'Parade of Imbeciles' - final reveal!

'Parade of Imbeciles', acrylic on wood panel, 36"x24" (40"x28" including the frame)

Unlike real life Homers such as NASA engineer, Homer Hickam, activist, Homer Plessy, or much further back, Homer, the great Greek author and poet of The Illiad; the fictional cartoon character, Homer Simpson, is not readily associated with wisdom. His mental alertness is quite the opposite. (Attributing that, along with his massive pop culture notoriety, it is no wonder there have been few males born named 'Homer' since the animated family's 1987 television debut.)

However, there is a moment where he spouted something quite profound on an episode of THE SIMPSON'S I will always remember. It is an episode in season 2 called 'Dead Putting Society'. To feel better than his well liked neighbor and rival, Ned Flanders,  Homer trains his son, Bart, to win a mini golf tournament against Ned's son, Todd, to so he can feel superior than Ned. When prompted by his wife, Marge, about how serious he's taking Bart's training, he proclaims:

"Because sometimes  the only way you can feel good about yourself is by making someone else look bad. And I'm tired of making other people feel good about themselves."

In his moment of fleeting wisdom, he unearthed something fundamentally human: it is empowering to feel better than others. This mindset is still adopted by many today when we disparage someone widely known to behave stupidly in an effort to feel superior and bond with others over the fact that we're not stupid.

Thus, the primary function of cartoon characters is to make us feel better about ourselves. Since cartoon characters don't actually exist, they are permissible and ideal targets of ridicule. This is a form of vicarious living. Seeing characters perform unintelligent acts that would be fun to participate in, without us having to live with compromised egos. (Albeit, if you do take things to the extreme, you can always posthumously earn yourself a Darwin award. An esteem for individuals who inadvertently lose their lives from acts of stupidity.) A cartoon characters actions, however outlandish, are inspired by reality. A reality inhabited by people. People do stupid things, but it's inaccurate to call someone stupid because nobody is stupid 100% of the time. Yet, everyone is inept at something. The idea of combining so many cartoon characters designed for stupor into a united visual felt like something I needed to tackle. In the world we reside in today, the theme seems increasingly relevant.

The word imbecile belongs to a classification system of grading intelligence. On the scale, the word ranks second last. 'Idiot' being the lowest possible entry. A new born baby, with it's insufficient comprehension, is technically an idiot by this measure. These classifications have become derogatory over time. The offense occurs when you feel authorized to treat people immorally who fit into lower cognitive levels than you. I remember having a conversation with my Mother, who works with special needs children, if she thought the Disney Dwarf, Dopey, was an exploitation on the mentally challenged community. (His very name - the only one he's ever referred to - is pejorative.)  Individuals in this demographic certainly do not exist for the objective as comedic marks, but such an idea would have been more permissible during the film's contemporary release.

As we can see in the image, the characters are marching along towards an unknown mecca. In the distance looms a great storm that is making contact with a satellite dish on a perilous hilltop. The satellite dish represents the global reach of the internet and how frequently, the most widely shared content is delegated to the realm of stupor.  Solemn empathy does not enjoy the same scalable growth on the internet the way trivial videos of dancing cats do. Is that stupidity, displaced priorities, or both?

 A cartoon character's itinerary offer us instant gratification because their actions don't require explaining. We have the ability to think and exist in a world of increasing complexity. Perhaps we're searching for things to be simpler so we don't exhaust ourselves. Our cognitive energy is finite and must be recovered. Enjoying "stupid" material allows us to not expend so much of it and feel superior in the process.

A 'messiah' of sorts accompanies this cartoon formation via a parade balloon modeled after the mascot from the popular 'FOR DUMMIES' book series which simplify innumerable topics. Each character has also brought along an object with them on this trek to serve their disposition. (Some notable props include a hydrogen bomb, an old television, a protest sign forbidding thinking and a whoopee cushion.) As they march en masse, I'm reminded of a quote by mastermind comedian, George Carlin:

"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."  

The distant storm and eerie green atmosphere underscores this foreboding danger. What may seem innocent and harmless singularly, becomes collectively dangerous.  

I am a painter and what that means is I create images predominantly using the medium of paint. The objective of an image is to make you remember that you have seen it. If this image has communicated with another human, that is a success. I spend a large portion of my time trying to comprehend human nature. There is lots I still don't understand, but my bewilderment in the matter has provided me with an endless stream of ideas for paintings. Either way, the march continues. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a parade to attend to.

