Saturday Mornings: The Paintings of Garry Black will be on view at the StorefrontArtist Project August 6 – September 4
Fred
The exhibition is a continuation of the popular Comic and Cartoon Art Series
[Pittsfield, MA]—The Storefront Artist Project and Nuclea Biotechnologies, Inc. with Pittsfield Cooperative Bank present Saturday Mornings: The Paintings of Garry Black as part of the popular Comic and Cartoon Art Comes Alive Series. The exhibition will be on view from August 6 through September 4; an opening reception will be held Saturday, August 6, at 5 p.m. at Storefront Artist Project, 31 South St., Pittsfield; and a series of related free workshops and programs will also be offered to the community.
Garry Black, a life-long fan of cartoons and comics, will present an exhibit that spans the decades of Saturday morning TV characters in paintings that are sure to evoke everyone’s favorite childhood memories.
Black’s association with comic and cartoon characters began as a child drawing in front of the TV on Saturday mornings, but his relationship with these characters didn’t end when the TV was turned off. Throughout his career he has worked with many of his favorite characters. At Colorforms Toy Co., Black created toys based on the Lion King, Power Rangers, Mickey Mouse, and many others. At Marvel Comics he would work with such greats as Spider-Man, the X-Men, and the Incredible Hulk. Even now, he is a colorist for Disney’s Phineas & Ferb comics.
Black would also come to create his own characters in hopes that they too would join the ranks of Saturday morning TV. In 2000 he co-created the Jet Pack Pets, and while trying to promote his newly released trade paperback, Black took his high-flying heroes and turned them into pop art through a series of paintings. The paintings were so well received that he continues to make pop art based on the comic and cartoon characters he knows so well. Since then he’s done many commissions, has shown in New York City, and has donated his work to charitable organizations.
Saturday Mornings: The Paintings of Garry Black is curated by Lawrence Klein, chairman emeritus and founder of the Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art. A resident of Pittsfield, Klein founded the New York City-based museum in 2001. “When I founded the museum, it was a way to set an example on how people can give back to the community. Similarly, I became involved with the Storefront Artist Project to give back to the community in which I now live,” said Klein.
In addition several artists will exhibit cartoon-inspired artworks that will be available in a silent auction that will run the length of the exhibition.
In conjunction with the Black exhibition, Storefront Artist Project has teamed up with Nuclea Biotechnologies, Inc. and Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, and will hold a series of related events and workshops focused on children beginning with an opening reception on Saturday, August 6, sponsored by CANSON and FANBOY Papers. On Sunday, August 7, Black will conduct a free workshop from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. including a drawing demonstration, sketch-a-thon, and discussion on art, comics, and drawing.
Other events will include special Third Thursday events on August 18 starting with an opportunity to meet and see Black paint in the lobby at Pittsfield Cooperative Bank, 70 South St., from 10 a.m. to noon and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. Later that evening, at the Berkshire Bank tent, meet famous cartoonists Joe Staton (Scooby-Doo, Batman, Green Lantern, etc.), Mark Martin (SpongeBob SquarePants, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and Garry Black. All programs are free of charge and will be held at the Storefront Artist Project headquarters and at various other Pittsfield venues. For more information, including pre-registration, contact the Storefront Artist Project at 413-464-7914 or visit www.storefrontartist.org.
This kid-centric, family-friendly programming is generously supported by Nuclea Biotechnologies, Inc. and Pittsfield Cooperative Bank with additional support from Canson, FANBOY Papers, SLG Publishing, and the Inn at Stockbridge.
More about Garry Black:
Garry Black began his professional career as art director at the iconic Colorforms Toy Co. where he designed toys and books based on numerous character properties. He then became an art director in Marvel Comics’ Creative Services department where he was responsible for the development of Marvel’s action figure line. Soon his responsibilities would move beyond toys and Black became creative director of Corporate Marketing and Promotions where he was responsible for branding the character groups, making multi-media sales presentations, and creating custom comics. In1999, Black co-created the web series Mean Planet for SyFy.com and in 2000 co-created the Jet Pack Pets, which ran in Disney Adventures Magazine until 2007. Black continues to create new characters for children’s publishing, multi-media entertainment, and television.
