Six Chix: The Comic Strip

In case you don’t know it, I love movies. And I love Netflix which allows me to discover films I could never find anywhere else. I also love my sister-in-law Margie who has once again given me this wonderful gift. And since I’m extending love and thanks I should add plenty of both for my astute friend Riva who has given me a growing list of films that never fail to delight and inform.

But sometimes, by sheer fool’s luck, I stumble upon a great movie all by myself. And that happened not too long ago when I thought I was typing in the name of a Michael Douglas movie that received good reviews. That movie, which I haven’t seen, is called “A Solitary Man.” But I typed “A Single Man” and that was my good fortune.

How many films have I seen with Colin Firth in the cast? I have no idea because I always found him to be rather bland and forgettable. He played Vermeer in “The Girl With The Pearl Earring” but I barely noticed him; I was watching Scarlett. And he was also in those Bridget Jones movies that left me cold. But from now on I will pay attention when I see his name ; I am won over.

It turns out this film garnered Firth an Oscar nomination last year and now that I’ve seen it I think he was robbed by Jeff Bridges. But that’s another story. First time director Tom Ford also deserves high praise for his adaptation of the Isherwood novel; (Who knew? I thought Ford was just a fashion designer. )the visuals are stunning and the story is told cleanly and concisely. The whole movie is well under two hours and yet the pace feels leisurely; that’s great editing.  Okay it’s not the happiest movie in the world; if that’s what you’re looking for move on. But if you’ve seen this film and have an opinion I would love to hear it. And if you have any suggestions for me don’t hold back!

I’ll be back with more movie blather /reviews. And I should add a disclaimer here in case I sound like I know what I’m talking about; I only know what I like. And sometimes I’m as surprised as anyone by what that may turn out to be. Gotta go, I have a netflix waiting!

Okay, I know I should be reading the classics or at the very least the back of my cereal box but instead I’m watching the Bravo channel. It’s not my fault, Project Runway enticed me 7 years ago . I admit, I fell for Tim Gunn and the whole concept of a fashion designer challenge. {Project’s 8th season starts this Thursday on Lifetime, if you’re interested.}

The latest Bravo enticement is “Work Of Art“,a reality challenge that boggles the mind. Beginning with 14 contestants the show winnows down one or two each week. Simon de Pury, the so-called mentor, states the challenge and the gang of artists are off and running. Or, more likely, off in a corner scratching their heads and moaning.

The early standout in the pack is Miles the OCD boy who tends to take naps and wake up inspired. I think Miles has been given a bit of a pass; he inked an obvious Murakami rip off that none of the judges called him on.

But some of his work is pretty interesting.I’m rooting for Abdi but Nicole may be the most consistent of the bunch. Her broken tv with landscape was wonderful!

Look, I know all about how this sort of tv works; the editing is key. And personality plays a larger role than talent most of the time. But if you’re zoning out at 10 o’clock on Wednesday night turn on Work Of Art and tell me what YOU think. Is Miles playing head games or is he really all he claims to be? And what would you do if told to create a piece that exemplified your childhood awakening to art? My answer would’ve sent me home.

Isy’s great post about the Reuben’s seminars reminded me of a little treasure I have from another Reuben’s weekend. The date on this is unreadable but it was the Cancun weekend, perhaps 2001? I didn’t make it to that Reuben’s either and Isy kindly sent me this.

It’s signed by John Kovaleski of “Bo Nanas”, Jerry Scott and Jim Borgman of “Zits”, Jay Kennedy, Sergio Argones of “Mad Magazine,” Isy’s sister, Katie Bannerman and a mysterious George. Could that be George Booth? Perhaps Isy’s remembers.

I’m sorry I missed that Reubens but not terribly sorry. If I had to trade this little gem for a weekend in Cancun there’s no contest. The postcard wins!

The Reuben’s awards are like the Oscars for cartoonists. Every February cartoonists in several different categories are encouraged to submit their 12 favorite cartoons from the previous year. The winners are announced at the  Reuben’s weekend which always falls on the Memorial Day weekend. Six Chix didn’t win a nomination this year but we did have our own presentation on Reuben’s Sunday. Isabella, Rina, Anne and Stephanie were our panel and did an exemplary job of representing the team!

Because our feature includes six cartoonist each of us submitted two favorite cartoons to the judges panel making the required total of 12. I thought you might like to see our choices and believe me picking favorites is no easy task. My stinkers jump out at me but the good ones never do. This year I chose two cartoons that had inspired e-mails from readers. It was the easiest way and, frankly, I trust the judgment of others far more than my own.

Isabella’s Choices:

My Choices:

Rina’s Choices:

Anne’s Choices:

Benita’s Choices:

Stephanie’s Choices:

You know, scrolling through these cartoons makes me appreciate our differences. I hope it helps you get to know us better. We all have something different to offer in style and personal viewpoint but I hope you find us a pretty, funny bunch.Are you smiling? That IS the goal.

