Six Chix: The Comic Strip

Here we are right after our panel discussion on Sunday. There were so many people taking pictures (okay 5 or 6) that we felt like the fab four (even though we were missing Margaret and Benita). Thank you to everyone at the NCS , including Jerry Van Amerongen and Jeff Keane, everyone who came to listen to us, and everyone who has been reading “Six Chix” for 10 years!

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.

We will be doing a slide show presentation at the National Cartoonists Society’s Reuben Awards Weekend to commemorate our 10th Anniversary.  We look forward to showing our funniest cartoons, answering frequently asked questions and letting everyone know that Six Chix has been around, alive and kicking for TEN YEARS!

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(The original Six Chix: Margaret Shulock, Anne Telnaes, Stephanie Piro, Rina Piccolo, Kathryn Lemieux, Isabella Bannerman)

In the world of syndicated cartooning 10 years is a milestone and especially for a strip as diverse and different as Six Chix!
It has been an amazing experience and I am always grateful to be a part of this wonderful team.
We will be celebrating this achievement in New Jersey at the Reubens weekend. Rina, Isy, Anne and I will be there in person and
Margaret and Benita will be there in spirit and with their art represented, as will our beautiful, talented “alumni” sister chix:
Kathryn Lemieux, Anne Telnaes and Carla Ventresca.
I wish you could all be there with us to celebrate!
We promise to post pictures!

There’s an amazing show at MoCCA  NY right now, and I’m not just saying that because I have a piece in it (see above from my work in progress “Shalom, Isy”). The cartoon work of over 180 artists, including Rina Piccolo, Brendan Burford, Tim Burton, Charles Schulz, etc. is displayed salon style. Salon style means work hung from floor to ceiling, with about 1/2 inch of wall space showing in between the frames. It’s been up for a while, but it’s only open until May 30. That means that attendees of the 2010 Reubens will be able to see it if they are willing to head over to: 594 Broadway, Suite 401 NY NY 10012 (between Houston and Prince St.). Hours are Tuesday – Sunday 12-5 and the phone number is (212) 254-3511.

Hey, SIX CHIX readers, I hope you’ll check out my new webcomic “Velia, Dear” at veliadear.com… as well as my new website featuring gag cartoons and more rinapiccolo.com

The webcomic just went up yesterday, but there is an origin story and archived strips you can read… so please have a look. Thanks!

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.

Last Saturday I did an ArtHop at Ethan Allen (furniture store).  Local businesses open their doors at night to artists to display their work and the public is invited.  I don’t know the exact number of businesses that do this, but probably thirty or so in this area.

Here are the two displayed next to me.  I had 18 cartoons (photo prints) displayed on table easels.

Happy Holidays.

Last year it was shoes. This year it’s rocks. Heavy chunks of granite state granite. I belong to a terrific art group called Art Esprit. I joined as a way to challenge myself to do something different every once in a while. The group had such a successful exhibit with the giant shoe project they decided to do another outdoor installation.

This was called “Stories From The Granite State: If  These Rocks Could Speak”.  Adam Pearson, our sculptor in residence built the pedestals. The sample was a 4 sided triangular looking base with a chunk of rock on top. I loved the look of the sample because it looked like a meteor, and that got me to thinking of Betty and Barney Hill. If you live in New Hampshire or frequent UFO conventions you’ll know about how in 1961 Betty and Barney Hill, an inter-racial couple, were heading back from a vacation when they
saw this light in the sky and followed it. 2  hours later they couldn’t remember what happened…but felt SOMETHING  did.  They were hypnotised and these hidden memories of being abducted by aliens and being examined (probing, anyone?) on board the flying saucer surfaced. I had a lot of fun creating this drama in cartoon form and editing the story so it plays out on the 4 panels. Here are some photos from start to finish.  Well, not quite finished as it still needs a clear coat over the top.

My original sketches

Conor does the Lion King on newly arrived rock

Sketching in

painting in the images

Now the finished (except for the glossy coat) project. I glued glow in the dark stars all over. At the end, the “missing time” clock.
I removed the hands and painted a question mark to highlight that aspect of the story. The photos below are in order of how the story unfolds:

 Check out the links below for more info on the story of Betty and Barney Hill.

Wikipedia has the basic info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_and_Barney_Hill_abduction

Kathleen Marden, Betty’s neice, wrote a good book with inside info and spoke at our library. Great program!
http://www.kathleen-marden.com/

Lastly, one of my favorite sites is J.W. Ocker’s Odd Things I’ve Seen. J.W. and his wife went on the Betty and Barney trail.
http://www.oddthingsiveseen.com/2009/09/betty-and-barney-hill-abduction-part-i.html