cul de sac: 2017

Friday, September 8, 2017

New collection of Richard Thompson art coming out next weekend

The Incomplete Art of "Why Things Are"
Art by Richard Thompson
Foreword by Joel Achenbach • Edited by Michael Rhode
The Richard Thompson Library, Volume 1

Before the incalculable capacity of the Internet to answer nearly any question put to it while allowing a legion of pedants to hold forth without constraint, getting the facts of the matter took some effort. Just before the end of those benighted times there was a Washington Post column entitled "Why Things Are" to which readers could pose everything from child-like queries to stoner hypotheticals in the hope of answers to life's arcane conundrums. That weekly column ran in the newspaper from 1990 to 1996, and it was adorned with smart, silly cartoons by then staff artist extraordinaire Richard Thompson. In retrospect, it's not surprising that those cartoons stand up quite well by themselves, getting their own laughs from the eccentric questions posed by readers. Gathered here for the first time is a (near) complete collection of Thompson's genius illustrations and cartoons for "Why Things Are," the first regular humor series in Thompson's career.
THE RICHARD THOMPSON LIBRARY 
The Richard Thompson Library, published by Picture This Press, collects the work of one of the great artists working in cartooning and illustration in the last 25 years.
Paperback: $27.95 • 346 pp. • B&W • paperback • ISBN: 978-0-9906932-8-4
Hardcover: $34.95 • 346 pp. • B&W • hardcover • ISBN: 978-0-9906932-9-1 

Richard Thompson (1957-2016)

photo by Allan Janus

Thompson—one of his generation's greatest cartoonists and caricaturists—was beloved by readers and fellow artists alike. Pat Oliphant called him "Michelangelo with a sense of humor," and Bill Watterson, who had not said anything publicly in almost 20 years, broke his silence to credit Thompson with "giving me a reason to read the comics again." In a more than 35-year career, Thompson, his work appeared in U.S. News & World Report, The New Yorker, Air & Space/Smithsonian, National Geographic, and The Atlantic Monthly. He is best known for his 2004–12 syndicated comic strip, Cul de Sac.

Thursday, August 3, 2017

Richard Thompson at Deep Creek Lake - previously unseen art

A local illustrator, caricaturist and courtroom artist Dana Verkouteren just shared this painting with me, noting it "was one Richard painted after he, Bono [Mitchell], and Linda Lunsford were up at Deep Creek lake with me, for a late autumn weekend. It was an incredible thank you gift that I treasure! Honestly, even looking at it up close, I’ve no idea how he created that image.

This was back in the early 1990s. This is a watercolor I did from a photo after the weekend from a hike. That’s Linda in front with her camera, my brother Steve is in the red shirt, and my ex-husband Bill standing. That’s a part of Richard painted in the lighter green, slightly hidden behind Steve’s backpack. That’s Steve’s dog “Lexi” happily striding on the left.

Thanks to Mike Jenkins for the tip.

Monday, June 12, 2017

George HW Bush on his birthday

Richard was doing a lot of caricatures during Bush's political heyday. Today, on his 93rd birthday, George HW Bush looks better than ever, so here's a recently-auctioned painting of him, along with two of the sketches Richard took to get to it.

Tuesday, May 30, 2017

John Cuneo draws the Otterloops for charity

Richard's good friend, the fantastic illustrator John Cuneo, did this lovely drawing of the Otterloops for the upcoming HeroesCon Drink and Draw charity auction. Money raised goes to Team Cul de Sac which presents it to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's disease research.

Tuesday, May 23, 2017

Donate to HeroesCon Drink & Draw to research Parkinson's Disease in Richard Thompson's name

Chris Sparks says, "The Heroescon Drink and Draw is June 16th. Artists, we would love to have some great items donated to put up to have at the beginning of the show to tempt the con attendees with. June 14th is our deadline to receive art. The sooner we get it, the sooner we can share and support you and your kindness to us.

Thank you in advance!"

Please mail it to:
Team Cul de Sac
C/O Chris Sparks
54 Herron Ave
Asheville NC 28806