I recently had a show of my cartoons at the Prairie Center for the Arts. I’ve been part of other shows before, but this is the first time I’ve had a show of only my cartoons. It was really exciting, but it was also a massive amount of work.
The day I set up I must have climbed up and down this little ladder a few hundred times. And then there’s the walking to the other end of the room to judge position, straightness, etc … Never mind hefting all the framed art. It was a workout!
One of my favorite moments, however, came at the end of the day as everything had been hung and I was cleaning up. Two elderly women walked through the room and began looking at the cartoons. You don’t often get a chance to be a fly on the wall like this so I just stayed busy in the background and listened.
When they got to this cartoon, one commented grumpily “I don’t understand. Why would a mouse build a mousetrap?! That doesn’t make any sense. I don’t like these. Where’s the bathroom?”
You’d think I’d be hurt, right? Or maybe a little disappointed. But she was so unhappy with this cartoon that it was hilarious and it took all I had to not burst out laughing.
Other people I saw seemed to enjoy the cartoons in the gallery, but that lady was hands down my favorite.
Good for you Mark! Please, keep up with your great work! I am big fan of your cat section! 😉