We Have Some Nice Friends

Team Cul de Sac, the Parkinson's research fundraising project started by the indefatigable Chris Sparks, has received some inspired contributions by artists and cartoonists. The recent donation pictured above is particularly eye-catching. It comes from Mr. Bill Watterson, who's got a dab hand with a paintbrush and whose beloved Calvin & Hobbes stands as the platonic ideal of the comic strip, or as close to as such a thing is possible. I once saw a comment on a comics thread from someone saying that he'd dreamed about hiking in the Cascades and coming across a church newsletter stuck in some bushes that featured new Calvin & Hobbes strips that were being published nowhere else. That strikes me as eerie and charming and a good measure of the depth to which C&H has permeated the popular imagination.

So I was floored when I got a call yesterday from Chris saying that Caty Neis, who's shepherding the Team book project at Andrews & McMeel, had gotten a painting from Bill. An oil painting of Petey Otterloop of all people. After studying it pretty closely for the last consecutive 12 hours or so I can say that he's done Petey as much justice as possible. Adding another dimension to a 2D character is a tricky business and Petey's awkward enough in dealing with the two he's normally confined to.

Thanks to Bill from the bottom of my heart. And thanks also to Alex, Jim, Jerry, Bill L, Crow, Stephan, Steve, Ron, Matt, Canaan, Jim D, Shannon, Pab, Matt, Mo, Mark, Lynn, Peter, David and everybody else who's contributing. I appreciate it more than I can say.

(Reposted from my blog).

Our talented friend Bill LaRocque

In this small world that we live in, I am very lucky to have met one of Richards friends right here in Asheville,NC.

Bill LaRocque is one of the most insightful fellows I have ever met. He is also an amazing artist. I am hoping to get to have more dinners with the guy if he ever stays in Asheville for more than a few minutes a month. Looks like I have to wait to see him in Boston!

Bill, thank you for all of the support for Team Cul de Sac. Please check out is blog. Below is his kind words about all of this from his blog.

See you in Boston!

I met Richard Thompson around 1994 at Art Wood’s Museum of Caricature and Cartoon Art in Washington. We were both drawing at a fundraiser and sitting at oposite ends of a table. For fun, we did each other. His caricature of me is still hanging on my wall, mine (of him) I’m told is lining Danders’ cage. Back then, Richard and I both lived in cozy Arlington, Virginia, close to Cul de Sac, the site of his wildly popular comic strip. He was a cartoonist ahead of his time doing illustrations for the New Yorker, National Geographic and Atlantic Monthly. He kept busy and solvent in a variety of markets. Washington Post readers love his Poor Richard’s Almanac feature.

Richard is a shy but popular lad with a wicked sense of humor that only seems to show up at the point of his pen. He started attending the annual Reuben awards as the word of his work spread (and when the event could be reached by train.) Now, he’s been nominated again for the NCS’ highest award – the Reuben – greatest of them all. It’s a tough competition and I hope he wins.

A couple of summers ago, Richard announced that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, a problem he described as “a pain in the fundament” which has slowed him down but has not affected his drawing hand, or his wit. With the help of Chris Sparks, a talentedweb designer I met in Asheville, Richard has set up a web site and fund to raise money for the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Thanks to the MJFF and Andrews McMeel Publishing,Team Cul de Sac has a book coming out next year for that purpose. I’m hoping they consider my artwork for that project.

Happy tax day…