Play Ball!

In 1839, some significant events took place in the art world.

* Robert Cornelius took a daguerrotype self-portrait, the earliest known existing photographic portrait of a human in America.

  * Paul Cezanne, French impressionist, was born.

  

* * John Butler Yeats, Irish painter, was born.

And in the tiny Upstate New York mountain village of Cooperstown, a young man named Abner Doubleday purportedly invented the game…and the word… "baseball," designing the diamond, indicating fielders' positions, and writing the rules.

Welcome to the April edition of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.

It’s my annual salute to our National Pastime (where we conveniently ignore the strides made by the NFL as it, socially and economically, has supplanted MLB as the nation’s leading Sport; but I digress. And, I don’t care…)

We introduced this column through the lens of art, for that’s what we concentrate on, once a month. More specifically, we talk about…and display…caricatures.  

But Baseball is so woven into the fabric of this country’s being, that American artists – pretty much since 1839 – have chronicled the Game in their own particular fashion.

Some contemporary ones, caricaturists – and favorites of mine – are showcased here (and above -- "Charlie Brown," by Charles M. Schultz):

Derek Jeter, by Robert Smith

"Whiff!" by Mort Drucker

Minnesota Twins, by Tom Richmond

"Play at the Plate," by Jack Davis

Yours truly has had his turn at bat, too, in recent times:

Jordan Danks was the Charlotte Knights career hits leader; yours truly was commissioned by the Knights to create this as a gift to him and his family.

Michael Brent, old friend and artist extraordinaire...and longtime Yankees (and Mickey Mantle fan)

Pete Rose, right, as he agreed to speak at a local Charlotte networking function.

Benjamin Kweskin, which his Dad drew as a Sign-In Board for his Bar Mitzvah...

And that’s the game! Tune in the first Tuesday of next month as we step up to the plate for another swing at pop culture through caricature art…and Caricatures by Joel. 

Frightfully Funny

Halloween is celebrated later this month. And not just by little kids trick-or-treating around the neighborhood for candy. It’s celebrated by our economy which, in 2015, saw Americans spending roughly $6.9 billion on costumes, decorations and, of course, the sweet stuff. 

Next to Christmas, Halloween is the biggest money generating holiday on our calendar.

Welcome to the October issue of “Not Your Usual Caricature Artist” from Caricatures by Joel.

Horror movies are a big part of the “fun” during this period, as well. And pull in some pretty big numbers on their own. The most profitable “horror film” (though maybe more of a “ghost” flick – a nuanced distinction) is “The Sixth Sense,” at $293 million. Number 2 is “Jaws” (though I considered it more of a gory adventure film) at $260 million. Number 3 is the original “Ghostbusters” at $242 million. Number 4 is “The Exorcist” with earnings of $232 million, followed by the horror comedy “Scary Movie,” at $157 million.

Horror films have been ripe for parodying and satirizing in humor magazines like Mad for decades. Assisting in bringing these fright flicks down a peg or two from their scary perches are the caricature artists who have illustrated these fun pieces. 

Artists like one of my very faves who, just a couple of months ago, passed away -- Jack Davis, (art at the top), with his take on Universal Pictures icons Frankenstein, Dracula, Creature from The Black Lagoon and The Invisible Man.

And then there's product of the UK Paul Garner, with his version of Bela Lugosi's Dracula and Silent Screen star Lon Chaney, Sr.'s vampire:

The great Mad (among other media outlet pubs) artist Tom Richmond is featured here with yet another vampire, German Silent Screener Max Schreck's "Nosferatu."

Here's artist Cowboy-Lucas's rendition of horror superstar Vincent Price:

Now I don't have any works depicting horror movie stars... But I do have caricatures done of kids and adults enjoying, respectively, a Halloween party at Trump National Golf Club, and a Halloween-themed wedding reception!

Join us again the first Tuesday of next month for another bone-chilling edition of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.

Mad about Jack Davis

Several years ago, I was vacationing in the beautiful, quaint Georgia seaside village of St. Simons Island.

I walked into a pub and saw, adorning the walls throughout the establishment, original works of art – many of them playfully depicting University of Georgia football players and their mascot, the bulldog – by nationally renowned Mad Magazine/film poster/Time magazine/TV Guide/Madison Avenue/et al. caricaturist Jack Davis. 

Both stunned by the serendipity of having discovered this treasure trove of wonderful pieces and perplexed by the realization that they were casually on display at some “random” watering hole, I asked the bartender, “What gives – how did this bar come into acquiring these original works by one of the country’s great, influential, leading caricature artists?”

Nonchalantly, he answered, “because he gave them to us.”

“And why would he do that?” I queried cynically.

“Because he lives here,” was the succinct answer.

Welcome to the August edition of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist with Caricatures by Joel.

