Now I am a part of the action.

I had very little to go on. This was before the invention of Google. I decided to write to the Artist and ask him directly. I mailed a letter and one of my drawings  to his Syndicate in Kansas hoping they would forward it.  A few weeks later I received a response.  At first I thought it was just a standard form letter but recently, having done a little research on the subject, I realized how unique this letter is. Bill Watterson rarely wrote to fans. After he retired the strip in 1995 he dropped out of the public eye altogether.

Watterson  is the subject of a recent book titled “Looking for Calvin and Hobbes: The Unconventional Story of Bill Watterson and his revolutionary comic strip.”  There is even talk of a movie.

I have read that he won’t even pick up the phone for Steven Spielberg or George Lucas. Journalists have tried to find him for an interview but to no avail.

By all indications the letter I received in the eighties is  a one-of-a-kind.

Although I never tried to market my cartoons here is a sample of one of my characters that I sent to Watterson asking his advice. It is not the same drawing but is the same character. I drew these on post-it notes when I worked at the home office of an insurance company.  I learned a lot from Watterson and my style of drawing became looser as a result.

This is the envelope (with address deleted). Note the postmark.

This next comic strip related item is an autographed book from Charles Schulz. I felt sort of cocky after receiving the Calvin and Hobbes letter so I started sending letters to other cartoonists whom I admired. The top of that list was Charles Schulz (Peanuts). I wrote to him asking for an autograph. I also sent along one of my drawings. The following is the response.

And here’s the final result.

Watterson holds Schulz in highest regard as indicated by this article.

Now I am in the photography mode and I have put down my pencil and picked up the camera.  Photography has become my newer passion but I will never forget my roots. I love comic strip art and feel somewhat saddened by the current state of the newspaper industry.

I also have notes from Berkely Breathed and Cathy Guisewite but those are very brief. Everything is currently locked away in a safety deposit box. Perhaps someday I’ll get them out and post the rest.

(images of the house interior are taken from the HGTV website and were not taken by me)

Carter Oosterhouse came home to Traverse City and did a complete makeover of Elise Campbell’s home in Traverse City . Elise’s mother was featured because she is a single mom of three who took on an additional three special needs foster children. The episode was featured on HGTV Click the link to learn more. Carter Comes Home. The episodes aired during Christmas.

I have photographed Elise on several occasions in the past. She has modeled for me whenever I needed to test out a technique or wanted to try a new lighting style. She has also helped out on a workshop or two. You can see her on several of the images on my site. I nicknamed her ‘crash” because of an accident she was involved in over the summer where she rolled her car several times. Fortunately she escaped with only minor bumps and bruises.

Michael Moore and Jeff Garlin recently announced the Traverse City comedy festival. I have volunteered as a photographer for the past three years at the film festival and I have seen it grow considerably in that amount of time. I will also volunteer to photograph the comedy festival.

I have always enjoyed watching movies and enjoy the excitement of the film festival during the summer.  Hopefully the comedy festival will have a similar amount of energy.

February in Northern Michigan is usually very cold and desolate. But no matter how cold and snowy it gets  the climate on Front Street in downtown Traverse City always seems warm and friendly. A comedy festival may be just what the doctor ordered for this time of year. Michael has talked about setting this up for the past couple years so it is nice to see it finally come to pass. He has also mentioned hosting a book event similar to the ones you see on booktv. Not sure when that is going to happen though.

The banner above is not the official banner of the festival. I created that myself just playing around with some of my film festival photos from last year.

If you are planning to come to Traverse City to attend the festival be sure to look for me and my camera. Stop and say hi if you get the chance. I love to meet new people and I would enjoy the chance to meet you.

See you there.

[UPDATE]

The schedule’s been announced. Here it is along with a link for more information:

Traverse City Comedy Arts Festival Schedule

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 19
State Theatre
7:30 pm: Whitney Cummings – $20
10 pm: Jeff Garlin – $25

City Opera House
5:30 pm: Opening Night Party – $25

Old Town Playhouse
6 pm : Mike Toomey – $15
8 pm: Teenager of the Year – $15
10 PM: TJ & Dave – $15

Horizon
12 midnight: Late Night Combo Platter – Free

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 20
State Theatre
10 am: TBA Kids Movie -
12:30 pm: Sneak Preview Movie – $9
4:30 pm: “Funny or Die” Movie – $9
6 pm: Jeff Garlin & Whitney Cummings -$25
8:30 pm: JB Smoove – $20
10:30 pm: Roseanne Barr – $30
12 midnight: “Pink Flamingos” – $9

City Opera House
1 pm: ComedySportzKidz – $5 kids, $10 adults
6 pm: Mike Birbiglia – $25
8:30 pm: John Waters -$30

Old Town Playhouse
6pm: Mike Toomey -$15
8:30 pm: Teenager of the Year -$15
10:30 pm: TJ & Dave – $15

Horizon
3 pm: Jeff Garlin Booksigning – Free
12 midnight: Late Night Combo Platter -Free

Wade Trim
Dark: TCFF on Ice: “Groundhog Day” – WADE TRIM Free
(our first ever outdoor screening held in the Wade Trim parking lot, come snow or come shine!)

SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 21
State Theatre
11 am: ComedySportzKidz – $5 kids, $10 adults
1 pm: “The Cameraman” Silent Film with Organ -$9
5:30 pm: Comedy Shorts Contest – $9