeled all the pens:

And packed them up:

I will send them off tomorrow. Tune in in 16 weeks!

Hunger Games Movie

2011-11-14T10:34:00.000-08:00

I can NOT wait to see this!!! Thanks, Nico for the link!

The True Story of Horror House!!!!

2011-10-31T07:42:00.000-07:00

Halloween Countdown # 9

2011-10-30T09:54:00.000-07:00

Last night it snowed! Not what you want or expect at Halloween. Instead of frost on the pumpkin we got this:

We spent the morning shoveling and snowblowing. Spacey came out to act as a cheerleader.

The other cats hunkered down and refused to accept this freaky weather or to put a paw outside the door. Tomorrow, I end this series for Halloween Countdown with a TRUE HORROR story. Until then...here is another Zombie cartoon in honor of tonight's episode of " The Walking Dead". This one's a Chix" toon.

Halloween Countdown # 8

2011-10-29T11:32:00.000-07:00

Every year I buy a bag of candy to give out for Halloween. Truthfully...I am buying this candy for myself, which I refuse to admit, because no one ever comes to our house to Trick or Treat. Not just our house specifically...it doesn't seem like anyone goes to the neighbors, either. We live on a long meandering road that has woods all around and might be too scary for kids to walk down to go house to house. Instead, kids around here do their Trick or Treating in town or in other supervised ways like at the mall. There's also a Halloween parade in town for little kids who go to all the businesses (and to the library). By the time Halloween rolls around and if by chance any kids DO show up... they'll be out of luck because there are only 2 Kit Kats left and the odds are against there being any available on Monday... unless I buy another bag.

Halloween Countdown # 7

2011-10-28T05:27:00.000-07:00

Halloween isn't just a time to celebrate the scary and frightening. Why not kick back and enjoy a little supernatural romantic treat like the following:

"I Married A Witch" is a charming classic love story starring the very adorable Veronica Lake as the cutest witch ever and the dashing Frederic March. Here's the trailer:

Another romantic film about witches features Kim Novak as a sexy witch. "Bell, Book and Candle" aslo features James Stewart, Jack Lemmon, Ernie Kovacs and a slinky Siamese called Pyewacket:

Speaking of cats, let's move on from witchy romances to one about a cat woman. This is the trailer for the incomparable "Cat People", the stylishly noir movie from the 1940s that stars Simone Simon as a cursed girl in love.

So there you have it, some great alternatives to all those slasher movies out there. Grab some of those chocolate treats you've been saving to hand out, turn out the lights and snuggle up to your favorite leading man or lady. You may start a new Halloween tradition!

Halloween Countdown # 6

2011-10-27T09:24:00.000-07:00

The Cats love Halloween. Well, every day is Halloween for our cats who are fond of terrorizing anything smaller than they are. If you made a horror movie from a mouse or squirrel's point of view the monster would definitely be a cat. Just today, I kept hearing a scuffling noise. I went to see what was up...and I saw the 3 cats sitting around the wood stove (not in use, yet) staring intently.

I wrangled them all into the library and shut the door. Then I gingerly (great word! And a good spice to use on many occasions!) opened the door and waited. A little face poked out. A flying squirrel!

I've never seen a live one, sad to say. They get in the attics (we have 2) and the cats get to them first and then all I find are tails and other bits with which I have to use the shovel of doom to toss them out. I am determined to save this one...so I left the stove open, the entry way door and the front door all open so it has a direct shot at freedom. Let us all keep our fingers crossed.

Halloween Countdown # 5

2011-10-26T07:17:00.000-07:00

We've been celebrating Halloween at the library already. Last night the Cartoon Club came dressed in costumes and we did cartoon sketches of each member of the group posing.

Then everyone got the mini-comics I mentioned in an earlier post and finally... some great candy which they were pretty excited about.

Today, the Halloween celebration continues with the Farmington Fim Society showing of the cult classic "Carnival of Souls". In case you haven't seen it this was a movie made in 1962 for almost no money. Here's what Wikipedia has to say:
Carnival of Souls is a 1962 independent horror film starring Candace Hilligoss. Produced and directed by Herk Harvey for an estimated $33,000, the film did not gain widespread attention when originally released, as a B film; today, however, it is a cult classic. Set to an organ score by Gene Moore, Carnival of Souls relies more on atmosphere than on special effects to create a mood of unease and foreboding. The film has a large cult following and is occasionally screened at film and Halloween festivals. It has been cited as an important influence on the films of both David Lynch and George A. Romero.^[1]
And here's the trailer.

And what could top off a great evening of watching a cult classic? Tuning in at 10:00 for American Horror Story!

Halloween Countdown # 4

2011-10-25T06:58:00.000-07:00

As a kid growing up in NY we had the best TV of anywhere (is that proper english?). We had great movies on the Early Show, the Late Show, Million Dollar Movie and Chiller Theater and all of them showed a variety of horror and monster movies. We also had Zacherley (John Zacherle with an added Y) who was the best horror host of all time, not to mention funny (that laugh!) and brilliant at improvisation before, after and during the horror movies he hosted. He was one of the first people I had a crush on. I mean, who wouldn't? We ALL were mad about him. In looking for footage from those shows there wasn't a lot available, but here are some miracle of embedding clips from Youtube. It will maybe give you some insight into the mystique of Zacherley.

And one of the most fun clips is a combination of Zacherley and 60's dance crazy teens:

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN #3

2011-10-24T06:13:00.000-07:00

Today's Halloween cartoon:

Giant pumpkins are a thing around here. A friend of ours who is a local farmer won two first prizes in one day at two different fairs for his giant pumpkins:Hiram Watson Giant Pumpkins. He was very generous with the champion seeds which he brought to the Goodwin Library Gardeners' Roundtable seed swap:

Once you have your giant or regular size pumpkin and are trying to decide how to carve it... you might want to turn to the master, Extreme Pumpkin Carver Tom Nardone. Here he shows you how to get started:

So grab your power tools and lighter fluid and make your pumpkin a true Halloween statement!

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN #2

2011-10-23T06:51:00.000-07:00

Here is another cartoon favorite:

And our embedded treat of the day: The Trailer for "The Walking Dead" season 2! This is a terrific show which manages to be tense and scary and has that great "Love Actually" lead Andrew Lincoln. Tune in tonight at 9:00:

Now, if you want to read a great and different sort of "zombie' series, try the addictive "Forest of Hands and Teeth" trilogy. Here's the book trailer:

HALLOWEEN COUNTDOWN!

2011-10-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

I've said before how much I LOVE Halloween. We have a lot to celebrate with scary movies, Halloween cartoons and I'll be doing a Halloween Cartoon Club on Monday at the library. This week I was invited by a cartoon group called the Trees and Hills Cartoonist Group to be part of their ultra-cool idea of giving out original Halloween mini-comic books instead of candy for Trick-or-Treat. Here's a link where you can buy these really fun comics for very cheap: Trees and Hills Halloween Comics . My "Perfect Pumpkin" story will be included in this package!
I will be posting a Halloween cartoon a day until Halloween along with links and surprises, ending with a true horror story graphic mini-novel on Halloween which is Monday, October 31! So stay tuned!
Here is one of my favorite older halloween cartoons:

And now, once again through the miracle of embedding, the trailer for Case 39 which I watched on Netflix and booooo to you critics for panning this movie. It is actually quite creepy due to likable Renee Zellwegger as a child advocacy social worker and the adorable little girl (Jodelle Ferland) who is Case 39, the file dropped on her desk that puts an added stress on her caseload...and her life!

The Perfect Pumpkin

2011-10-13T14:44:00.000-07:00

The semi-tragic tale of a perfect pumpkin for your Halloween enjoyment!

STUNG!

2011-10-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back I was out in the garden
admiring the eggplants.

I reached in to pick one.

When something STUNG me!!!!

