"Stop reading books with pictures in them!" The elementary school library lady admonished. "Find a real book with just words."
I learned to read on PEANUTS and TINTIN comics and absolutely fell in love with pictures and story telling. This led to doodling on desks, doodling on school assignments, and doodling all the way to a Fine Arts degree at the University of Oregon. Around junior year in college I panicked at my lack of useful skills, and at the same time got tested by a neurophysiologist for memory problems. Whether I bombed left brained tasks or scored better at the right brained questions remains a mystery, but the M.D. essentially begged me to stick to fine arts. Thanks to official doctor's orders I've doodled 13 Cuckoo comics, one trade paperback compilation, and a Cuckoo play. I also love creating non-Cuckoo based artwork, particularly with pastels, charcoal, and paint.
"Real books" can have pictures AND words, and sometimes they give better advice than the authorities. Special thanks to PEANUTS and TINTIN for helping the 2nd grade me ignore the library lady, and thanks to the art of COMIC BOOKS for inspiring this wonderful way of life!
------------------------------------------------------------
EXHIBITIONS:
2008
The Mill, Santa Cruz, California
2006
"Humans: Being " , Chicago Cultural Center, Chicago, Illinois
2003
Festival Internacional de Banda Desenhada: Amadora, PORTUGAL
2002
P:EAR: Portland, Oregon
2000
Edmonton Small Press Association: Edmonton, CANADA
1999
Sun Gallery: Hayward, California
1998
Whispers: San Francisco, California
VIDEO and FILM:
2003
“Re/Constructing Bodies: Disability Takes on the Arts”, Brace Yourself Productions
1999-?
Subject of documentary, Director Dina Gruenfeld
CLASSROOMS, PRESENTATIONS, and READING GROUPS
ongoing
Friends of Lulu recommended reading
2007
Reading Together program; "Seeing Life Through Different Eyes", Jane Irwin and Paul Sizer, Kalamazoo Public Libaray
2005
Small Press Traffic Literary Arts, "Outrageous Otherness", Gary Sullivan
2003
“Feeling Better Now: Stories of Joy and Togetherness from Readers (and former readers) of MANY VOICES”, Lynn W. Presented to ISSD conference, New Orleans, LA
1997
Mother Kali's Books, reading group’s book of the month, Eugene, Oregon, February
1997
Elizabeth Claman, University of Oregon, Eugene. Part of syllabus for comparative lit. class
MISCELLANEOUS 2005-ongoing
2009 - CUCKOO debuts as a full length play. Phoenix Theatre, San Francisco. Gets Top Pick from the San Francisco Examiner, and Editors' Pick from Theatre Bay Area magazine. I auditioned for my own play and ended up playing myself!
Excerpts from CUCKOO appear in; "SEXY CHIX", an anthology of women cartoonists, edited by Diana Schutz and published by Dark Horse Comics, and in MADBURGER, COMICS QUESTIONING SANITY, published by Stripburger/Forum Ljubljana.
More mention of CUCKOO in TRINA ROBBIN'S books, THE GREAT WOMEN CARTOONISTS, published by Watson-Guptill Publications, and FROM GIRLS TO GRRRLZ, published by CHRONICLE BOOKS.
CUCKOO with JUMP! Theater recieved a Theatre Bay Area CA$H Grant in 2006 to help produce Cuckoo into a play.
CUCKOO and Madison cameo appearances in PAIN MANAGEMENT. Author Andrew Vachss, published by Knopf. Vachss' books are required reading! |
