Charles Burns - Fabulous Off-Kilter Cartoonist

I confess I love Charles Burns' weird comic art.  The piece above is a B&W version of the cover from "Black Hole" comic magazine No. 4 posted on the blog Accidental Mysteries.  I have most, if not all, of Burns' comics still (there aren't very many).  And, I loved the work he did in 1991 for the ballet "The Hard Nut," commissioned by choreographer Mark Morris (a funny take on Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker").  Burns has worked with some of my favorite comic book publishers:  Kitchen Sink Press and Fantagraphics Books.    I met Charles Burns once at one of San Diego's Comic Conventions.  He was nice and seemed much more normal than one would expect from his art.

Robert Ryman - artist

Recent artist discovery via my art class.  The more technique I learn, the more I'm impressed by art I wouldn't have looked at twice before.  Robert Ryman's fabulous paintings are a prime example of a new appreciation for art that looks simple but isn't.  Artwork from MoMA