-Jono Doiron

Montreal, October 2017

Like this?? STILL want to know more??

Why not pick up one of the few remaining copies of the book to see the entire process of the painting from start to finish?

Pick up your signed copy here!

A Tex Avery tribute

Animation director, Tex Avery (1901-1980), is, has been, and always will be one of my strongest influences. His contribution to the animation art form is undeniable and he is credited as the second most influential animation director, after of course Walt Disney.  His cartoons present a level of hysteria greatly imitated, but yet to be paralleled (in my opinion). Two notable feature films that pay tribute to his legacy are 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' (1988) and 'The Mask' (1994). 

After infusing his brand of humor into the Looney Tunes lexicon at Warner Brothers, he relocated to MGM where he really let loose.  This painting is influenced by some of his cartoons from this period (such as the Wolf & Red cartoons, 'Red Hot Riding Hood' (1943), 'Swing Shift Cinderella' (1945), 'Little Rural Riding Hood' (1949) and also features the characters Droopy and the Cop from 'Who Killed Who?' (1943)).

The Wolf (Avery never gave him an official name) and his lustful, ogling, chasing, harassing, kidnapping and overall violations of consent ways, are behavioral traits that will get you arrested in the real world pretty quickly. In the cartoons, the Wolf is the personification of unrestrained lust and here he has met his due consequences. (Sobering, isn't it?*)      

To be honest, there was some ambivalence on my end if I should paint this image. I comprehend some women experience harassment on a frequent basis and I'm not insinuating their unwanted receptions are comedic. There are also places in the world where variations of abuse are still not met with any lawful intervention. Yet, I'm compelled to share images that highlight my influences and that doesn't always involve generic paintings locked in an unobtrusive realm. With serious topics, my concern is always the line between addressing and exploiting. How did I do? You tell me.

For one week every September, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, becomes the center of the animation world with the Ottawa InternationalAnimation Festival (this year, September 20-24). The painting is for an art show unofficially aligned with the festival, celebrating Saturday morning cartoons and animation love! Big thanks to Joel MacKenzie and the team at JamFilled for putting the exhibition together! You can see all the works in person at Oz Kafe starting TONIGHT, Wednesday, September 20th. The show will remain up for a month. Click here for the facebook event info.

'Taming The Wolf'

acrylic on wood panel

10"x8" (image)

11.75"x9.75" (including frame)

$ Look, you work hard and you deserve to celebrate your life with original art that speaks to you. If this painting appeals to your tastes, contact me, and we'll bring it into alignment for you. Acquiring art doesn't have to be complicated.

*Also an Avery reference. In many of his cartoons, he would embed signs that spoke directly to the audience such as: 'Spooky, isn't it?', 'Noisy, isn't it?', 'Exciting, isn't it?'...

Animation art show in Ottawa next week

If you live in or will be visiting Ottawa next week, join us for Cerealism - The Saturday Morning Cartoon Art Show! Featuring original works for sale by top animation artists! The event is organized by Jam Filled animation studio and will serve as the unofficial kick off party to the Ottawa International Animation Festival. The opening fun is happening next Wednesday September 20th at Oz Kafe. 

Goofy painting

A-huk! It's a GOOFY painting! Another painting study I did, this time of a small Goofy sculpture observing overcast lighting conditions (indoors). Note that there are minimal highlights and no deep shadows.   

Seriously, who doesn't love Goofy? I wouldn't trust the person who says they dislike Goofy. If I was conducting a job interview and it came up they didn't like Goofy, I would dismiss them and shred their resume. And since we've established all mentally balanced people love Goofy, the next logical step is for you to add this painting to yourGoofy-loving-shrine-goodness! (Did I mention FREE shipping on the painting studies to US and Canada? A-huk!)  

Persistance of Vision

 WouldLOVE to see this documentary at some point. If you've NEVER SEEN The Thief and the Cobbler (also known as The Princess and the Cobbler) - it is a seriously underrated gem!

For more art documentaries, check out my list of personal recommendations here.

Celestial Hands - all done!

Here's the final version of the newest painting I completed called 'Celestial Hands' (acrylic on panel, 8"x10"). It will be for sale at the upcoming The Artist Project February 18-21.

Still don't have your tickets yet? Here's a link with a promotion code where you can get premium pricing.

Celestial Hands

I'm working to wrap up one last painting for The ArtistProject (now just 2 weeks away!). This painting is called 'Celestial Hands'. It is an alternate narrative on why cartoon characters wear gloves. 