I didn't know what it was! It was hidden by the leaves!

Not only had I been STUNG(!) But it was my DRAWING HAND!!!

I thought it might have the stinger left in so I went to the Doctor to get it checked out. With drawing hands...you can't be toooo careful.

Militant Recommender

2011-09-27T08:34:00.000-07:00

I take home the Library Review journals every week and read through them to put in book orders. I put in for a LOT of books over the years. Lots of great reviews but the trick is to convince patrons to try new authors so I am constantly recommending. When you know a patron pretty well...you'll know what books to recommend to them. It's a fine art, getting people to try your favorite titles so they won't just sit there on the shelf with just their spines showing susceptible to weeding. I have a special shelf where I put my real favorites and then the Adult Floor staff have two small bookshelves on a table with a mix of all our favorites. Many patrons go right to these areas and it always makes you happy to see those titles get a chance to go out there and entertain someone new! I just did this new Cafepress design based on all this:

Click here to see all the gifty things with this design!

Now, I'll list 18 of my most frequent recommendations below:
1. June Bug by Chris Fabry
2. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
3.The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond
4. My Abandonment by Peter Rock
5. The Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff
6. The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
7. Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring
8. Miss Harper Can Do It by Jane Berentsen
9. Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
10. The Vanishing of Katharina Linden by Helen Grant (I wrote about her "Glass Demon in my previous post, so I'm recommending that, now, too!)
11.Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
12. In Zanesville by Jo Ann Beard
13. The End of Everything by Megan Abbott
14. A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
15. The Summer Book by Tove Janssen
16. Selected Work of T.S. Spivet by Reif Larsen
17. The Child Garden by Geoff Ryman.
18. In the Woods by Tana French
Gad, I could just keep going with these!
These are not counting series I recommend like the Hunger Games and the Forest of Hands and Teeth and Louise Rennisen's Georgia books. All terrific!
I am also loving "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern, which is brand new and magical. I like different takes on circuses and carnivals like "Something Wicked This Way Comes" by Ray Bradbury and "The Circus of the Earth and of the Air" by Brooke Stevens.
Not to mention that this is Banned Book Week. Lots of recommendations, there, but you can find those lists all over. So, happy reading, everyone!

Two of My Favorite (New!) Things

2011-09-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

I saw a movie, recently, on Netflix that I fell in love with. "Dear Lemon Lima". Can you call a movie adorable? This movie is adorable. It has heart. It is charming and funny and poignant. You want to hug the filmmaker for making something so perfect right down to its quirky, catchy score and animated titles. The story revolves around Vanessa a girl living in Fairbanks, Alaska, who has been dumped by the love of her life, Philip, a boy from a wealthier background. He still wants to mentor her, though, and his family has helped get her into a private school through a scholarship based on her Eskimo-ish background (the father she never knew). All the actors involved in this are fresh and funny as are the characters they portray. I loved it so much I bought the DVD and downloaded the soundtrack from Amazon. Check it out on Netflix.

My other favorite something is the book "The Glass Demon" by Helen Grant. I loved Ms. Grant's first book: "The Vanishing of Katharina Linden" the story of a 10 year old German girl who sets out to solve the mystery of a missing neighborhood girl, the latest in a series of girls who've gone missing over the years. It was a book I couldn't put down. Her latest, "The Glass Demon" is even better, if that's possible.
The Glass Demon 's protagonist is 17 year old Linn Fox who, together with her sister, fashionista step-mother and little brother are whisked away to a run down castle in the woods in a rural part of Germany by their father, a medieval arts professor with Indiana Jones aspirations and good looks, who is on the trail of a series of cursed stained-glass windows thought to have been destroyed 200 years ago but that could make his career if he could locate them.
Linn, the most fluent in German of her family, is finding that there may be something to that cursed glass legend after all, and it might be up to her to protect her family as the warnings keep piling up on their doorstep. This is a riveting modern gothic story that will keep you up reading till the last page.

Permission

2011-09-15T09:39:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted because it's been all about the garden lately with harvest and what not...but that doesn't mean there haven't been other things going on. A couple of months ago cartooning friend, Patricia Storms, e-mailed me to ask if the Guardian newspaper in the UK was a client of mine. They weren't. I would love them to be a client, but they were presently not. Then she sent me a link. She recognized my work. And it was being used. On the Guardian's website on their book review page. They were using the girl (above) from my Reading Revolutionary design, minus the text. This design has been on the Six Chix blog, been used by libraries all over with my permission including being featured on the ALA website and in my cafepress store. I was reallllllly surprised that a big and reputable company would do something like use an artist's work without permission and paying for that use.
I posted about it on the Wisenheimer a great cartoon board I belong to, and people gave me some good suggestions, but the best was from Matthew Buck, who runs the Bloghorn blog for the UK Professional Cartoonists' Organisation, who contacted me with a name that eventually led to another name that eventually led to me getting paid. Matthew wrote about it here, so I'll let you follow that link for more details. Thank you, Matthew for helping me resolve this!

Back!

2011-08-04T13:41:00.000-07:00

John and I spent a wonderful week in Quebec, the old town part. We spent a few days there last summer and enjoyed it so much we went back. It is like Europe you can drive to. Unless you live in Europe... and can drive anywhere you want. We love the French food and the culture. The museums we went to are very state of the art. The Ballet Russe exhibit at the Fine Arts museum had film of dances performed over the years projected within 3d standing screens as well as costumes by DeChirico and Picasso. The Rome exhibit at the Museum of Civilization had an exhibit called FONTANA DI ROMA which was film of a fountain's water running continuously within a 3 sided pedestal on which scenes from La Dolce Vita (one of my all time favorites) and other movies filmed in Rome were shown through the rushing water which was verrry surreal and I could have just watched that all day but John wanted to have lunch instead. I do like film projections! And food. The lunch at the Fine Arts museum should be on exhibit as well. Beautifully presented and exquisitely tasty. I have tried to duplicate the cucumber gazpacho since we've been home.
We also walked all over the city.

It's just a lovely place and there are lots of shops. All kinds of fashion and clothing stores and great jewelry. Oh, for the days when the US dollar meant SO much more when traveling in Canada. I did get a pretty snappy stretchy gray and black long sleeved shirt and a fancy Quebec t-shirt. Objects of desire.

On our romantic getaway!
The old town area has a beautiful, long boardwalk with pavilions overlooking the St. Lawrence and looking up at the Hotel Frontenac (photo above, with trompe l'oeil scaffolding). You can spend all day there just watching people walk up and down and checking out fashions and styles for future cartoon references.

We also went on the Funiculaire... a sideways elevator lift thing that takes you down to the lower part of town. I am not a fan of heights:

It looks nice at night:

We had a fab time but because we have our big garden...

(and 3 cats!)

we had to get back.

And a big thank you to Joyce for feeding and watering cats and plants!

He Drew / She Drew Gallery Exhibit

2011-07-02T19:48:00.000-07:00

My friend, and ultra-talented cartoonist, Mike Lynch and I have a show on at a fun venue called the Portable Pantry. The show just opened and will run the month of July with a special opening reception Friday, July 8th. Mike and I had lunch there, yesterday, with our friend and also mega-talented cartoonist (he's in the NYer, girls), John Klossner, who took the following photos. Hopefully I can post more after the reception.

Sweet Sweet Potatoes

2011-06-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

These sweet potatoes stare wistfully at what will be their future home in the garden. They remind me of something Tove Jansson might have created.

The Incredible Portrait Project

2011-06-05T14:07:00.000-07:00

I belong to a multi-talented art group called Art Esprit and based at the artstream Gallery in Rochester, NH. This is the same group I wrote about that did the downtown "Shoe Project" and last year did "If These Rocks Could Talk" for which I did the Betty and Barney Hill saga on 4 sides of a wooden pedestal. Very cool projects. This year, the group came up with a fantastic community art project called "Rochester Creates Portraits". Artists, children, high school kids, citizens from all walks of life enthusiastically joined in and created over 500 portraits on wooden panels!

