8 x 11.5 mixed media collage
comic strip
many layers of acrylic paint over black gesso
distressed embossing
As a child I was a dreamer, well I'm still a dreamer. I liked comic books like Archie , Betty and Veronica, Jughead, Richie Rich, Little Lulu, Krazy Kat and Nancy to name a few. I liked to take long leisurely strolls. I'd kick a few stones, wave to the neighbors on their stoops and pluck a dandelion or two and make a wish-- while on my way to the corner fountain shop where I grew up in Brooklyn, New York. It was here I would capitalize on my $1, release the stronghold grip on my coin purse and score a handful of delectable treats.
I could buy an Archie comic book for .12 cents and a brown paper bag fulled with penny candies and a Yoo Hoo or a chocolate egg cream and still have change left over. I couldn't wait for Sundays because the New York Times had the best funnies section and the colors were so vibrant. I'd launch my Silly Putty from it's molded egg plastic case, smell it, stretch it and start capturing the images of the comics, distorting them and changing the way they looked. Those were the days.
As I grew older, I took a liking to Snoopy and Charlie Brown, Ziggy and Mad magazine, remember Alfred E. Neuman? My taste grew to "Calvin and Hobbes" and "The Far Side" and "Dilbert" in my travels to Italy and France at the local newspaper stands, I'd stumble upon copies of Gato Felix (Felix the Cat), Occhi Bracchio di Ferro(Popeye the Sailorman), Picchiarello(Woody Woodpecker), Topolino(Mickey Mouse) and "The Adventures of TinTin". I have always admired the work of the great Winsor McCay, late 19th century, American cartoonist and animator. One of my favorites compilations "Little Nemo in Slumberland"
Today, I still own Silly Putty, I like the smell ( it's probably toxic) I no longer enjoy reading the comics and I choose to manipulate things in a different way. Don't forget to laugh!
Thanks for stopping by. My other blogspot: "The Way I See It"
