Art & Story Blog

Saturday morning, I went down to MOCA for a day-long panel discussion moderated by Amy Pederson, with comics artists David Collier (Collier’s Vol. 1 & 2), Mary Fleener (Slutburger) and Lily Lau (Mom’s Drawer Is At The Bottom); comics publisher Ron Turner (Last Gasp); and graffiti artist Barry McGee (Twist).

Pictured above from left to right are David, Mary, Ron, Barry, Lily, and Amy. Projected above them is a panel from one of David’s comics.

While any discussion centering on politics would usually have a potential to become a) boring, b) overloaded, c) convoluted, or d) all of the above, in this case, it was anything but. It was great seeing everyone’s work and learning about their lives, hearing them crack jokes (thanks, Ron) and getting a taste of the great humor and humanity in everything. I strongly encourage any of you who aren’t familiar with them to check out the links above.

After the general discussion and a look at each of the panelists’ work, there was a ‘comic-jam’, which turned out to be more of a doodle-jam, using an overhead projector. I had fun snapping shots from different angles while they drew.

After the discussion, the panelists and audience were free to view the MOCA annex of the current Masters of American Comics exhibit. I only breezed through some of the exhibit, as there wasn’t much time left in the day, but for a little while, I did get to see original artworks by Chris Ware, Will Eisner, Jack Kirby, Harvey Kurtzman, and Robert Crumb. I’m anxious to get back and really drool over them a little longer.

One panelist who I have to give a special mention is Barry McGee. When I was growing up as a teenager in the early 90’s in San Francisco, Barry McGee’s work was everywhere and it was a huge influence on me creatively. I already loved to draw and paint, but the booming graffiti art that was happening there in the Van Ness & Market area known as Syko City and throughout the city inspired me to take my art in a new direction and explore drawing the character in a different way than I had previously. I began thinking big. Every drawing in my sketchbook was something I imagined reproducing on a large scale with spraypaint on a city wall. I did have several outings, and eventually gained more can-control, but I would never become nearly as prolific as some of the artists already working in the medium, such as Barry. I met Barry a couple of times when I was about sixteen. He was just beginning to have his come-uppance in the gallery/museum circuit and was a positive role-model: forever humble and never taking credit as an innovator, just purely good and someone who worked incredibly hard at what he loved. And still does. At this event on Saturday, I was very happy to be able to reconnect with Barry, chat with him over lunch, and hang out during the jam and after. I felt totally privileged, yet completely at home. Thanks, Barry.