In the Spotlight

To see his last strip, click on the image above

Calvin & Hobbs

Bill Watterson was the creator of Calvin and Hobbs. His cartoons were among the best in the world. He retired on January 1, 1996. He began Calvin and Hobbs in 1985 and it followed the adventures of a boy named Calvin and his stuffed tiger named Hobbs who came to life when alone with Calvin.

Bill implied that part of the reason for its demise was the constraints placed on him by the publisher. Said Watterson, "I will be stopping Calvin and Hobbes... This was not a recent or an easy decision, and I leave with some sadness. My interests have shifted, however, and I believe I've done what I can do within the constraints of daily deadlines and small panels. I am eager to work at a more thoughtful pace, with fewer artistic compromises. I have not yet decided on future projects, but my relationship with Universal Press Syndicate will continue."

As with most brilliant cartoonists, he refuses to conduct interviews and shuns the public. You can still see his cartoons on Gocomics. If you still need more, you can get every C & H cartoon he ever made by buying The Complete Calvin and Hobbes set of books.

Cartoonist Gary Larson

The Far Side

Another great cartoon to bite the dust was the Far Side. Artist Gary Larson began the strip on January 1, 1980 and retired it on January 1, 1995. The primary characters of the one-panel cartoon are cows. At its heyday, it was carried by more than 1900 daily newspapers and translated into 17 languages. Several of his strips were controversial and in one case, he was confronted with legal threats from lawyers.

According to Gary, he made so much money, he decided to retire. He says he will never pick up a drawing pencil again. When asked why, he said that the people who go back to work after winning the lottery are crazy. "Life is Good," he said. [1] Since his retirement he has shunned the public and refuses to have his picture taken and will not appear on TV.

You can buy every single Far Side cartoon by buying the The Complete Far Side. We would put up a sample strip for you to see, but Gary has appealed to people not to post his strips online. If you want to see one, you can go to his website.

The Boondocks

The Boondocks, copyright Universal Press Syndicate

Aaron McGruder was the next casualty. Aaron, an African American artist, created The Boondocks cartoon strip in 1996 for a college newspaper. His strip was frequently controversial with many newspapers censoring strips. McGruder announced that on March 27, 2006, the strip would go on a six-month hiatus. The strip never returned.

Much of the reason for that decision no doubt was his signing a contract with Fox to produce an animated series. Currently the cartoon is on Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network. It's a great arrangement because other artists do the animation and Aaron just signs off on it before it is distributed.

One of the reasons for the strip's demise may have been solitude. Says Aaron, "I spent five years working alone and became a very antisocial and unfriendly person. That’s just how I’m used to working, so there are always unfortunate people who now have to put up with the insanity that up until now has only been inflicted on me. I’m just not good with others. I don’t work well with others. I’m not nice." [3] Now, many coworkers have to put up with his antics.

For Better or For Worse, property of Entercom Canada Inc.

For Better or For Worse

Lynn Johnston, a Canadian cartoonist, created her final strip on August 31, 2008. She concluded her story the previous day during the weekday strip. Her strip, For Better or For Worse was done in real time. That is, the characters grew up as time went on. Much of what went into the strip was from her own life and family. At its peak, it appeared in Although it is in reruns, she will occasionally incorporate newly drawn strips. She also allows other artists to take part in the inking, coloring and lettering. This is a shrewd way to retire. Her strip can go on making her money while she works at her leisure. Originally she intended to retire in the fall of 2007, but marriage problems encouraged her to continue with a new focus on the next generation of children.

Opus, copyright Berekely Breathed

Opus

The latest possible casualty is Opus by Berkeley Breathed. The last strip for Opus may be coming up as was hinted at by his cartoons on September 21 and 28, 2008. There has been no formal announcement about its demise and it caught many of his fans off-guard. Some hypothesize that because his contract ends on January 1, the strip is meant to encourage a more lucrative contract.

His strip began as Bloom County on December 8, 1980 and was retired in 1989. He said, "A good comic strip is no more eternal than a ripe melon..." [2] He then put out the Sunday-only cartoon called Outland that had some of the same characters. That too met its death in 1995. He took an eight year vacation and began Opus, another Sunday-only cartoon. Berkeley created a stir with several of his cartoons that were banned from many U.S.A. newspapers. Although he hasn't come out with a complete set yet, you can get a book of Opus cartoons. Like Gary Larson, Berkeley shuns publicity.

All of these brilliant artists received numerous awards including the Reuben Award, Harvey Award, and Sproing Award. As they say, all good things must come to an end. I just wish it wouldn't end so soon.

Facebook: The Exhibition

E-mails and Facebook images are this artist's subject matter. Now Miami artist Alejandro Vigilante is promoting an exhibition featuring everyone's Facebook profile picture. He uses Robert Rauschenberg's technique with acrylic on wood. You can read more about it here. Alejandro says he wants to be the new Andy Warhol of the 21st century. Alejandro's also has a Facebook page you can visit. You have to request him as a friend to see the page.

Jules Maidoff: A Living Legend

Years ago I had the privilege of having Jules Maidoff as a professor at Studio Art Centers International in Florence, Italy. To this day he was the best professor I've ever had. He tried to break me of my old habits by forcing me to draw with a cut-up bamboo stick. It took awhile, but he finally got me to paint with more expression.

Jules currently has an exhibition in Florence at the Museo Marino Marini until October 25. (To translate the museum's website into English, enter the URL here) The show includes his work from the past 15 years and contains around 60 paintings. The museum has the largest collection of Marino Marini's work in the world.

Jules was born in New York City on May 6, 1933 and attended a high school for the arts. Some of the higher schools of learning he attended are Cooper Union, the Art Students League and New York University. He has had shows at the Uffizi Loggia, Galleria Schneider, the Orvieto, Museum of Modern Art in New York, Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, the National Academy of Art in New York, the Riva del Garda, and many others.

His work has also been published on televisio. His work has appeared on the ABC National Network, NBC and WABD. He created the designs for the first network poster images for the public broadcasting FM station in New York.

In 1970 he purchased a home in Plan deSco' in Arezzo, Italy and later moved to Italy in 1973. In 1975 he was one of the founders of Studio Art Centers International and was its first resident director.

In his current exhibition, there is a painting he did this past May entitled, "Paul Guiguin in Tahiti." Says Maidoff about the painting, "Paul Gauguin was a master of color and the speculation and research he applied in his painting is often overshadowed by the gossip about his personal life. One should remember that he fought the French exploitation of the Islands vigorously and paid for his moral stand! No one's life is as simple as the biographers tend to instill."

At the age of 75, Jules shows no signs of slowing down. He has just acquired a new studio in Florence. Jules has his own website and you can see many of his paintings and biography there.