Jack Davis, the jowly Southern gentleman who first staked a place six decades ago in the firmament of caricaturists heaven, was summoned finally to that more universally acknowledged celestial abode last week when he died at the age of 91.

Here’s how The New York Times profiled him:

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/29/business/media/jack-davis-illustrator-known-for-mad-magazine-dies-at-91.html?_r=2

Davis and Mort Drucker were – are – my favorite caricature artists, both customarily found in Mad Magazine. Drucker probably comes first; frankly, I found him to be the better of the two at capturing likenesses. But Davis had the “looser” style, more cartoon-y, more wildly exaggerated and therefore, to my sensibilities, warmer and funnier. And, you can always tell a Davis drawing by the inordinately large shoes his characters wear!

I have often answered to anyone who asks, that my greatest influences in caricature art are those two icons. They knew anatomy, they knew shading, they knew foreshortening, they knew color, they knew pencil, they knew ink, they knew paint. I wish I knew one-third of what they knew (Drucker is still with us, at 87).

Mad’s online site issued this statement:

It is with great sadness that we note the passing…of long-time legendary MAD artist Jack Davis.

Jack was one of the founding members of MAD Magazine’s “Usual Gang of Idiots.” An enormously gifted and versatile artist, Davis’ work appeared in the very first issue of MAD and virtually every issue over the next four decades.

“There wasn’t anything Jack couldn’t do,” said MAD editor John Ficarra. “Front covers, caricatures, sports scenes, monsters — his comedic range was just incredible. His ability to put energy and motion into his drawings, his use of cross-hatching and brush work, and his bold use of color made him truly one of the greats.”

“More than any one piece, it was Jack’s immediately recognizable style that revolutionized comic illustration,” said MAD art director, Sam Viviano. “There is not a humorous illustrator in the past 50 years who hasn’t been influenced by him.”

“Jack will always be remembered for his charming modesty and southern gentleman manner — which completely belied his rascally sense of humor and wry wit,” said Ficarra.

Everyone at MAD and DC Entertainment send their heartfelt condolences to Jack’s wife, Dena, and the entire Davis family.

Jack Davis was born the same year as my Dad and, so, I see him also as representing my Dad’s era – the ground-breaking comic book days of the ‘50s and the heady, creative Madison Avenue days of the ‘60s.  Bygone eras that conjure sweet nostalgic memories for me.

Clearly, I am no Jack Davis.

However, perhaps in these "live" sketches that I've done at various events, you'll see some of his influence in my approach. And if you do, I'm flattered...

See you again the first Tuesday of next month for another mad excursion into the world of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist.

Norman Rockwell, Caricaturist?

As Wikipedia notes, "Norman Rockwell (1894 – 1978) was a 20th-century American painter and illustrator. His works enjoy a broad popular appeal in the United States for their reflection of American culture. Rockwell is most famous for the cover illustrations of everyday life scenarios he created for The Saturday Evening Post magazine for more than four decades." 

But Norman Rockwell, Caricature Artist?

Welcome to 2015's Opus One of our monthly Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.

I went recently to an exhibit of his work that showed how he used photography to first establish his concepts (using real friends and neighbors as models, not professionals), from which he then painted his many published and commissioned pieces over a period of 60-plus years.

The thing that struck me was how often -- notwithstanding his penchant for representational realism -- he "embellished" a face or slightly exaggerated a body to lend whimsy and character to his tableaux. 

So, if we are to define "caricature" as "a picture, description or imitation of a person or thing in which certain striking characteristics are exaggerated in order to create a comic or grotesque effect," then America's greatest artistic chronicler of our social mores and pastimes could certainly wear the mantle of one...if only occasionally.

As these other, typically brilliant illustrations might indicate:

  

 

Along with the great illustrator/caricaturists of Mad Magazine -- Mort Drucker, Jack Davis, Tom Richmond, Jack Rickard, Drew Friedman and others -- Norman Rockwell stands tall as one of my heroes. 

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Here are a few commissioned works from yours truly that I can only hope would have at least elicited a nod of the head from Mr. Rockwell.

TV executive moving from Charlotte to Houston.

 Family expecting their second child; gift from Mom to Dad.

Executive, upon retirement.

Pete Rose on the right (guest speaker), with the founder of the Myers Park Networking Group, Bill Albaugh.

Client...of a client...enjoying his recreational spoils.

And since Rockwell was fond of occasionally inserting himself into his work...here's the latest self-indulgence from yours truly.

The Norman Rockwell exhibit is on display at the Columbia (SC) Museum of Art through January 18.

 Click here: Norman Rockwell: Behind the Camera

See you again the first Tuesday of next month for another broad brushstroke of Not Your Usual Caricature Artist from Caricatures by Joel.