The President of Art Esprit is Adam Pearson. He's the sculptor who made all the shoes, built the pedestals and was given the daunting task of turning the large and small wood panels into an actual sculpture. He is basically an all-round artistic genius. We couldn't wait to see what he would do.

My friends, Kyle and Stan and I arrived at 10:00 for the kick-off. Several Art Esprit members attended and we all sorted through the panels and handed them to Adam as he created the sculpture. He figured it might take him 8 hours working alone which was a huge amount of work. Luckily, Stan is good with power tools and he joined in and was a huge help, so it ended up taking just over 6 hours. I have to say, we were all amazed at how incredibly this project came together and the diversity of works placed next to and around each other from professional art to work by tiny kids was absolutely fantastic.

There were so many pieces I would LOVE to own! The sculpture will be up through October and then will be taken apart and turned into a wall of portraits at the local community center. So, cheers to Adam and Stan for all the work yesterday and to Kyle for documenting the whole thing and to Art Esprit and artstream for bringing art to the community! Below are some samples. Sadly, there are too many to show all of them.

Adam beginning the layout

Kyle and his self-portrait

My portrait in the mix

One of my favorites

This man painted this picture of his daughter

Progressing

More favorites

Partly finished

And the finished work. One of the views:

Stan and Adam

Watering the Garden Monster

2011-06-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Our garden is like a giant pet that needs constant upkeep. From the time the ground thaws you are weeding, hoeing, boosting the compost in the beds, planting, de-bugging in an organic way (VERY time consuming) and watering. It inspired the following:

Team Cul De Sac

2011-05-30T09:18:00.000-07:00

One of my very favorite cartoonists ever is Richard Thompson who draws the brilliant "Cul De Sac". I was very sad to hear that Richard was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a while ago.
His friend, Chris Sparks, came up with the idea to have cartoonists donate original takes on the "Cul De Sac" strip and to put together a book as a fundraiser for Parkinson's research. They have had some amazing contributions including, recently, an original painting by the mysterious and reclusive Bill Watterson of "Calvin and Hobbes".
My donation to the project appeared on the blog not long ago, and here's a link. Hope you enjoy it and check out the rest of the art, too!
My Team Cul De Sac Drawing

Happy Mother's Day and Capt. Jack Sparrow

2011-05-08T12:57:00.000-07:00

Today is Mother's Day, so hope you all have or had a happy one. Nico and I had a great phone chat. Now, I am spending the day in the garden killing wasps and digging up old strawberries with my lethal new garden implement:

And on this special day,here is one of my favorite Chix Mother's Day cartoons:

Yesterday was Free Comic Book Day in Rochester and all over. I spent the day at artstream Gallery (small "a", remember?) and meeting people coming in including a very famous and cool pirate:

That's artstream co-owner Mary-Jo Monusky on the left, me, Capt. Jack, and Amber Lavalley.
And here's a display of some of my books, jewelry and t-shirts.

My artwork and cartoons will be on display for the next few weeks if you are in the area, stop by! Here are some kids reading some of my cartoons, followed by some of my framed cartoons and some of my prints on display:

Free Comic Book Day plus Cartoon Exhibit

2011-05-06T14:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the day that I'm sure many of you wait all year for: Free Comic Book Day! I'll be posted at artstream Gallery (small a in artstream)where they will be featuring my originals and prints as well as that of some other artists.
Here's a link to an article on the event: Seacoast NH , and here are samples of some of some of my favorite cartoons that will be available there. These are all prints. If you'd like one, check out artstream or contact me!

Two Movies You Should See in the Movies

2011-04-28T10:19:00.000-07:00

My friend Kyle and I recently saw two fantastic movies in the theater. I have been waiting for the movie "Hanna" since I first saw the previews and it is every bit as good as those previews predicted unlike many movies where the trailers are better than the movie. Saoirse Ronan is perfect as a girl raised by her father in the woods and trained to be an assassin. I won't spoil the story for anyone planning to see it, so let me just say that Hanna" is a stunningly beautiful film,and the score by the Chemical Brothers is an ideal match to the action. I hate intrusive over-orchestrated, heavy-handed scores that dominate a lot of movies so it's refreshing when the soundtrack actually compliments a film. Here's the trailer to entice you, because you really want to see this on a big screen:

The other movie we really enjoyed on the big screen was "Source Code" starring Jake Gyllenhaal. This is a gripping futuristic thriller where Jake is a helicopter pilot who suddenly finds himself inhabiting the body of Sean, a commuter on a train that in 8 minutes will be blown to smithereens. He then wakes up in a sort of space capsule where he is part of a scientific experiment that allows him to keep going back to the train for the last 8 minutes of Sean's life to try to find the terrorist. If you can, see this one in the theater, too. This is a gorgeous, classy film and if you love a good exploding train scene you won't be disappointed! Here's the trailer:

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T06:47:00.000-07:00

It's time to to really celebrate the traditions,like chocolate and stuffed bunnies... and watching the best Easter movie ever, "Where the Boys Are" as my Mom and I used to do and Nico and I do when we can (which will be at Thanksgiving!)...

Where the Boys Are (1960) by m0vietrailerpark

Drawing Easter Bunny cartoons is a tradition I started in '95 when "Fair Game" was launched by Chronicle Features. Here is my latest. Be sure to "Like" it!

Flowers are also a sign of easter and SPRING, and believe it or not, we had SNOW yesterday, but today is sunny and the crocuses are actually open, sort of, anyway. Here they are in all their purple-ness.

Happy Easter! Hope your day is filled with fuzzy chicks and pink jellybeans!

Happy Easter Bunnies

2011-04-23T05:14:00.000-07:00

I love to draw Easter bunnies. My Easter bunny is a kind of door to door sales man. Here are 6 of my favorite Easter bunny cartoons. I hope you enjoy them. I'll post a 7th one tomorrow.

The End of the World: In 5 Days in 5 Ways: Part 5

2011-03-18T08:04:00.000-07:00

# 5: "A.I."

Or "Artificial Intelligence" by Steven Spielberg, is a different sort of End of the World movie. The polar ice caps have melted and much of the coastal US is underwater. The humans left have created robots called mechas as servants. One company produces a little boy robot called David (perfectly played by Haley Joel Osment) who is adopted by a couple whose own son is in a state of cryogenic sleep until a cure for his illness is discovered. When David is activated he bonds completely with Monica, his adopted mother, who returns his affection. Happy Ending? Not in this movie. The real son, Martin, wakes up when a cure is found and he turns out to be the equivalent of Eddie Haskell on "Leave it to Beaver", and is not very nice to poor, sweet David. One thing he does is get their Mom to read Pinocchio to them so that David gets the idea that with the help of a blue fairy, he, too could be a real boy. Not long after there is an accident at the swimming pool where David is condemned for trying to drown Martin, and his Dad insists David be returned to the company to be destroyed. Monica can't go through with this and instead abandons David in the woods with an animatronic teddy bear. From there on, A.I. becomes an incredible journey as David meets other mechas, including Jude Law, and some dastardly humans on his quest to become a real boy and return to Monica. This is a gorgeous, haunting, heartbreaking work which features a look at the end of the world and a possible new one and not to be missed.

The End of the World: In 5 days in 5 Ways : Part 4

2011-03-17T10:09:00.000-07:00

Part 4: 28 Days Later
There have been many movies dealing with End of the World by Zombie Apocalypse. "Night of the Living Dead" is, of course, a classic, and then all those sequels. "28 Days Later" is a more contemporary classic so I am using it here as an example of creepy virus infected zombies. Rage infected lab chimps are released by animal activists which then attack them and infect everyone. 28 days after this... a guy, Jim, (Cillian Murphy) wakes up from a coma in the hospital, but ...where is everybody? There's no one to celebrate his recovery from whatever. He wanders out only to be chased by horrible zombies. He meets up with some other survivors. Eventually...they hope to get to a military protection area. Is there anything WORSE than zombies? This is a must see movie. The sequel "28 Weeks Later" is also terrific.

