I had the privilege to draw the cover for this week’s edition of The Economist. The cartoon involves caricatures of European leaders Angela Merkel of Germany, Nicholas Sarkozy of France, and Gordon Brown of Great Britain. The cartoon did develop quickly during the 24 hours that I had to create the piece… particularly the waiter on the left.  

My first attempt in the pencil sketch had a fellow that was not instantly recognisable as a waiter. My second attempt (on the color art below) created a better waiter but he was perhaps too large and had the potential to distract from the main characters.  

You can see at the top of the post the final artwork with a diminished waiter-like character inhabiting the scene.

There has been copious commentary around the world about the unfortunate cartoon by Sean Delonas at the New York Post including this BBC article about the subject where I am quoted.

There is not much that I can add to the clamour except to say that the cartoon in question was a failure. The cartoonist did succeed in getting millions of people to chat about his work, but the cartoon was a failure because the artist did not deliver the message of the cartoon in a clear and effective manner.  A cardinal sin in the profession.

There is a lesson/advisory here for editorial cartoonists everywhere. In years past a sloppy or ill-thought out cartoon could often pass unnoticed into obscurity. I have published over 7000 cartoons in my career… and I’m sure more than a few of them were unfortunate and forgettable. 

Today the ever present eyes of the internet will be scanning our work the for signs of controversy. Our worst work will be held up to high scrutiny. Now more than ever, we need to be aware of the power and potential of our cartoons. We all want millions to be discussing our cartoons… but not for the wrong reasons.

I am delighted and honored to announce that I will be at the University of Portland on Thursday, March 5 to deliver the introductory William James Mazzocco Memorial Lecture in Distributive Justice.

 

The late Mr Mazzocco was a distinguished Economist, International Diplomat and graduate of University of Portland. He served as an intelligence officer during World War II and a senior staff officer on the Marshall Plan.

 

The lecture takes place at the Buckley Center Auditorium (5000 N Willamette Blvd.) at the University of Portland at 7:30 p.m. The lecture is open to the public.  Admission is free. I hope to see you there.

 

When a new President hits the scene, it is fun to watch the evolution of the Commander-in-Chief’s caricature. Artists and impressionists struggle to define and refine the essence of the President’s personality in a neat little package.  This process for me never stops during the reign of a prominent politician. I endeavor to continually develop my caricatures.

This week while visiting London, I had the good fortune to draw the cover for this week’s edition of The Economist which featured President Obama.

The artwork was quite large as you can see in the first image above but my rendition of Obama was quite small within the artwork. This required a very simple rendering of the President.  I am pleased with the final result.  I feel that I am getting better at capturing his face… though I don’t think I have it mastered by any stretch.

The  Warwick Economics Summit is the largest academic conference of its kind in Europe. Held over a weekend at the University of Warwick (UK), it attracts over 400 graduate and post graduate students from around the world to listen to a range of world-class speakers on topics such as the credit crunch, development, politics, globalization and international relations.

This year to add to its academic mix of speakers, there will be a cartoonist. I have been asked to address the summit on February 13 on the subject of ” Cartoons, Satire and the New Media Landscape”.  I am looking forward to the event.

I would like to invite you to an interesting new KAL exhibition. The Show takes place at the completely virtual Forward Thinking Museum. The FTM is an online venture of the Joy of Giving Something, Inc. (JGS) a not-for-profit philanthropic corporation dedicated to encouraging aesthetic reflection about present realities and future possibilities.

The Forward Thinking museum houses multiple floors of artist’s works (primarily photographers).  Kal’s exhibition currently contains 18 cartoons that will be changed and updated on a monthly basis. The exhibition will expand in the future to include animation. Admission is free!

I was recently featured CNN’s International Correspondent’s highlights of the year 2008. You can view a clip of my interview with Fionnuala Sweeney which was recorded in September below

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/international/2009/01/05/ic.highlights.satire.bk.b.cnn

In my role as Artist-in-Residence at University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) I have worked with students, faculty and staff on a variety of fun and interesting projects.  My current job is director of the great website www.USDemocrazy.net.  The site is dedicated to demystifying and explaining the complex and crazy US democracy.  Check out our mission statement above.

We now have launched a cool blog. We are posting five days a week sharing news and information in a playful manner. Check it out and bookmark it here.

The Baltimore Stoop storytelling series is a great concept… you find seven people to each tell a seven minute story on a similar theme to a packed theater audience. This rather simple equation has proven to be a surprisingly popular entertainment in Baltimore over its three year run, performing to sold out venues. I was priviledged to be invited to be a “storyteller” at their December “Holiday Hoopla” at the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. I enclose to the audio of the event.  

A bit of background for those from ouside of Maryland… William Donald Schaefer is the former colorful Governor, Comptroller of Maryland and Mayor of Baltimore… as well as a world class cartoon target. See below…