Comedy At The Tip Of The Marker.
Since December, 2006, with the very first issue of THE NEW BARKER, every cover has been an original work of art by a different Florida artist. Selecting an artist from the talent pool of creativity this state has to offer has always been a fun process. Working with caricature artist, John LaFree was no exception. Take a peek inside the mind of this creative genius and learn a bit about the artist behind the caricatures, a process he defines as “a portrait that is exaggerated for comic effect.”
Self portrait, by John LaFree.
When I was a kid, I would take tracing paper to the pages of MAD MAGAZINE - particularly the art of Mort Drucker. Without realizing it, I was teaching myself to draw and to appreciate the ridicu- lousness of caricature. It was an education that eventually led to me failing a class or two in school... drawing caricatures of my teachers when I was supposed to be paying attention.
Growing up, I was under the impression that you can’t actually have
a career as an artist. I would draw for my own amusement or to have something unique to give as gifts at Christmas. It wasn’t until I was almost 30
years old that I serendipitously found myself at the Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg (FL). Inspiration crawled inside me and I decided it was time to dedicate myself to finding my voice as an artist.
I conned my way into a job as a retail caricature artist at Busch Gardens in Tampa and began the slow, silly journey of learning my craft.
My visit to the Dali Museum enlightened me. I discovered that it was possible to tell stories through my drawings. I realized that I might be able to do a kind of “editorial” of my subject... a description... as opposed to simply depicting what he/she looks like.
Growing up, I had dogs. And cats, rab- bits, parakeets, hamsters. We had a yellow Lab named Bridgette who was probably the closest thing to my dog that I can remember. Unfortunately, I didn’t feel the same way about dogs, or pets in general, as I do now. I took them for granted as playthings, and even (I hate to admit it) annoyances. I wish I could do all of that over again, just to be able to appreciate them more and take greater care of them.
60 THE NEW BARKER
Today, I live in a house full of creatures: two dogs, three cats, two turtles and three children. (I think my head just exploded). All with wonderfully different personalities and quirks. The dogs are Max and Jules. SuperMax is some sort of non-breed specific mix of hyena and jackal who is afraid of his own shadow. Jules is the most recent addi- tion to our family, a rescue from Pasco County Animal Control
(who just
pooped on the living room floor as I’m writ-
ing this). Simon the cat is the most senior pet at seven years-old. Wes and Weenie are “the twins”- two kitties who, like all kitties, love to play and are very, very naughty. And finally, Tommy and Tiny are our two yel- low-bellied slider turtles who were rescued by my wife, Jessica, and nursed back to health.
The best part of my studio is the fact that it’s at my house. Jessica
and I both work from home and that gives us the chance to give our full attention to the business of my artwork, our website and the marketing of both. Not to mention, being fully available for our kids and being able to watch them grow and learn. Oh yeah, and I can take naps.
At any given time, I can have up to 100 orders in queue that I’m working through. I’m wrapping up the final
stages of about 35 illustrations for a chil- dren’s book written by Jennifer Schreiber.
The most cherished items in my
studio is the artwork done by other people. My kids’ paintings, sculptures and poems. Jessica’s works inspire me all the time. She draws, paints and sculpts just to see what happens.
www.TheNewBarker.com
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