The End of the World: In 5 days in 5 Ways Pt. 3

2011-03-16T07:33:00.000-07:00

# 3: Cloverfield

New York has probably been destroyed in more end of the world movies than anyplace. It's always great to see those landmarks buried in sand or underwater. And, because I find it disconcerting to have Hollywood stars surviving (like Will Smith or Charleton Heston) I like the world to end with unknowns (to me, anyway). Like "Day the Earth Caught Fire" I originally saw "Cloverfield" in the movies (and you can catch it on Netflix) and found it riveting. The film starts very realistically with film recovered by the government in a location called Cloverfield... formerly CENTRAL PARK!!! First you see scenes from April 27.Twenty something Rob is filming a girl, Beth, as they plan to go to Coney Island. The film switches to May 22, Rob's brother, Jason, is using Rob's camera to capture testimonials from friends for a going away party for Rob. There Hud, a friend, grabs the camera to film. Interviews, interviews, Beth arrives ...OH, NO, with another guy! Rob and Beth argue and she leaves with her date. Suddenly, there's an explosion, the Statue of Liberty's head is lying in the street. What to do? Journey through the scary stuff going down with Rob and friends as they make their way through devasted streets and subways in search of Beth trapped at her Dad's apartment uptown. And what IS going on?

The End of the World: In 5 days in 5 Ways Pt. 2

2011-03-15T05:30:00.000-07:00

#2 Day the Earth Caught Fire
Oh, that cold war. Russia and the US have been messing around with nuclear testing. The earth has been thrown off its axis and is veering dangerously close to the sun. Things are heating up. Our favorite UK end of the world gal, Janet Munro is back, after dealing with those crawling eyes. Can she help a newspaper journalist get a great scoop and save the earth from frying? This is another movie that sticks with you, many years after seeing it. It's eerily plausible, what with global warming and deteriorating ozone layers.

The End of the World: in 5 Days in 5 Ways

2011-03-14T07:55:00.000-07:00

For some odd reason, probably because I grew up under the threat of nuclear annihilation, I am addicted to end of the world movies. I have seen the destruction of the world via take-over from radiated mutated creatures of every description and a variety of things from outer-space as well as natural disasters like meteors. This week we will explore 5 ways the earth might end.
#1. The Crawling Eye

This is one of those low budget movies that have a lingering effect... I can still never look at mist the same way, or mountains and mist or ski-lifts and mist. Crawling eyes from outer space have landed in Switzerland hiding in clouds of mist. The horror! Climbers disappear. Heads are ripped off. Two Brit sisters (Janet Munro and Jennifer Jayne) (one's a psychic) a professor (Warren Mitchell) and Forest Tucker as a UN investigator do battle with these creepy crawlies. Could the earth end this way? Anything is possible in movie land.

One Last Comment on Awards Shows

2011-02-27T07:23:00.000-08:00

A Lost Movie

2011-02-23T07:06:00.000-08:00

I grew up in NY where we had the very best TV imaginable. Million Dollar Movie which showed movies like "King Kong" and "Moby Dick" twice a day for up to (if I remember correctly) 2 weeks. We had Zacherle and Ch. 13 PBS which showed early Fritz Lang films and Japanese film retrospectives. We had the Early Show and the Late Show and monster movies on Ch. 11 and somewhere in the mix there was one movie that stood out, one movie we'd watch every time it was on. "Home Sweet Homicide"!

"Home Sweet Homicide" was the story of the 3 Carstairs children, Archie (Dean Stockwell), Dinah (Peggy Ann Garner) and April (Connie Marshall). They lived with their widowed mother, Marian, a mystery writer. The kids decide they need to help their Mom make it into the big time by getting her to solve a real murder...which conveniently happens next door. Enter, a handsome detective (Randolph Scott) and his grumpy side-kick (James Gleason). This all added up to being a very appealing and delightful film that seems to have disappeared into outer space.

The book the film was based on was by Craig Rice, and it is one of my very favorite books. It is often available on Amazon or ebay and worth tracking down.

So, rights owners to this movie wherever you are... this is the age of DVDs, Netflix and TCM. What are you waiting for? Don't you want to earn some extra cash by releasing it from the vaults? I'm ready to hit that Paypal button whenever you do!

Winter Wanes

2011-02-21T16:41:00.000-08:00

Jean Reno : Cool, French and a Role Model For Young Girls

2011-02-19T14:49:00.000-08:00

The other day I came across a fantastic French film, "Wasabi" starring Jean Reno, an actor I find very sexy and cool, so of course I had to watch it. In it Jean plays a cop who 19 years previously had been stationed in Japan doing some kind of under cover work and had a relationship with a Japanese woman who was the love of his life and who ditched him after 8 months.
He has been unable to forget her and move on and after being ordered to take some time off for beating up some criminals and the chief's son, surprise, surprise...he gets a call from a Japanese lawyer saying his former flame has died and left everything to him and he has to go to Japan to claim his inheritance... which includes an absolutely adorable 19 year old daughter, Yumi, played by Ryoko Hirosue. It's a fun movie and got me to thinking of that other great Jean Reno film "Leon, The Professional" which costarred Natalie Portman in maybe her best role ever, as a little girl whose family are murdered and who turns to her neighbor, Leon, for help. Below are trailers for both these films. What girl wouldn't feel safe with a father figure like Mr. Reno?
Here's "Wasabi"

And "Leon, The Professional"

The Worst Hard Time: A Book Recommendation

2011-02-16T06:56:00.000-08:00

The Goodwin Library Book Club has been going well this last year with a focus on some brilliant Young Adult titles which allowed us some pretty intense discussions. We just read an amazingly well written and researched non-fiction book that almost reads like fiction, the "Worst Hard Time" by Timothy Egan.

Many of you have already read this book when it came out. If you haven't... it's the story of the dust bowl problems affecting the Oklahoma and Texas panhandle and the people that stuck it out during this epic disaster plus it was in the midst of the depression. Huge dust clouds that swept over and devastated people and animals and filled them with dust and dirt causing a disease called dust pneumonia that killed many elderly and infants and people who were caught out in storms sometimes suffocated. The book goes into the causes for this disaster and what was done to try and rectify things. It's chilling and fascinating and filled with memorable characters. It really makes you appreciate having enough water and not having to eat tumbleweeds!

NYTimes Book review

NPR story on the book and interview

Timothy Egan reads a selection

The Plow That Broke the Plains movie

And Woody Guthrie. I would have put "If You Ain't Got the Do Re Mi" here, but I wanted to end on a more upbeat note!

Post Valentine's Day Cartoon

2011-02-15T05:08:00.000-08:00

For those of you who have had it with all the pressure of candy, hearts and flowers...or not getting any!

Happy Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon Plus a Special Surprise!

2011-02-14T05:07:00.000-08:00

And now a special Valentine's Day surprise mini story all about LOVE just for YOU:

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoons # 12 & 13

2011-02-13T06:29:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 11

2011-02-12T04:53:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 10

2011-02-11T05:04:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 9

2011-02-10T04:47:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 8

2011-02-09T06:22:00.001-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 7

2011-02-08T05:18:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 6

2011-02-07T05:07:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 5

2011-02-06T06:02:00.000-08:00

The Second Annual Kitty Awards

2011-02-05T16:59:00.000-08:00

The Kitty Awards

It's Awards Season. So far, the Golden Globes and the SAG Awards have been incredibly boring, except for Chris Colfer of GLEE winning a Golden Globe and being so sweet and charming and SUCCINCT! A perfect nominee and winner. Yay, Chris!
Welcome to the 2nd Annual Kitty Awards!
Once again, the Kitty will go to the most deserving. Not the movies that cost the most, or the biggest stars. Using the Academy Award's nominees, below are the incredibly lucky stars and films that will win the Kitty!