My favorite reference to this is from Bobby in 'An ExtremelyGoofy Movie':

Timing Charts - all done!

'Timing Charts' - one of the new paintings I created for the upcoming The Artist Project Toronto next month is now complete and will be for sale. (Acrylic on wood panel, 20"x16".) Animation friends and fans will likely get the reference of the painting's title and iconography in the right hand corner.

                                                            "What are timing charts??"

Here's a great video I found by Echo Bridge that explains them and their use.

 See you in Toronto in 4 short weeks!

Timing Charts - progression

Here is some progress from my latest ‬painting 'Timing Charts':

Timing Charts - tonal block-in

Here is the tonal block-in for my latest painting 'Timing Charts'. Another new painting I'm creating for The Artist Project in Toronto, February 18-21.

Creating A Monster - all done!

Happy New Year, everyone! 'Creating A Monster' - the last painting I completed in 2015 shortly before the end of the year - is all done! the original will be for sale at the upcoming The Artist Project Toronto from February 18-21.

Creating A Monster - block-in

The block-in for the new painting 'Creating A Monster'. One of the new pieces being created for The Artist Project happening in Toronto, Feb. 18-21, 2016.

Timing Charts - drawings

Here is the final rough and line drawing for the painting 'Timing Charts'. One of the new paintings to be exhibited in The Artist Project Toronto February 2016. ‪

Tight rough drawing.

Clean drawing. This is what I will scan and blow up the size of the painting surface I will work on, and then print out. The purpose of the cleanup is so the lines are decisive - I don't have to guess which is the lines I want to keep.

Creating a monster...

This is the drawing for the painting on the round wood panel I'm creating for The Artist Project Toronto called 'Creating a Monster'. It was inspired by Gumby, playing with Play-Doh as a child, monsters, special effects animation, and the movie 'The Thing' (even though I've never seen the movie).

THAT LAUGH! - reference sculptures

Meant to share this with you all and then (I admit) I totally forgot about it, even after customizing a box for it and everything. While I was making the painting 'THAT LAUGH!', I had made small head sculptures of Daffy and Porky to draw them from tricky angles. With Daffy, I was trying to figure out what his bill would look like in an oblique angle (not often seen in cartoons). With Porky, I cheated a little bit - Porky doesn't actually have much of a neck, but in the painting he does, even though you don't see it.

THAT LAUGH! - transfering the painting

I took the final drawing, scanned it, enlarged it in a digital file and got it printed at the exact size of the surface I would be painting it on. 

Next, I added graphite to the back to transfer the image on the panel once I added the neutral base tone. I recommend buying a 4B or 6B graphite stick - if you use a pencil, it's going to take you forever. Also, be generous with coverage so you can see your lines easier.  (Which is the reason why I recommend darker lead.)

Doing it this way LITERATELY saves me hours of time by not having to calculate the drawing at a larger scale. AND - you can just retrace the drawing if the guidelines get lost while you're painting!

THAT LAUGH! - color study

Here is the rough color version completed with acrylic on illustration board. Some things will still change in the final, but this basically sets the palette.
This study will be available on my online store once the final painting is complete: 
http://jonodoironstudio.storenvy.com/

THAT LAUGH! - color thumbnails

Here is more progress on the #painting 'THAT LAUGH!'. These are some color study thumbnails. Which one do you like best? Just like the tonal study, I decided to make a color study with traditional media too. (Unlike what I usually do, which is make a digital mockup and then just print it out for reference. Doing it that way saves more time, but after doing the tonal in pencil, doing the color solely digital felt like a cop-out to me.)

Saint Felix prints now available!

Yay! The 16"x20" Saint Felix prints have finally arrived are are now available! Included with the print is a FREE Thoughts & Progress booklet detailing all the planning that when involved in making the print.
http://jonodoironstudio.storenvy.com/products/1990280-saint-felix-giclee-print-with-free-booklet

Praise for Thoughts & Progress booklet!

I was unbelievably complimented today when I read Andy Nulman's (President of Just for laughs) newest blog post exclaiming his delights on the Thoughts & Progress booklet I created for the painting 'The Boastful Ghost'. Andy instigated the idea for the booklet and he writes about how much value is added in discovering the work that went into something.

You can read the article here: http://www.powrightbetweentheeyes.typepad.com/

You can order your copy of the booklet here: http://bit.ly/18GpsOL