By Mark Kaufman
A new piece for Seattle Metropolitan Magazine for a funny article on parents, children and brain damage. As they say, on newsstands now!

By Mark Kaufman
So Long Suckers. 

By Mark Kaufman
We just completed a project for Art With Heart, a great organization that provides non-traditional mental health support to youth facing trauma, illness, family dysfunction or homelessness. Art With Heart's books and artistic workshops give kids a way to express both their suffering and strength. We designed 20+ greeting cards using the work of such  illustrators, designers, cartoonists and artists as Katherine Streeter, Mark Todd, James Yang, Coco Masuda, Vivienne Flesher, and Joe Ciardello. I have admired these and the other artists that donated their work to this great organization, and we were delighted to help out Art With Heart in our own small way. The cards are not up on the site yet, but I'll give an update when they are. Since the artists donated their work I don't feel comfortable putting any of their images up on my blog, so instead here's one of our type treatments for a card by Elwood Smith.

I just signed up with Portfolios.com. See my page here. I have avoided this kind of online presence in the past. I am a little wary of the potential for new work to come out of this, but at this point I figure that anything I can do to drive folks to my site or my blog is a good thing. If anyone has any advice or comment on sites such as portfolios.com please drop me a line. Thanks!

By Mark Kaufman
Here's a spot I did for The Stranger in Seattle for an article about the Seattle Art Museum program of selling pieces in their collection in order to purchase "better" pieces of American art. Go figure.

 

By Mark Kaufman
A 3 ½-hour standoff at The Miami Herald building ended without violence today as Miami police officers arrested cartoonist Jose Varela. -- dressed in camouflage and carrying a submachine gun. Varela barricaded himself in the office of the top editor of El Nuevo Herald. The pen is mightier than the sword my ass. An example of Varela's work above. Happily no one was injured in the incident.

By Mark Kaufman
Editorial cartoonist Paul Rigby has died in his native Australia at the age of 82. Mr. Rigby worked for many years for both the NY Post and the NY Daily News. While I don't think I ever agreed with his point of view, his work alternately made me smile or get angry. The mark of a fine editorial cartoonist indeed, and proof that editorial cartoonists are not all wild eyed, left leaning, socialists. Thanks Mr. Rigby.

By Mark Kaufman
The 7th Annual Gage Academy of Art Drawing Jam will be held on December 2, 2006 in Seattle. Twelve hours of drawing for all ages and abilities. Sounds like a great event, I've never been, but I think I will check it out this year. The photo is me from an event that I have run a couple of times for AIGA Seattle called Drawing Under the Influence, three hours of drawing, booze and conversation. Also a great deal of fun.

By Mark Kaufman
It was a happy day in our office last week. I recieved my first hate mail regarding an illustration. This is a detail of the piece in question. You can find a readable version of it on drawmark.com in the etc. section. The Filthy First Ladies project ran in the Stranger shortly after Laura Bush worked blue at the White House Correspondents Dinner back in May 2005, by telling a joke involving the president, masturbation and mules. It was one of the best recieved pieces I have done over the years, lots of positive feedback. So much so that I decided to use it in an ad I ran in Creativity Spark,  a bi-annual print directory as well as a year-round online resource, which presents the work of photographers, illustrators and graphic designers with an emphasis on the personal. It was a calculated risk to use a piece that even though most people find funny, it does contain profanity, dirty jokes and images of 40 count 'em 40 first ladies of the United States. But it was a risk I decided to take, after all I feel like I have been throwing  good money after bad over the years by running ads in various directories. Most times I would run work that I feel is fairly representative of my style and point of view and it seemed like nobody ever took notice. If I ran this, which I am very proud of BTW, maybe someone would at least take notice, attention must be paid.

Anyway, I got my wish. An art director in West Virginia took the time to email me and write “Why would a talented guy like you want to show stuff like that? Very offensive, and I'm not a prude--wouldn't send illustration assignment to you
based on this.” She went on about would my mother, daughter or granmother approve of what I did for a living. She is of course entitled to her opinion, unfortunately she missed the point entirely, so I wrote back and told her the background of the cartoon, my point of view and the fact that the women in my life are very supportive of me. Here is my response:

“Thank you for your response and taking the time to write. I am sure that most people who feel the same way, would call me a moron and simply turn the page.

The piece in question is about hypocrisy, feigned outrage and double standards. So your reaction is quite welcome.

This is based on fact. The First Lady of The United States, by most accounts an exemplar of traditional values, a role model for polite society and the prim and proper embodiment of moral superiority works blue. Were you outraged or disappointed when Laura Bush told a joke involving the president, a mule and masturbation? I certainly wasn’t. I was offended by the double standard that swirled around the incident. Mrs. Bush got a free pass from the very same people that heaped scorn on Hillary Clinton and Tereza Heinz Kerry. Most of the barbs in my piece are aimed at the manufactured images of the presidents, not on the women that stood behind them.

The joke in my piece is not on the first ladies, motherhood or powerful women. The joke is on those who fake moral outrage when it suits them. Your suggestion that my mother or daughter would not approve of my work is condescending. The women in my life are smart, funny people that like a good joke, despise hypocrisy and understand satire when they see it.

I thought long and hard about whether I should use this particular piece to promote my work. I decided that it would be wrong not to. I love political humor, I believe strongly that my work should say something, and I am militant about the first amendment. I also believe in free market. You would not hire me based on this piece, I dare say that you would not have hired me had I used a piece with rainbows and bunnies. You also would not have noticed. This piece may alienate some. That’s fine, it has attracted interest from others and for that reason I believe I have made the right decision.”

I will not use the women's name that wrote to me, she was kind enough to write back and although agreeing with most of my response still thinks that I don't need to be gross to be noticed. Point Taken.  

The rainy season is upon us in Seattle. Which got me to thinking about my trip to sunny Italy this summer and came across this poster for Teatro India in Rome.
I don't know who the artist is, but I will try to find out. I wish that my color palette was this bold. Man, I absolutely love this poster!
Especially on a grey day such as this.

By Mark Kaufman
Brand spanking new cover done for the Isthmus in Madison, WI. Lead article is about whether or not the Madison school system should move towards charter schools.

By Mark Kaufman
Thank you to all of the veterans for you bravery, heroism and sacrifice.

By Mark Kaufman
I recently completed a couple of spots for The Strangers Food Fight section. Main course here. Dessert here. Delicious.

 

Quote Attributed to WC Fields.  And no matter where you are on the political divide, here's an appropriate iamge from my files about yesterday's midterm elections.