First, Best supporting actor:
The nominees are:

Christian Bale in “The Fighter”

John Hawkes in “Winter's Bone”

Jeremy Renner in “The Town”

Mark Ruffalo in “The Kids Are All Right”

Geoffrey Rush in “The King's Speech”

And the winner:
John Hawkes from "Winter's Bone"!

He was creepy, but kind of a good guy. Someone you'd want on your side when you've got to tackle those tricky distant relatives. A great choice, right?

Next up, Best Supporting Actress:
The Nominees are:

Amy Adams in “The Fighter”

Helena Bonham Carter in “The King's Speech”

Melissa Leo in “The Fighter”

Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”

Jacki Weaver in “Animal Kingdom

and the winner:

Hailee Steinfeld in “True Grit”! Congratulations, Hailee! We think even the Academy can see she should win the award. She probably should have won Best Actress, even. But there may be someone as deserving in that category. Stay tuned!
Now: Best Animated Feature Film
The Nominees are:

“How to Train Your Dragon”

“The Illusionist”

“Toy Story 3"

Who picks these titles? What about "Despicable Me"?
Well, I am nominating "Despicable Me" a movie everyone I know LOVED (even John!) and has a leading character (Grue) who is like the love child of Edward Gorey and Charles Adams.

The winner:

"Despicable Me"!! Way to go, Grue! Look how happy he and his minions are to win a Kitty!

New to the KITTIES is the Foreign Film Category:
The nominees are:

“Biutiful” Mexico

“Dogtooth” Greece

“In a Better World” Denmark

“Incendies” Canada

“Outside the Law (Hors-la-loi)” Algeria

But, guess what? I didn't see ANY of these. Some of them sound a little depressing. So, instead, I am nominating MY favorite foreign film of the year, or, my favorite that I saw this year. On Netflix:
"Ginger and Cinnamon" Italy.
And the winner:

"Ginger and Cinnamon" of course!!! Who doesn't love a fim set on a gorgeous Greek island? And the cast is fantastic. And funny! And the soundtrack is perfect. And it has maybe my favorite ending, ever! I even bought the DVD!

Get ready! Here are the BIG awards!
First, the Nominees for Best Actress:

Annette Bening in “The Kids Are All Right”

Nicole Kidman in “Rabbit Hole”

Jennifer Lawrence in “Winter's Bone”

Natalie Portman in “Black Swan”

Michelle Williams in “Blue Valentine”

And the winner:

Jennifer Lawrence! She is brilliant and very believable as Ree Dolly in "Winter's Bone". I've seen it a couple of times and it was even shown at the prestigious Farmington Film Society where 15 elite patrons unanimously agreed on its merits. I have to say Natalie Portman was good in "Black Swan", too, but a bit too scary.
OK, now the nominees for Best Actor:

Javier Bardem in “Biutiful”

Jeff Bridges in “True Grit”

Jesse Eisenberg in “The Social Network”

Colin Firth in “The King's Speech”

James Franco in “127 Hours”

What! Garret Hedlund from "Country Strong" has NOT been nominated by the Academy? That is just WRONG. How many people seeing that movie said, "Wait a minute...who IS that guy?"So, once again I am forced to over-ride the Academy and place Garrett Hedlund in the Best Actor category.
I liked Jeff Bridges in "True Grit" (and I also liked John Wayne, who won an Academy Award for his version of Rooster Cogburn), but he already won last year. Two years in a row is pushing it.

And the winner is Garrett Hedlund! Hooray!

Congratulations, Garrett. And, yes, "The Kitty" would make a great truck hood ornament.

Now, wait a minute, Jeff, that's Hailee's "Kitty". Don't be sneaking it into that saddlebag while she's watching the rest of the Kitty Awards!

Finally! The Kitty for Best Movie:

The nominees are:

“Black Swan”

“The Fighter”

“Inception”

“The Kids Are All Right”

“The King's Speech”

“127 Hours”

“The Social Network”

“Toy Story 3”

“True Grit”

“Winter's Bone"

"Toy Story 3" got in there? What about the shut-out "Despicable Me"? I'm nominating it for BEST Picture.

And the winner:
Surprise!!!
"Despicable Me"!

I know. Not what you were expecting. Since when does a popular favorite win an award? Since the Kitties! Remember, last year's winner was "District 9"! The judges (me) almost went for "Winter's Bone" or "True Grit", but I am sure they will reap plenty of other awards, and we did honor Hailee, Jennifer and John Hawkes for their greatness.

And, as I mentioned last year our choice for the Kitty Awards host would of course be Neil Patrick Harris. As we've noted, he should be National Host, in charge of hosting all shows on every channel including the Tonight Show!

Can the Academy Awards compete against the "Kitty Awards"?

Wait and see!

Valentine's Day Countdown Cartoon # 4

2011-02-05T04:37:00.000-08:00

And don't forget the Kitty Awards will be posted here, tonight, at 8:00 PM!

Valentine's Day Cartoon # 3

2011-02-04T04:57:00.000-08:00

And remember to tune in Saturday night at 8:00 (EST) for the 2nd Annual Kitty Awards!

Valentine's Day Cartoon # 2

2011-02-03T05:26:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day Countdown

2011-02-02T06:28:00.000-08:00

Who doesn't love Valentine's Day? (OK, some of us may be related to people who aren't believers in big demonstrative expressions of affection. We'll deal with them later!) I'll be posting a V Day cartoon a day from now until the 14th. Also, exciting news. It is almost time for the "Kitty" Awards. Watch this space!

Post That Would Have Appeared on the Six Chix Blog

2011-02-01T19:15:00.000-08:00

I am not a techie. Let me repeat that. Multiple times. I have tried to figure out how to post this little drawing exercise on the Chix blog but even with several friends trying to help me with screen captures of this blog site...what they were showing me wasn't what I was seeing. So here is what I would have posted there if I could have!
I always tell the kids at the Cartoon Club I run at the library to use their imagination. Here is an example of "imagination-ing" I did today:

Sketching on Sunday

2011-01-30T14:41:00.000-08:00

Stan Freberg's United States of America : a Tribute!

2011-01-28T09:01:00.000-08:00

Stan Freberg was/is a genius who in the 50's and 60's and 70's brought a visionary, creative, satirical sensibility to radio, TV and print ads (like "Who puts 8 great tomatoes in that little bitty can?") and "novelty" records like "St.George and the Dragonet" and wrote the best unproduced Broadway musical ever: "Stan Freberg's United States of America" a satire of the founding of America. Back in the 60's the LP of this musical was released and became a huge favorite of anyone who ever heard it. It was brilliant, and way ahead of its time. It had an amazing cast besides Mr. Freberg and included Paul Frees, Jesse White and June Foray. The songs were catchy and witty and lines from it have been adapted in homage by groups like Firesign Theater (What's that? French horns). Evil Broadway impresario David Merrick wanted to produce it for the stage but instead tied up the rights for years!!! We're lucky we have the album and a few years back a second volume was released. Also good, but Volume l is one of my all time favorites. If you haven't heard this album before, here are some things I found on Youtube to give you a taste of what you are in for when you buy the CD or download the mp3. One of them was an animated version of the Sale of Manhatten by revolutionary graphic designer Saul Bass, famous for iconic movie posters like "Vertigo". I never saw this before:

Then, someone filmed the record player playing the beginning of the LP, with the wonderfully clever and catchy "It's a Round, Round World"

I never get tired of hearing that. Be sure to check out the whole thing!

