A Group…Kovarsky, Steed, Decker, Cotton, Kenseth, Hokinson
When I showed a group of original work two Mondays ago, I realized how much fun it is (for me) to toss together various pieces and then gab a bit about each one. This then is Group #2 of some original art (and a book) from the Spill archives.
We’ll begin, front and center, with the small drawing of a hot dog cart by Richard Decker (the A-Z entries for all the artists are listed below). This is the smallest piece (2″ x 3 1/2″) in the Spill’s archives. When I bought it many years ago I had failed to fully read the seller’s description, and did not expect something the size of a business card. No regrets.
To the left of the hot dog cart is an unfinished New Yorker cover idea by Anatol Kovarsky. You can see he had included the magazine’s iconic cover “strap” in an almost glowing orange along the left side of the painting. I’m sorry he didn’t continue on with the piece. He put a lot of thought into all the folks on the beach, especially those in the foreground.
Next to the Kovarsky cover is Lars Kenseth’s historic New Yorker drawing, published November 14, 2016. Why historic? I believe it to be the very first time a New Yorker cartoon referenced itself as a New Yorker cartoon. I’ll always be grateful to Lars for allowing me to trade for this terrific drawing.
To the far right is a copy of Helen Hokinson’s 1948 cartoon collection, When Were You Built?. This copy was signed twice by Ms. Hokinson. If that wasn’t enough, she also did an excellent drawing of one of her “lunch ladies.” Next to the sketch she added Club lady of Hartford?
Just to the left foreground of the Hokinson is a 1946 paperback copy of Alexander Woollcott’s Long, Long, Ago, a collection of his pieces from various magazines, including The New Yorker.
I’m showing it because of the great cover art by The New Yorker artist William Cotton. While he never contributed a single cartoon to the magazine he did (according to The New Yorker‘s database) contribute 55 covers.
Lastly, a favorite Spill objet d’art: a bird drawn by Ed Steed on a piece of cardboard. When Mr. Steed and I traded drawings some years back (here’s the traded-for drawing of his), he included this backing cardboard in the envelope. I’m glad I spotted the bird.
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A-Z entries for the artists above
Richard Decker Born, Philadelphia, Penn. May 6, 1907. Died, November 1, 1988. NYer work, 1931 – 1969, over 900 drawings, and four covers.
Anatol Kovarsky (photo, NYC, 2013. By Liza Donnelly) Born, Moscow. Died, June 1, 2016, NYC. Collection: Kovarsky’s World (Knopf, 1956) NYer work: 1947 -1969. Link to Ink Spill’s 2013 piece, “Anatol Kovarsky at 94: Still Drawing After All These Years”
Lars Kenseth (photo and bio courtesy of Mr. Kenseth): New Yorker work: November 14, 2016 –. Lars is a cartoonist whose lumpy people have appeared in The New Yorker, Barron’s and Food And Wine’s FWx. With a heavy background in animation, Lars has spent the last decade drawing and writing for Fox, Disney, Mondo, Maker, MTV and, most recently, Adult Swim. He’s a 2016 Sundance Institute Fellow, a Dartmouth graduate and a long suffering acolyte of the New York Jets. A New England native, Lars wisely lives in Los Angeles with his wife Liz and their two feline dependents, Omelet and Honeybear. NYer work: November 14, 2016 –. Website: larskenseth.com
Helen Hokinson Born, Illinois,1893; died, Washington, D.C., 1949. New Yorker work: 1925 -1949, with some work published posthumously. All of Hokinson’s collections are wonderful, but here are two favorites. Her first collection: So You’re Going To Buy A Book! (Minton, Balch & Co, 1931) and what was billed as “the final Hokinson collection”: The Hokinson Festival (Dutton & Co., 1956). According to a New Yorker document produced during Harold Ross’s editorship (1925-1951) rating their artists, Ms. Hokinson and Peter Arno occupied a special category unto themselves above all others.
William Cotton Born, Newport, Rhode Island, 1880; died, Sergeantsville, New Jersey, January, 1958. New Yorker work: 55 covers, November 5, 1932 -December 22, 1951. Mr. Cotton was strictly a cover artist for the magazine.
Edward Steed (photo and self portrait above) Born in the town, Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, England, 1987. New Yorker work: March 4, 2013 -.