Words & Drawings

Who knew cartooning was such hard work? Peter Steiner and three cartoonist friends, all regular contributors to The New Yorker, made clear just how hard it is last Sunday in a lively, interesting and entertaining Sharon Town Hall presentation that preceded the opening of a delightful exhibition of their work at Sharon Library. Steiner, who created the iconic “dog in front of a computer” cartoon — you know the caption, “On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog” ­— arranged the panel and curated the show, which also includes work by Lee Lorenz, a former art editor of the magazine, who could not be in Sharon for the panel. Steiner’s colleagues — Liza Donnelly and her husband,º Michael Maslin, and Danny Shannahan — explained that they send ideas in sketch form to the magazine almost weekly. Only a few are ever accepted. When an idea is bought, the cartoonist draws the “real thing,” the finished image. Most use India ink or a regular fountain pen, even pencil; all but Maslin use a light box to trace the initial drawing for the final art. Maslin uses his initial drawing. Sometimes an idea is rejected only to be bought later on resubmission. (Shannahan’s New Yorker cover showing an elderly lady navigating the sidewalk with her walker and about to encounter four banana peels was rejected first, then bought six months later. It produced many objections from readers after the fact.) Donnelly frequently draws comments about politics or social issues, but subtly. She also is part of the initiative Cartooning for Peace at a time when perceived anti-Islam cartoons can provoke violence in the Middle East. Some cartoons communicate well between cultures — Steiner’s “Internet dog” is one — many others do not. Steiner showed Lorenz’s work and pointed out that he represented the previous generation of cartoonists who made drawing as important as words. Lorenz’s cartoons are easily recognizable for the detailed shading of his images. Donnelly said there is a new cartoon editor at the magazine, and she is bringing in many new cartoonists. (One man in the audience commented that this may explain why he doesn’t “get” many New Yorker cartoons these days. Panelists did not comment.) All four panelists agreed that words come first, then the drawing. Shannahan said he had drawers full of drawings without captions but no captions without drawings. All said they dislike the caption contest on the last page of each New Yorker issue. Steiner thinks it cheapens cartooning itself. Shannahan pointed out that the magazine often buys finished cartoons, removes the caption and runs them in the contest. The cartoonist’s name remains on the image but not his words. “Art of the New Yorker Cartoons” will remain at Sharon Library, on the Green, through Nov. 30. The library is open daily except holidays. Call 860-364-5041 or go to www.hotchkisslibrary.org.

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Club baseball at Fuessenich Park

Travel league baseball came to Torrington Thursday, June 26, when the Berkshire Bears Select Team played the Connecticut Moose 18U squad. The Moose won 6-4 in a back-and-forth game. Two players on the Bears play varsity ball at Housatonic Valley Regional High School: shortstop Anthony Foley and first baseman Wes Allyn. Foley went 1-for-3 at bat with an RBI in the game at Fuessenich Park.

 

  Anthony Foley, rising senior at Housatonic Valley Regional High School, went 1-for-3 at bat for the Bears June 26.Photo by Riley Klein 

 
Siglio Press: Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature

Uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.

Richard Kraft

Siglio Press is a small, independent publishing house based in Egremont, Massachusetts, known for producing “uncommon books at the intersection of art and literature.” Founded and run by editor and publisher Lisa Pearson, Siglio has, since 2008, designed books that challenge conventions of both form and content.

A visit to Pearson’s airy studio suggests uncommon work, to be sure. Each of four very large tables were covered with what looked to be thousands of miniature squares of inkjet-printed, kaleidoscopically colored pieces of paper. Another table was covered with dozens of book/illustration-size, abstracted images of deer, made up of colored dots. For the enchanted and the mystified, Pearson kindly explained that these pieces were to be collaged together as artworks by the artist Richard Kraft (a frequent contributor to the Siglio Press and Pearson’s husband). The works would be accompanied by writings by two poets, Elizabeth Zuba and Monica Torre, in an as-yet-to-be-named book, inspired by a found copy of a worn French children’s book from the 1930s called “Robin de Bois” (Robin Hood).

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Cycling season: A roundup of our region’s rentals and where to ride them

Cyclists head south on the rail trail from Copake Falls.

Alec Linden

After a shaky start, summer has well and truly descended upon the Litchfield, Berkshire and Taconic hills, and there is no better way to get out and enjoy long-awaited good weather than on two wheels. Below, find a brief guide for those who feel the pull of the rail trail, but have yet to purchase their own ten-speed. Temporary rides are available in the tri-corner region, and their purveyors are eager to get residents of all ages, abilities and inclinations out into the open road (or bike path).

For those lucky enough to already possess their own bike, perhaps the routes described will inspire a new way to spend a Sunday afternoon. For more, visit lakevillejournal.com/tag/bike-route to check out two ride-guides from local cyclists that will appeal to enthusiasts of many levels looking for a varied trip through the region’s stunning summer scenery.

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