Movies That Speak to You

2011-01-25T15:37:00.000-08:00

And I don't mean like hearing voices or like when the actors on the screen turn and say "What do YOU think, Stephanie" like they do in Truffaut's "Fahrenheit 451"!
Everyone has their favorite movies, the ones they can watch over and over. I've talked about "Sliding Doors", "Duets" , "Love Actually", "Ginger and Cinnamon" and "Southbounders" which are 5 of my all time favorites. Below, is one more of my favorites complete with trailer through the ever miraculous miracle of YOUtube embedding!
This is a movie I first saw in the theater then bought a copy and even got a copy for the library. "I'm Not Scared" is an Italian movie exquisitely filmed and with a fabulous score and a terrific cast led by Giueseppe Cristiano as Michele, a good hearted 9 year old boy who lives an ordinary life with his little sister and attractive parents in the countryside. Until one day...something happens to change his perceptions of everyone and everything around him. I'm not giving anything away. The trailer may give away a bit too much. You want to see this film and be surprised. And, maybe, jump out of your seat.

Check it out, sometime, via netflix or wherever you see movies.
I'll post some more of my favorites when I have more time.

Winter in NH

2011-01-21T13:21:00.000-08:00

New Hampshire and New England in general are not places you'd want to live if you don't have an end of the world, survivor instinct (or, shudder, are a winter sports enthusiast!!!). That means we get snow. LOTS of it. WAAAY toooooo much for my liking. Everything comes to a halt. Until you can dig out. While I was tucked up inside, today, waiting to shovel out of the latest storm... I drew up a little peek into what we have to deal with over here, for those of you lying under a palm tree somewhere.

Best Book Review Ever!

2011-01-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

Sometimes a book comes along that will become a best seller. "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand is probably one of them. I put in for it for the library and it's sitting on my bookshelf waiting to be read as I write this. But a great book review can help make that happen. At Thanksgiving, the new issue of NY Magazine had come and I was reading through it and started reading this incredible book review by Sam Anderson. It was so smart and funny that I read it out loud and everyone wanted not just to read the book...but a copy of the book review! Follow the link to the book review that caused numerous friends and relatives to buy it for other friends and relatives.

Nowhere to Run

Don't Be Hating "Country Strong" Snarky Critics!

2011-01-13T13:42:00.000-08:00

What is it about critics that they have to be mean about a movie that not only has Gwyneth, but has her singing!

And has a knock-out star performance by Garret Hedlund, who Nico and I both said "Who is this guy??? Where did he come from???" See:

He is riveting and sexy and has a perfect country singing voice! It also has Leighton Meester who is cute as can be as an All About Eve country star wannabe. This movie not only has singing, it has drama, romance and as we said before Garrett Hedlund. So, if you want to see a good old fashioned movie movie... catch "Country Strong" on the big screen. Skip the reviews!

A "Gilmore Girls" For All Seasons

2011-01-12T06:56:00.000-08:00

Nico and I have watched every single episode of the Gilmore Girls (multiple times if you count its being on DVD), even through her being at college we'd discuss after each episode. We relate. We get the references. They are like OUR references. It could be about us if John would wear a baseball cap backwards and a plaid shirt and Jeremiah worked in a convenience store (things we doubt they'd do). Now, I just got home from visiting Nico and while I was there her friend Liz invited us to watch our favorite "Gilmore Girls" episodes on her incredible projection screen. You have not experienced the fabulousess that is the "Gilmore Girls" until you have seen in on a giant screen. So, if you love this show like we do, it is reeeeallly hard to narrow down your favorite episodes. We did "Pippi Virgin", "Raincoats and Recipes" and of course "Lorelai? Lorelai?" the karaoke Lorelai sings I will Always Love You episode. Of course there are many, many more favorites, but we'd probably still be there watching them and missing work and air flights etc... so, here through the miracle of Youtube embedding are some Gilmore Girls highlights:
First, a Youtube tribute that was made using the GG theme by Carole King:

Luke and Lorelai, what could be more romantic than this (excluding screaming naked Kirk):

I just had to include the "Pippi Virgin" clip:

And here's the Karaoke clip, get ready to go boohoo:

And a couple of Nico and I from "The Piro/Nolan Girls" seasons 1-26:

Pen Variations (plus one pencil)

2011-01-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

In my Bad Pen Day post, quite a few of my friends had recommendations as to what I might use if I had to replace the Artpen. I took some time to experiment with some of the pens I had on hand. The following ladies will model a variety of pen lines and one will even show off her yellow pencil couture. Here they are. Not sure if you can tell the differences once they've been scanned, but feel free to vote on your favorite!

Birthdays!

2011-01-03T07:43:00.000-08:00

Today is my birthday, and while I do think you should all have a day off with bonus pay in celebration... the Government may have different views on that , not to mention your boss, so in fact I will be working at the library today, myself. I may wear a tiara. That's still up in the air.
Below are some cartoons on aging. I think most of you women will relate. Then, I'll end with one of my favorite birthday cartoons.

And finally:

Happy New Year!

2010-12-31T14:06:00.000-08:00

It's time to celebrate and here are a few New Year's cartoons for you to enjoy.

And, of course, what's a New Year without snarky cat comments?

Bad Pen Day!

2010-12-27T09:27:00.000-08:00

We had a lovely Christmas with friends Mike (cartoonist and well known blogger) and Stacy Lynch. John cooked boeuf bourguignon and Stacy brought a yummy veggie dish. I made a microwave dumpling (actual recipe from an old Scottish lady). There was singing. There was fiddle playing. There was cartoon and movie talk. So, all in all a great day!

Fast forward to Sunday. Sundays I read the paper and then usually write or draw or both. But alas. It was NOT so easy. The following is the story of:

12 Cartoons About Christmas

2010-12-23T14:00:00.000-08:00

I love doing holiday cartoons because you can play around with themes and ideas and characters. This was one of my favorites. You see a lot of dogs sacrificed to the holiday gods and dressed in little Santa or reindeer outfits.

The above is probably my very favorite of my Christmas cartoons. I love drawing space aliens. These 3 are particularly sneaky.

I draw a lot of Christmas cat cartoons. I'll post a couple here. Cats can be very laid back about holidays. They do love the idea of a tree brought into the house... and all those dangly things just waiting for a paw to knock it off and get batted around!

Here's another dog one. This one features a cute puppy.

Mistletoe is always fun to use as a prop.

Computers have helped to modernize the holidays like the cartoons above, and below.

Next to the alien cartoon, the next one is another of my personal favorites:

I like to draw Santa. Those Santas you might see at the mall or on a street corner are fun.

The one below is another one I really enjoyed doing. I mean, decorating and undecorating a tree is a LOT of work!

And finally a kid cartoon. I have many, many others, if I have some time, I may post some more tomorrow. For now, here is the 12th cartoon. Hope you enjoy them!

Love Actually : Best Christmas Movie Ever

2010-12-21T17:35:00.000-08:00

If you haven't seen "Love Actually" before, get thee to Netflix or the nearest library (next to Netflix the most popular place to get movies) and then wrap yourself in a comfy blankie with some hot chocolate and bask in the hilarity and poignancy of this multi-faceted, perfectly cast film. Nico and I watch this every year and we also saw it several times in the movies when it came out. Trust us. You will love this movie!

The story of an inter-connected group of people during the week or so leading up to Christmas. Some are family. Some friends. Some co-workers. Some are Hugh Grant, Liam Neeson and Thomas Sangster as Liam's heartbreaking little step-son, Colin Firth, Andrew Lincoln, Alan Rickman and Bill Nighy, so funny, as a few of the guys and Kiera Knightley, Emma Thompson, Laura Linney (BAD decision making Ms. Laura!), adorable Martine McCutcheon (as Natalie), as some of the girls.

There are several boo-hoo moments. Be prepared. There is also the beautiful city of London decked out for the holidays. What could be more Christmas-y?

