Jack Katz. September 27, 1927—April 24, 2025

Katz started his career in the 1940’s as a “Golden Age” comic book artist working in the studios of C.C. Beck, Jerry Iger and Joe Simon and Jack Kirby.

This  circa 1950's comic book panel is an example of the stunning detail Katz was capable of.

By 1974 he began his proto-graphic novel, First Kingdom, a project lasting twelve years and comprising 768 pages.

The latter part of his life he was a drawing and anatomy instructor in the SF Bay Area. Here are examples from one of his sketch booklets. I picked this up from him at a comic convention back about 2019.

And he was a remarkable painter.

His paintings remind me of the WPA-era work of Paul Cadmus.

Jack Katz was 97.

The 35th Annual Spring Art Show is Coming

The 35th Annual Spring Art Show showing from May 10 to May 25 in the Maurice Del Mue Galleries of the San Geronimo Valley Community Center.

Up to 100 local artists exhibiting. 

Reception Friday, May 10, 6:30-9pm

The image for this year's postcard is by the late Fred L. Berensmeier. It's a linocut/collograph titled "Raven Dreams of Earth Maker Hands and Interspecies Flying Lessons".

(I retired as Visual Arts Coordinator from the Center at the end of last year. After many, many year's this is the first Spring Art Show that I haven't organized. It will be interesting for me to observe the process from the outside looking in).

RIP. Brad Holland

Brad Holland.   October 16, 1943—March 27, 2025

An iconic figure in American illustration

There's a very good remembrance to Holland by Steve Heller at Print Magazine:

https://www.printmag.com/daily-heller/the-daily-heller-mourning-for-brad-holland-stage-one/

Mussolini on the Wall

Some time ago, on a visit to Montreal we had a chance to go to Church of the Madonna della Difesa in the Little Italy district of the city.

The church began construction in 1919. The artist Guido Nincheri labored on a series of stunning frescoes there for about two decades.

The primary focuses of the work seems to have been to commemorate the formal recognition of the pope's sovereignty over Vatican City that took place in 1929.

The fresco features the pope, God, Jesus the usual crowd of saint and angels. 

But surprising to probably any contemporary visitor, included in this mix is none other than Benito Mussolini (on horseback no less).

By the time the works were completed around 1933 Mussolini was a rising 'star' as a major league dictator.

By 1945 he was hanging by his heels from in Piazzale Loreto, Milan (apparently now the site of a McDonalds).

Remarkable, the cycles of history.