Look What I Found...

So, I have been cleaning up around the studio and unearthed a few copies of PCS Book 2. I have been asked about this book a bunch of times hanging out with some of the newer PCSers. It contains more than 25 of our members. Among them are: Jeffro Kilpatrick, Christine Larsen, Andrew Hart, Melissa Lomax, Jacob Lambert, James PointDujour, Andrew Hoffmann and myself. I have six copies for sale up on my store. Hey, if you are a local yokel shoot me an e-mail and I just put her in yer hands and we can save on the postage. Click on the link below to check it out.

We miss Philly Jazz!!!!!

Crowd Pleasers cartoon by Andrew Hart

Howard Candie oil painting by Andrew Hart

Cliff Lamar oil painting by Andrew Hart

Nate Wiley oil painting by Andrew Hart

Andrew Hart (PCS Cofounder whose cartoon and paintings appear above) called me tonight from Bob & Barbara's (15th & South), a place that was very much at one time the official club house of the Philadelphia Cartoonist Society. Sadly, living the grown-up lives that most of us are reluctantly leading, we don't get out there weekly like we once did as young, hungry cartoonists. We still manage to get in there at least once a month, and the staff and regulars still know us and treat us swell. But some nights I miss the old haunts. I miss Nate Wiley and Cliff Lamar especially. Several PCS members had the honor of being pallbearers at Nate Wiley's funeral.

Before we adopted Bob & Barbara's as our club house, we'd frequent a bunch of other clubs. So tonight I dug out a couple documents from the jazz haunts that me, Andrew and some of the PCS folks used to hit up in the early days of the group. Although it was high end, if someone like Freddy Cole, Andy Bey, or Ahmad Jamal was coming to Philly, it was worth forking out the dough to go to Zanzibar Blue on Broad Street. I think it's some kind of sports bar these days. But a short few years ago, it was a great place to see out of town big names in a closed-in setting. I did the pencils and inks of this drawing in a small sketchbook at Zanzibar when Andrew and I saw Ahmad Jamal there in 1998. I did the colors later at home in marker. Ahmad made that piano sound like an orchestra.
I did the flier below for the also sorely-missed Ortlieb's Jazz Haus. When Pete Souders ran Ortlieb's, I heard some of the best jazz Philly had to offer: Bootsie Barnes, Shirley Scott, Mickey Roker, Sid Simmons, Roger Prieto, the list goes on and on. We'd go to Ortlieb's a lot. It was a great hang with great music, good food. If you knew Ortlieb's, you can probably tell that the cat in this drawing is based on haus band bass player Mike Boone and you'll recognize the water buffalo from the taxidermy that hung over the bar.
Although I am told there are a handful of good jazz clubs around the city, I really miss these places. They were a significant part of the group's history. If anyone has any advice on good Philly jazz clubs where it's affordable and comfortable to draw, let us know. It's good to switch up the scene from time to time.

An open letter to every PCS Member.

Why we work.
It dawned on me recently why the Philadelphia Cartoonist Society works. Concetta and I were taking down the World’s Fair Art Show last week and going over sales. This was a collaborative exhibition between several PCS members and a few of our friends from the UK. We did a modest amount in sales overall (more than two-grand), not bad for a group show in a gallery that is a little off the beaten path. More importantly, we did more in sales during our PCS Christmas Party. This event wasn’t about the exhibition but more in line with celebrating everything the PCS has done over the last year. The party was a means of hanging out one more time before the New Year and welcoming all the new members. That is why the PCS works; we do more sales not trying so hard.
The PCS would rather have a Beef and Beer than a gallery show. We opt for Pabst and soft pretzels over wine and cheese any day of the week. I don’t want to say we are blue collar, because that conjures images of Larry “the Cable Guy” and redneck jokes. But we work really hard, share the wealth, invite anybody and everybody to take part. We ARE blue collar.
Our work, our shows, our books come from a very unique place; Sincerity. Just look at our members. There are just as many fine artists as there are cartoonists, just as many people into underground comics as there are those that enjoy comics on the web and mainstream titles. The tie that binds is a sincere one, a love of the game as much as the outcome.
I have been the recipient of that sincerity more times than I can count. I owe the PCS a lot including my health and welfare. As a group we have helped each other get work, moved house and home and lifted each other up. As professionals our work can be seen on everything from comics (both mainstream and self-published) to t-shirts, in magazines and on greeting cards. If it requires any kind of artwork then one of us has done it.
This post isn’t meant to grandstand. I guess with the year wrapping up I was waxing philosophic as to why I love you guys and this group so much. Also, I wanted to say “Thank You” to Jeff, Andrew and Xrissy. If not for you three, there would be no Philadelphia Cartoonist Society.
An overdue “Welcome Aboard” to some of the new blood; Sam, James, Matt, Alex, Eamon, Pedro, Tim, Megan, Kristy and Mike and my apologies if I left anyone out.
2011 is going to be a wonderful year for everyone involved in the PCS. New books, more shows and continued sincerity in everything we do.
The Happiest of New Years to everyone.
Above: Jeffro, Larsen and I show off our PCS ink. Photo: Concetta Barbera.

Andrew Hart's Blog Update...

Just wanted to steer folks over to PCS Cofounder Andrew Hart's page to show off his latest editorial cartoons and illustrations. Click Here to go there...