Cartoonists Descend on Ottawa

I apologize for the void that has been this blog as of late (more drawings, comics and animation to come soon). I've had a very busy summer which just culminated with the art show David DeGrand and I co-curated at the Canteen Gallery in Ottawa. The opening was this past Friday night, August 27th.

"Seduction of the Idiots"


Here's the show blurb that David wrote up
(he also designed the poster):

Comics have long been accused of transforming young, impressionable children into savage maniacs incapable of existing as productive members of society. This is of course, completely ridiculous. At worst, comics warp fragile minds into wanting to become cartoonists themselves, which is arguably slightly better than the juvenile delinquent scenario. In any case, comics are here to stay, whether uptight citizens like it or not. The artists on display in “Seduction of the Idiots” are all examples of what can happen when comic and cartoon addiction is not dealt with early enough. Let this art show serve as a warning to parents everywhere; know what your child is watching and reading every second of their lives. The last thing you want is to be the parent of an idiot.

I had the pleasure last week of viewing and hanging a stunning body of artwork by some of my favorite cartoonists, illustrators, and animators. I get to see everyone's work online, but nothing beats seeing the real deal. In order of appearance, the artists in the show included John Martz, myself, Michael DeForge, Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos, David Degrand, Kaz Prapuolenis, J.R. Goldberg, Rebecca Sugar, and Dan Moynihan.

I didn't have the best camera on hand, but I snapped a few photos right before the opening (which can be viewed larger by clicking on them).


(Left to right) John Martz, Bob Flynn, Michael DeForge


Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos, David DeGrand


Kaz, J.R. Goldberg, Rebecca Sugar, Dan Moynihan

...and here's a smattering of close-ups.


















I had a great time at the opening—many thanks to everyone who attended. The show is up until September 12th, so be sure to stop by Canteen on Dalhousie if you happen to be in the area.


A bunch more thank-you's: First, to all the artists who accepted our invitation and took the time to create and prepare artwork for the show. I realize how much time and effort goes into this (having been in other shows), so it's immensely appreciated.

Of course, a big thank you goes out to Inaas Kiryakos, who invited David and I to curate the show in the first place. It was a bit of a mad dash to get everything ready for the opening, so thanks for helping us reach the finish line!

A HUGE thank you to my wife Loren, who was an enormous help designing and hanging everything when we arrived in Ottawa. I definitely couldn't have done it without her. She also snapped this photo of me (yes, this is what I look like).



And last but not least: DAVID! Thank you for all your help, ideas, and inspiration along the way, bud! The two of us definitely plan on doing another show in the future.

I hope to revisit Ottawa, soon!

Related linkage that features artwork from the show:

J.R. Goldberg
Dan Moynihan
John Martz

* UPDATE:

Here's a short interview I did with Diane Bond of Apartment 613 about the show. It's an arts and culture blog which covers events in Ottawa.

Heeby Jeeby Week!

Avoid the Future is a remarkable comics blog run by the amazing Martin & Judith, where they serve up reviews and interviews of small press and indie titles on an international scale. They asked Chris, Dan, David and I if we'd be interested in doing a group interview around Heeby Jeeby Comix. We said yes, and the result will be trickling out at a steady ramble this week on their blog—dubbed "Heeby Jeeby Week".

So, be sure to check us out, and read the truly original content Avoid the Future has to offer—a growing collection of thoughtful reviews and engaging interviews.

*Here's the full interview, in three parts:
Part 1 , Part 2 , Part 3

Homo habilis

Last weekend I finished coloring (graying, really) a 10-page comic for the upcoming issue of Inbound, an anthology published by the Boston Comics Roundtable. I had a comic in their previous book. The photo above is a snapshot I took when I was about halfway done inking.

I put the final touches on the comic this week, completing a great collaboration with writer (and comic artist) Dan Mazur—also marking the longest comic I've created in awhile. I shared an early sketch in this previous post. Here's the final rendering (page 5).



Inked, with a Pentel Pocket Brush Pen.
(this is my untouched scan)



and my preliminary sketch (before pencils).



Finally, here are some concept "caveman" sketches—more specifically, Homo habilis—the species at the center of this tale. I ended up going a bit more realistic than I normally would; the story warranted it.



I believe the anthology will be printed in the fall—after which I'll share the full comic.