At the Kada Gallery opening last week, a very pleasant man asked if my work was influenced by the Peanuts cartoons. He said the work had that same feeling for him. I laughed and said that, of course, these cartoons had been a large influence on my work and probably the way I see things in general. After all, Snoopy was the first thing I ever learned to draw, the result of an older boy on my school bus ( thank you, Tom Hillman, wherever you might be) showing me how to do so in several easy steps. Throughout grade school Snoopy was drawn all over every piece of paper I came across, his Joe Cool and World War I Flying Ace characters being personal favorites.
I explained that many of those early cartoons — the great Chuck Jones’ Looney Tunes , the very early Popeyes , the Disney cartoons with their gorgeous color, and so many more–informed and influenced the way I looked at things and set a pattern for the way I would later interpret the landscape. They created a visual shorthand in the work that simplified the forms in the surrounding landscape yet still gave a sense of place and time and emotion.
And that’s precisely what I try to do in my work today.
For me, A Charlie Brown Christmas is as close to perfect as any cartoon can be. It’s a wonderful blending of mood, movement and music with a smartness and charm that never seems to diminish. For this week’s dose of Sunday morning music, what could be more fitting than the Vince Guaraldi’s Christmas Dance from it?
Have a great Sunday and, if you feel like it, dance along with the Peanuts gang. It’ll do ya’ good…
Redtree Times 
For many years I have been painting dear Snoopy or Charlie Brown on sweatshirts, for my children long ago, and then for my grandchildren, as Christmas gifts….the best! Thank you for the dance, and so much more, and a very Merry Christmas to YOU!!
What a delightful choice for the day! I sat here trying to name all the characters, and discovered I’ve forgotten two or three. It’s time to remedy that!