Last year I was approached by a Tokyo Illustration Agency for a commission to produce a “New Yorker” retro style illustration for an insurance firm. The low down was all the people who they normally may have sought out to do such work are either as the Hoodoo Gurus might say ‘dead or dying’. Somehow they found my cartoons. I was perplexed to say the least.

So now a little dream has come true and  Art Liaison have offered to represent me and as such  I have an international agent! Thank you very much Art Liaison!!

Best go and sign the contract and get some images ready for their website.

Looking forward to some serious pipe smoking martini quaffing inspired drawing. Well when the lens prescriptions increase, the arthritis kicks in and I  have a grey beard…

Whilst I would utterly reject the claim of being a plagiarist I will admit that I love several of the cartoonists’  work from The New Yorker from the past. One in particular is Frank Modell whose sense of humour and deftly zen like drawing style has inspired me greatly. He  sadly passed last year. Frank Modell was simply brilliant and his style epitomised the New Yorker ethos. In an article from the The NY Times Iain Topliss author of “The Comic Worlds of Peter Arno, William Steig, Charles Addams and Saul Steinberg” (2005) quoted a party conversation Modell recounted with another guest:

“What do you do?”

“I’m a cartoonist.”

“I love cartoons. Where do you publish?”

“The New Yorker.”

“I love The New Yorker. What’s your name?”

“Frank Modell.”

“Yes? [Pause.] I’ve never heard of you.”

below is another article canvassing the opinions  of past and present New Yorker cartoonists.

Ah one day….

A gaggle of cartoonists.