Here, though the miracle of embedding, is Bill Nighy as a former pop star making a comeback with a holiday take on a classic rock song. It's the only version I could find, but enjoyable none the less.

So, have a very Merry Christmas! I will try and post some holiday cartoons tomorrow or the next day. Until then, here is another photo and the official trailer!

Catnip and Crunchies

2010-12-15T09:03:00.000-08:00

Finally finished my new cat calendar for 2011! What a LOT of work. I send them to friends and family, but if you are looking for a last minute fun gift, here's a link and a couple of selections!
Catnip and Crunchies Calendar

Happy Non-Specific Generic

2010-12-06T09:38:00.000-08:00

Years ago, in the 80's, I did a comic strip called the "Terrible Tea Time". I wanted to create the type of strip I wanted to read. I have written about this strip before. It starred 2 nameless women who were friends / room mates and who complained a lot. They had a cat. Various boyfriends. And a maid who was in control of everything. Including them. It's very rough looking and minimalist looked at today, but I still like it. I resurrected them for a Christmas card at the height of political correctness. Here is the card laid out in strip form. I hope it's legible. My handwriting has realllly improved, believe it or not!

Holidays, Holidays

2010-12-03T08:13:00.000-08:00

Working at the library is rewarding and fun. And nothing is as rewarding and fun as combining cartooning with library work! I've been running the cartoon club going on 8 years and I've had some terrific kids as members and this group is especially good and enthusiastic. We met this past Monday and for this meeting I had them draw cartoon holiday cards. Once they had drawn them up I made them each a few copies so they could send them out to family and friends. I wish I'd snagged a couple of the copies, but the class went by so fast they all took them home. For every meeting I draw up samples of what we'll be doing for that class. I drew up a sample holiday card and ended up really liking it, so,here it is. First the original which is on an 8 1/2 x 11 sheet of paper that gets folded up.

Now, colored and as a story:

Another group I started and have been running for almost 8 years is the Adult Writers' Group. They are a varied and multi-talented bunch which includes a singer/songwriter, memoirists and poets. I really enjoy them and wanted to do something special so I came up with the idea of asking them to e-mail me holiday and winter poems and stories and collecting them into a little book. Our Director liked the idea and had the covers copied at Staples so they would be in color. The group meets Monday and everyone will get a copy. Here's the cover. I wanted it to look handmade and with a sort of 50's vibe.

front

back
I'll be looking forward to Monday when everyone gets a copy. Maybe I'll bake some cookies to take in. After all...nothing says holiday more than some great writing and a plate of home baked cookies!

Squirrel Pin: An Object of Desire Love Story

2010-11-30T19:07:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving with Pie(s)

2010-11-24T16:44:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is our favorite holiday around here. Nico's home. There's food. And pies. Waaay too many pies.

(Nico: have mixer/will travel)
You could put just about anything in a crust and it is sure to taste better.

In the spirit of giving and sharing I am happy to share some of my favorite Thanksgiving cartoons from the past and a recent one, too. So, have a fabulous day with family, friends and pussycats.

And don't forget, after the parade (we love balloons and Broadway!) and before the meal to engage in the annual traditional viewing of the classic "Muppet Family Christmas"...

Then get lots of rest ... for part II of the great American Thanksgiving weekend:

Live and Let Live Horse Farm

2010-11-05T10:08:00.000-07:00

Besides being a full time cartoonist I'm also the Adult Program Coordinator at the Goodwin Library which is really fun and allows me to bring interesting speakers and programs to the library. And nothing is better than when I can run a program and also help an animal rescue organization, like when we helped the Loki Wolf Refuge by putting on Night of the Wolves.
So, on Wednesday, Nov. 10th, Live and Let Live Farm Horse Shelter Executive Director Teresa Paradis will come to the Goodwin Library to give a presentation. I came across their site while doing program research online and since I LOVE horses I called them up and they agreed to come.
Last Sunday, my friend (and the library's Assistant Director) Tami LaRock and I took a trip out to the shelter so I could see what it was like and be able to do a better job of presenting them. We were really impressed by how beautiful and well cared for all the horses were. Many horses come from homes where the owner may be out of work and can't afford to keep them. This seems to be a problem all over the country. They also took in Premarin horses and their foals. Talk about a horror story! One beautiful paint horse we met, Vanessa, was a former Premarin mare. She is now blind. It may not have anything to do with her previous sad life, but it does make you wonder. She shares a corral with a sighted companion.
If you live in New Hampshire, and are a horse person, be sure to check out Live and Let Live Farm's website. Visit when you have a chance. There is a great tour of the whole place every Sunday at 2:30. And they are always looking for volunteers. And don't forget, if you can, please make a donation. They are doing wonderful work. Now, here are some more photos from the trip:

Me and Deputy

Tami and a couple of very nice horses

A view of the farm

You can sponsor a horse and many people do. You can pick out a particular horse and then work with it so either that person or someone else will adopt it.

This is Vanessa the former Premarin mare.

Coconut

This is Jack the Beanstalk, a very beautiful and big former race horse. If you click on his name you'll see a full image of him.

So, that was a short photo tour of Live and Let Live Farm. Hope you enjoyed it! When you go to their website be sure to go to the page of all the horses for adoption and there will be descriptions of the horses in these photos.

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween. I've done a lot of Halloween cartoons so I thought I'd post a trick or treat selection from the last couple of years. After all, cartoons are better for your teeth than candy!

On another note, for a good scary time check out the classy horror magazine Shroud who also publish some great original horror titles. We hosted them at the library and I was very impressed by how beautifully done these are.

And don't forget tomorrow AMC premieres "The Walking Dead". Here's an amazingly embedded trailer to get you ready:

And remember... as they say at Hill House "No one will hear you... in the dark...in the night... no one will hear you screeeeeeeeeeam!"
Happy Halloween!

Scary Stuff

2010-10-13T13:10:00.000-07:00

When I moved to NH I used to run a film society at the house. This was before everyone had VCRs. We used to chip in and rent a projector and rent 16 MM movies like "the Producers" .
Since I've been working at the library I really wanted to start a movie group for grown-ups and our Friends finally bought us a license! And we got an LCD projector. All systems go (with a few minor glitches) and the Farmington Film Society was born. We showed "The Book of Eli". Great film. I wanted to show "the Road" as it didn't play in our area (I saw it in Boston), the book won a Pulitzer, etc. but our licensing company wanted an extra $100.00 to show it, I've no clue why, so we settled for Denzel, who is always a captivating actor, and there's a road in this one that looks like the same one Viggo trod on.
Then I got the OK to show a movie in October, as the patrons who came to "Book of Eli" asked to see something scary for Halloween.
When I think "scary" there is one film that stands out, to me, as the mother of all scary films and which many filmmakers have tried to imitate including a pretty bad remake. I'm talking the 1963 "The Haunting" based on the very creepy "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson. I saw the movie when it came out and was creeped out and disturbed by it at a young age and every time I see it I have pretty much the same reaction. Here, once again, through the miracle of embedding and Youtube is the original trailer for the movie:

I guess they give a lot away in the trailer, which is too bad, if you haven't seen it already. Anyway, with Netflix and on demand audiences (our patrons) have seen pretty much everything so its hard to find something different to get them out in the evening and into the library. Two film buffs I know are both planning to come and both have seen it multiple times, so I'm hoping for a good turn-out.
If you haven't seen it before be sure to put it in your cue or come on down to the Goodwin Library. We promise to leave the light on in the hall.

