Ann Telnaes: AI is Theft

Via Ann Telnaes:




I just gave a speech in Lucerne at the Swiss Media Forum about the free press and during the Q&A a question came up about editorial cartoons and AI. The short answer is AI is theft. The longer answer I addressed last year in a graphic essay

Ann Telnaes and Liza Donnelly Gallery Show at the Maison de Dessin de Presse

 

Cartoonists Ann Telnaes and Liza Donnelly exhibit their work at their joint exhibition at the Maison de Dessin de Presse, Morges.

 

Via DailyCartoonist:

"Here we join them in Switzerland as they walk through the exhibit. A pdf guide to the exhibit.

"The pair then traveled to Geneva where they were captivated by cartoonist Patrick Chappatte.

"Liza, Ann, and Patrick sat down for a chat.

 

 

"As Ann explains they were in Geneva for a reason:

"Last night a Geneva audience watched Laura Nix’s documentary “Democracy Under Siege”. Even though I’ve seen it several times during production, the scenes of the January 6th attack still gives me a gut punch.

"Afterwards Patrick Chappatte, the Swiss cartoonist and president of the cartoonists rights organization Freedom Cartoonists, and I did a Q&A where we discussed the current situation for editorial cartoonists and also the impact of the new U.S. administration.

"Patrick, by the way, was honored as the recipient of The 'Genève reconnaissante' Medal last month.

"We are assured that a splendid time was had by all."

 

 

The Garden As of May 15, 2025

The garden as of mid-May. Lotsa blossoms and the bees and baby blackflies are out. As you can see, I demolished the old raised bed, spread the dirt around and planted a bunch of grass seeds. I’m hoping it’ll be a little greener come June. The birds (bluebirds, sparrows, chickadees, red bellied woodpeckers, bluejays, orioles, finches, catbirds, fly catchers, hummingbirds and even a pair of mallards) have returned and I have a couple of new birdhouses for them. At night, we hear the owls in the woods. I should get a nice owl birdhouse for them! I still need to fence the garden. Hopefully there will be some progress by next month when I share more garden pics.

 ... And Cheddar the cat "helping."

Best Cartoons of the Year 1970 edited by Lawrence Lariar

 

Here are some cartoons from Best Cartoons of the Year 1970 edited by Lawrence Lariar. This is the next to the last of the series which had been published annually since 1942. It's copyright 1970 by Mr. Lariar. 

The front cover, by Dennis Renault, is a parody of the then-popular White Rock beverage advertisement.

 

The cartoons are pulled from national magazines, a reminder that back in the day a lot of the leading publications carried gag cartoons. 

Jack Kent:

Vahan Shirvanian:

 

George Dole:

 

Don Orehek:

 

A.S. Habbick:

 

Herbert Brammeier:

 

Alex Graham:

Bud Handelsman:

 

Val:

 

George Wolfe:

 

Norman Thelwell:

 

Irv Hagglund:

Norman Thelwell:

Al Ross:

Vahan Shirvanian:

 

Vahan Shirvanian:

 

Mike Williams:

Bud Handelsman:

Cartoon Exhibition Cancelled Due to "Fear of Offense"

 

Via UK Daily Telegraph Political Cartoonist Patrick Blower:

"An exhibition featuring Britain’s top political cartoonists entitled Licence to Offend, has been cancelled by the venue owner. Perverse, given that all the cartoons to be exhibited, have been previously published in mainstream newspapers and magazines. In 40 years of freelancing, I’ve never come across something like this. A real sign of the times as there is now a terror of offending absolutely anyone."

 

It's always hard to fathom the fear of a cartoon, but there it is, time and again. 

The good news is that the Licence to Offend political cartoon gallery show will go on at another venue.  

 

"In a move that reignited concerns about the narrowing boundaries of acceptable speech and expression, a London gallery pulled an exhibition celebrating Britain’s storied tradition of political cartooning on the grounds that it might offend – though following a backlash, organisers say they have since received countless offers of support, and the show will now go ahead at a new venue.

"Titled Licence to Offend, the show was intended as a tribute to satire’s role in a healthy democracy. It brought together dozens of works by cartoonists from across the political spectrum, including long-standing Fleet Street names such as Mac (Stanley McMurtry) and Jonathan Pugh, as well as the Guardian’s Martin Rowson. But on the eve of its opening to the public, organisers were informed that the artwork would have to be removed immediately after its private view.

"According to a message sent by curator Zoe Dorelli to participating artists, management at the venue – TownSq, a co-working space on Kingston Riverside in southwest London – felt the work was 'too offensive'. The organisers were told that because the company worked with councils around the country, it could not risk appearing “too political” or upsetting visitors.

"'We had a great relationship with the venue, but the management freaked out and thought it might be too offensive,' said Dorelli. 'They said that maybe some of their members might get upset.'"

 

John Rose: Storyboard Artist to Stanley Kubrick

 

My friend Matt Jones has unearthed a short video interview with John Rose, an illustrator who also worked on films for Kubirck and David Lean. 

From a 2010 BBC profile:

"John began his career illustrating books, but also worked on some blockbuster movies, including Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey.

"John said of working on the 1968 film: 'Stanley wanted some illustrations of what it might look like in outer space.

"'He wanted professional imaginations, or as they subsequently came to be known, conceptualists.'"

Here's the video, along with glimpses of some of John Rose's amazing storyboard skills.

 

Cy Whitling's Autobiographical Comic

 

Cy Whitling has written and drawn a short autobiographical comic at his Instagram. His bio reads: "Mostly doodles. Has written lots about bikes and skis." I stumbled on it this week and, even though I don't know Cy, I wanted to share his story here. He writes, "Took a break from drawing cute critters for something more serious."