May and October are my favorite months; both are beautiful in their own way. October is poignant and May is sweet and full of promise. The trees are leafing out and the song birds are returning; this morning the Brown Thrasher sang his full repertoire under the cloud tossed moon. It doesn’t get any better than that.

This is an ink and water color of my Red Maple. And, yes, that IS my clothesline occupied by a persistent Phoebe. This image is from my note card collection and I think it strikes the right note for the glorious first of May.

Happy Holidays.

Hi, everyone.  Maybe you noticed I’ve been missing in action for a while? I owe you all an explanation so here goes.

One quiet afternoon in late January I put down my book,  got up to throw a log on the fire and ended up breaking my ankle. I’m still not sure what happened but my foot twisted and down I went. So for the last six weeks I’ve been in a cast with my feet up.

At first I was pretty panicky about my work. Could I keep up with my deadlines feeling this lousy? And scariest of all, how could I draw on my lap?? Sitting at my desk was out of the question so somehow I had to make it work.

( The lap board drawings appear in late March through April. I can see the difference, maybe you will too? )

As I accepted the inevitable my attitude improved. It was still frustrating to be house-bound but not nearly as bad as I’d assumed. In fact it may have become TOO easy. I took frequent daytime naps; I guess mending takes energy. I also watched a lot of TV during the day which is something I never do. All I can say is Thank God for Turner Classic Movies!!

If every downer has its upside this was no exception. Somewhere around week three I became aware of a mental calmness. I could no longer do three things at once and that lent a clarity to my thinking. And when it takes seven minutes to reach the kitchen you’d better know what you went there for! So in that way my memory improved too.

I don’t suggest you rush out and break a bone but, should it happen, it’s not the end of the world. Best of all, I should be outside again in time to enjoy the bird songs of spring!

I used to be a reader of books, often two a week in my heyday. But I got busy and these last few years even the magazines, that never stop arriving, seem overwhelming. Too many words, too little time. I’m glad I read all those classic books when I had the time and focus for it but I miss being a reader. And you can’t draw from the well forever without putting something back in!

Trying to keep up with my periodicals one morning I came upon this little blurb in “TIME.” I read this little piece because Christine Baranski is one of my favorite character actors AND she’s a native of Buffalo, New York. (I lived in Buffalo for a time and have great affection for the city and the people.) I’m big on rereading books so it occurred to me that if Christine can reread “The Portrait Of A Lady” maybe I can too. I’d read it once in high school as an assignment from my favorite teacher. Oh, but I was the worst kind of procrastinator back then and my experience with this novel still makes me feel queasy. The 500 word paper was due on Monday and I began reading James on Saturday morning. By Sunday afternoon I felt as if I’d taken too much cold medication; my brain was fuzzy and I barely had the energy to hold the 545 page tome. I finished the book like you would swallow a 545 pound pill and moved on to write the paper.  I wish I  could tell you that I learned my lesson and never put things off again but that’s not the case; it took years for me to learn that life was easier if you simply did what needed to be done and moved on.

I owe Christine a big thanks; I’m more than half way through and I’m in love with Isabel Archer and Ralph and Henrietta Stackpole. [And Lord Warburton too, I'm rooting for him but we shall see...] I do remember a few bits of plot and I’m surprised that anything stuck in my 16 year old memory . But this is not a book for a 16 year old; it’s much more satisfying to be able to look back on youth and understand.

And here’s the best part for me personally: Henry James writes deliciously loooong sentences! I’ve been spending the last few years writing the shortest sentences possible.

See what I mean?

James’ long, meandering sentences are a joy to follow(often down the garden path. ) After this I’m thinking “The Golden Bowl” one more time!

As that old t.v. commercial implied, some jobs never end. And if you’re in the comic strip biz a never ending job is all you could wish for! But still, there are some projects that once completed demand to be done all over again. My annual Sticks wall calendar is one of those.

Just when I lean back, close my eyes and breathe the word “done” it rears its little head ,cocks an ironic eyebrow my way and whispers “Wanna bet?”

For me the calendar cartoons are paramount and I spend all my storehouse of anxiety there. But for many readers it seems the birthdays and odd facts are the most intriguing bits. For instance, here are a few from January 2010.

Jan 1 Betsy Ross birthday

Jan 2 Linda Barry birthday

Jan 6 Sherlock Holmes birthday

Jan 11 [1878] Bottled milk marketed

These factoids require a lot of searching and plain hard work on my end (I actually use real hard-copy sources MOST of the time ) but as long as users approve it’s worth the grind. However, I’m not above asking for help. Historic birthdays are one of my bigger challenges as they are often recorded by birth year alone. Does anyone out there know Jane Austen’s birthday; that would be a plum for sure. Help me shake it up for 2011 with your favorite birthdays or interesting tidbits and they just may appear next year!