Funny Stuff Authors Guest On The Cartoon Caption Contest Podcast
This week’s guests on the always fun Cartoon Caption Contest Podcast are Phil Witte and Rex Hesner, the co-authors of the just released Funny Stuff: How Great Cartoonists Make Great Cartoons (featured in yesterday’s Spill post).
Shown above, clockwise from the top left: Rex Hesner, Paul Nesja, Phil Witte, and Beth Lawler. Ms. Lawler and Mr. Nesja are two of four co-hosts of the podcast.
Listen here. (it’s Episode #163, for those keeping track)
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A Fave Summertime New Yorker Cover
For years, I’ve set aside single issue copies of The New Yorker that appeal to me. Sometimes they are re-shelved, other times they hang around because I know I want to explore them further, or, in the case of the above issue, because the cover is so appealing. I figured the above beauty by the late great C.E.M (Charles E. Martin) has been staring at me long enough, and should stare at Spill readers today.
I’m not a boating person, preferring to be on shore — so the boat isn’t the draw, although it does tie in nicely. (I remember learning in a “color theory” class how powerful red can be, even when used very little in a piece). The draw is the spectacular sky Mr. Martin gave us. I absolutely love how he handled it; the sky in particular steals the show — with the medium blue cloud at the center of the painting that really makes it for me. There’s something about that blue cloud — it almost looks dabbed on. Or, perhaps he tried a darker blue (like the blue used in the cloud grouping along the horizon) then changed his mind, and began lifting it off the surface. Who knows! Whatever happened, seeing the artist’s hand in it takes the piece further away from a pleasant painting of a little sailboat and a beautiful sky to something else.
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C.E.M’s Spill A-Z Entry:
Charles E. Martin ( CEM) (photo left above from Think Small, a cartoon collection produced by Volkswagon. Photo right, courtesy of Roxie Munro) Born in Chelsie, Mass., 1910, died June 18, 1995, Portland, Maine. NYer work: 1938 – 1987.
His New York Times obit is here (not sure if one needs a subscription to read it).
There used to be a really nice video biography of him on Youtube, but it seems to have been taken down. If I’m mistaken, please let me know so I can link to it.
Sadly, there was never a collection of Mr. Martin’s New Yorker work (that I know of. Again, please contact me if I’m wrong). Luckily, you can find his work in numerous New Yorker Albums.