Gwyneth

2010-09-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Gwyneth has a new movie coming out in which she plays a country singer. Isn't that great news? Those of us who love the movie "Duets" and have seen her sing that song "Rain Forests Must Die" (or something like that) on an old Saturday Night Live know what a terrific talent and good singer she is. And, honestly, is there anyone more adorable than Gwyneth? (Well, maybe Nico). Let's have a look through the miracle of Youtube embedding at some of her greatest roles:

Sliding Doors is one of those movies that can stand repeat viewings because it is funny, poignant, and just a really good story of what might have been had one taken a different path, so we really get two Gwyneths for the price of one. Good deal! Plus John Hannah as an attractive leading man. Take a look:

Now, let's take a look at her very famous duet with Huey Lewis singing "Cruisin'" in Duets:

And here's the trailer for "Country Strong" where we will get to see Gwyneth singing and playing a country singer trying to re-start her career.

Sounds like it will be right up there with "Nashville" and "The Thing Called Love" two of my all time favorites. Maybe we'll look at those two movies on another blog.
But to wrap up all things Gwyneth, here is a link to GOOP, her lifestyles online newsletter: GOOP
a link to her Academy Award win for "Shakespeare In Love" (sorry, can't embed this):Gwyneth Academy Award
And a final look at her in full charm mode in Emma:

Kevin McCarthy, 1914-2010

2010-09-13T08:19:00.000-07:00

Very sad to see this today, so soon after my blog.
The original "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" was a masterpiece of sci-fi paranoia, largely due to Mr. McCarthy's incredible performance.

Kevin McCarthy

Harvest Time 2010

2010-09-07T18:51:00.000-07:00

AAAAAAARRRGGGHHH

2010-09-01T08:40:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago we had the garden group members up to our house for a harvest lunch. There were several hardcore garden experts in the group.

So, when we had a tour of the garden I took them over to see the romanesco cauliflower to get some opinions...because, honestly, these things didn't exactly look like the seed catalog photos. The answer I got was "Huh. Never saw anything like THAT before."

Not exactly words you want to hear. These things are MUTANTS! I knew there was something unearthly about them. I needed someone who wasn't just a garden expert. Someone who knew his way around evil outer space alien plant growths. I needed KEVIN McCARTHY!

Kevin, what do you make of these things. Have a look.

So, Kev, give me your honest opinion. No holding back. I can take it.

Oh, no. Worse than I thought! Well, we had our revenge. We ate their young. Quite tasty, with a hint of broccoli. But, wait... the zucchini is looking a bit odd. Kevin? Now, where did he go?

Bring on the Games (The Hunger Games)!

2010-08-30T19:07:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I really appreciate it when an author writes a book and that's it. I may have said this before. Just one book and not a whole series that can drag on and on. That said, sometimes there are series SO good you don't want them to end because you have become so attached to the characters. "Twilight" was one (though I'm not happy with "Breaking Dawn"), Harry Potter, of course and... "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.

"The Hunger Games" is an absolutely unputdownable trilogy. If you have not read this chillingly realistic futuristic post-apocalyptic story, let me give you a brief lead in: Katniss Everdeen is a 16 year old girl who lives with her mother and sister in a place called District 12 one of 12 areas under the control of the evil Capital, which keeps its citizens oppressed and starving to keep down rebellion (District 13 has already been obliterated). Once a year, the Capital "reaps" a boy and girl from each community and pits them against each other in a fight to the death which is televised as an entertaining reality show. The winner, or last left alive, becomes a celebrity. Katniss has been the main support for her mother and sister since her father died in a mining accident. She is a skilled archer and hunter. I'll only say that Katniss takes the place of her little sister who is the chosen girl for the 74th Hunger Games.

Katniss is an incredibly strong female lead and Suzanne Collins' writing is so descriptive you feel like you are right there on the journey towards the arena with her. There's suspense, there's scary stuff and there's even ROMANCE!

What's great about "Mockingjay's" release is it now allows new readers to sit down and enter the world of the "Hunger Games" and read them all the way through, like watching a great TV series on DVD without the ads!

The Goodwin Library book club will be reading the whole series and the 6 new members (so far) have not read them before, so I can't wait to have some great discussions as we progress! Come join us! We'll ILL a copy just for you!

The Dark Side of Cats!

2010-08-19T18:37:00.000-07:00

I vacuumed yesterday. This is not as unusual as it sounds. And I know I vacuumed under the couch where I draw. And I swear...there was not a stiff as a board chipmunk under there, yesterday. And Spacey was curled up next to it looking quite pleased. This was not a fresh kill so to speak. This one was aged. Like road kill. Where did it come from? Why, when I am home alone?

This meant I had to get out the shovel of doom and scoop it up (not so easy) and take it across the street to the woods and toss it back to from whence it came.

(shovel of doom)

When you live in the country, there are many other inhabitants that want to live with you, too. In your roof, your attic, under your stove, in the kitchen drawers even, and stupidly...in the chimney. Which is why my husband claims we have cats. Efficient killing machines. Sometimes. What they like more is bringing wildlife into the house, letting it go and forgetting about it. So it is up to us to try to corral these creatures and get them outside to safety and freedom. Which they can be quite opposed to, preferring to take their chances with those teeth and claws and hide for days under the radiator while the cats stake it out in shifts.

We have freed mice, chipmunks and bats. The bats appear on their own and swoop around all over making it hard to get them to leave (especially while you are hiding in the bathroom with the door closed). Waste baskets are our method of choice in rescuing rodents. Keep an empty one standing by.
Our cats often don't want to bother keeping the house pest free. Why should they? They want treats and canned food and lots of attention for how wonderful they are. And to be appreciated and thanked for inspiring cartoons. So, thank you, fur friends, you are great and also loved. Here is a final cartoon in tribute.

Invasion of the Romanesco Fractal Cauliflowers

2010-08-18T18:52:00.000-07:00

This spring when we were going through the seed catalogs I came across the most incredible looking vegetable I had ever seen. Romanesco Cauliflowers. They looked fantastic! Like the food the invaders from Mars would enjoy when they weren't installing brain controlling devices on to the backs of earthlings necks. So, of course I had to order the seeds. From High Mowing.

I planted them in March. It didn't take too long for them to sprout.

I planted them in the garden and was excited for the appearance of these unique and apparently tender delicacies that were best eaten raw (according to some online sources) though I have my doubts about that. Eventually, they grew up into these huge leaves and have remained like that for MONTHS!

After weeks of babying them through the hot (not complaining) summer and lavishing them with water with no sign of them ever turning into the sci-fi veggie of the seed packet. I'd had it. Something had gone wrong and they weren't growing. I headed over to the bed where they were planted and was going to rip them out of the garden and turn them into compost when... I looked down and saw something strange...

Was there something happening after all? Had they read my mind and sprung into action to save themselves? I had a closer look.

Yes... there, beneath the leaves, something was slowly emerging.

It reminded me of something:

The next day, more of them had surfaced.

It shouldn't be too long, now, till we are able to eat these things. We hope. I've seen enough movies to know not all plant life is benign.

Especially when it looks like it came from outer space!

Two Unexpectedly Great Movies

2010-08-06T04:49:00.000-07:00

Sometimes you just need a break. Normally, I would never watch a movie during the day. Honest. Movie lover that I am, I never do this. But recently, what with the ultra hot, hot humidity and having wrapped up a bunch of cartooning and with some days off the library, I had the opportunity to take a break on the old Appalachian Trail via this wonderful movie "Southbounders". Hopefully this trailer will embed. My former co-worker and former Assistant Director at the library, Melody, who is a hiking Goddess, did the whole trail with her significant other, so seeing this was like getting a peek at what life was like on the trail:

I loved that movie.
Here is a link to the film website:http://www.southbounders.com/

I also absolutely adored "Ginger and Cinnamon" a fabulous and very sweet movie about the unusual bonding experience between an Italian aunt and her niece.
Let us try embedding once more:

Hmmm, couldn't find a preview with subtitles, well, take my word for it, this is a delightful movie and has one of the best endings, ever!
Here's the imdb listing for it:http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0343594/

Check Amazon or netflix for these 2 gems!