Chuck Redux

Idiots and Angels

Idiots and Angels

Animation Legend Bill Plympton to Spread His Wings 

Chuck Jones Gallery Hosts Reception & Exhibition

Friday, July, 23^rd

 

San Diego, CA—The Chuck Jones Gallery at 232 Fifth Avenue, in the heart of San Diego’s Gaslamp District, will be the scene of a ‘heavenly’ exhibition as they welcome two-time Academy Award-nominee Bill Plympton in a special appearance by the artist Friday, July 23^rd from 7 to 10 PM.   Long considered one of animation’s premier auteurs and artists, Plympton will be the focus of his first gallery exhibition in San Diego.  “Idiots and Angels” is Plympton’s most recent feature length hand-drawn animated film that will be premiering this fall in select theaters nationwide.  Original drawings by Plympton from the film “Idiots and Angels” along with his original work for such popular short films of his as “Guard Dog” (Oscar nominated,) “Horn Dog” and “Guide Dog” will be the focus of the exhibition and sale.

Known for his irreverence and intellect, the emotional core of Plympton’s films often focus on the state of humankind and the responses to the forces of our nature that not only impede but also propel our future stories.  His hand-drawn films are complex, oblique, off-center dark comedies.  When queried several years ago what his next feature would be, Plympton replied off-handedly that, “it would be about an angel who didn’t want his wings, and as we discussed the idea, I really got to like the concept. That night, in my hotel room, I started to explore the dramatic possibilities of a reluctant angel."  

Born in Portland, Oregon and educated at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, Plympton has called New York his home since 1968.  Early in his career he designed magazines such as Cineaste and Film Society Review while contributing illustrations to the New York Times, Vanity Fair, The Village Voice, Screw and House Beautiful.  His cartoons appeared in such magazines as Rolling Stone, National Lampoon, and Glamour.  In 1975, in The SoHo Weekly News, he began "Plympton," a political cartoon strip.  By 1981, it was syndicated in over twenty papers by Universal Press.  In 1987 he was nominated for an Oscar® for his animated short "Your Face". In 2005, Bill received another Oscar® nomination, this time for a short film "Guard Dog". "Push Comes to Shove" another short film, won the prestigious Cannes 1991 Palme d'Or.  

After producing many shorts that appeared on MTV and Spike and Mike's, he turned his talent to feature films. Since 1991 he's made nine feature films, six of them, "The Tune", "Mondo Plympton", "I Married A Strange Person", "Mutant Aliens", "Hair High" and "Idiots and Angels" are animated features that he has hand-drawn himself (they require over 70,000 drawings!) 

About the gallery:  The Chuck Jones Gallery, located in the heart of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp District at 232 Fifth Ave., is the destination for art collectors and visitors from around the world.  Owned by Linda Jones Enterprises, the publisher and distributor of the art of the legendary animation creator and director, Chuck Jones, it is the only gallery in San Diego devoted to the art of the animated film.  Included in the on-going display is art from all major animation studios as well as original paintings and limited edition fine art from a variety of internationally known artists and photographers whose work is entertainment related.  For more information please call the gallery at 888-294-9880 or online at www.ChuckJonesGallery.com.  Blog: Chuck Redux.

The Indomitable Stan Lee

One Night Only! 

Legendary Comics Creator to Appear at Chuck Jones Gallery

Unveils the Art of Stripperella for Comic Con International Collectors

San Diego, CA—The Chuck Jones Gallery is thrilled to announce that the legendary comic book superhero creator, POW! Entertainment’s own Stan Lee, will be making a rare in-gallery appearance, Thursday, July 22^nd during the gallery’s opening night reception (from 6 to 9 PM) for the revealing exhibition of new original and limited edition 2-D & 3-D art from his provocative graphic series Stripperella.

Stripperella first gained international attention in 2003 when Lee’s super-heroine action animated series débuted on Spike TV.   Originally based on (and voiced by) Pamela Anderson, Stripperella’s ‘day’ job (O.K., it was a night job) as one of the most famous exotic dancers in the world was her ‘cover’ for her super-powers: enhanced reflexes and senses combined with really sexy stripper moves, made her an instant international hit with that most-coveted of marketing demographics, young males between the ages of 18 and 34. 

 

Stripperella, poster edition of 250, signed by Stan Lee & Anthony Winn, call or write for pricing.

As imagined and brought to life by Lee and his collaborators, Stripperella was at once a crushing blow to the stereotypical blond iconography and at the same time it was glamorous and provocative, all the while winking at the audience with its double entendre-laced dialogue. 

Now, in collaboration with artist and protégé, Anthony Winn, Lee has re-imagined Stripperella (red hair!) and brought her to fiery new life as an animated digital cartoon.  New limited edition artwork, including a terrific new bronze sculpture, will be premiered at the exhibition’s opening, July 22^nd. 

Whatever you may think you know about the legendary comics creator Stan Lee is only a sliver of what this icon of the comicbook world has going on in his life.  Only superlatives can be used to describe him:  super-dynamic, super-imaginative, and super-genius.   For over seven decades, Lee has dominated the comicbook superhero field with his ingenious creations: their super-human triumphs and all-too-human failures resonating with millions of readers and fans around the world.  And now, with his exciting new company POW! Entertainment, Stan is creating more fantastic concepts than ever before.

"Caught in the Moment" (Stan Lee & Stripperella) limited edition artwork

Anthony Winn has been mentored by the incomparable Stan Lee since 1999 and their collaborative efforts have resulted in some of the comic legend’s most provocative and original artwork for a variety of media.  Winn’s innate artistic talent was noticed at an early age after his family’s harrowing escape from Viet Nam at the close of the war in 1975.  Settling in southern California, Winn was soon under the spell of Spider-Man and the legendary work of Stan Lee. 

About the gallery:  The Chuck Jones Gallery, located in the heart of San Diego’s historic Gaslamp District at 232 Fifth Ave., is the destination for art collectors and visitors from around the world.  Owned by Linda Jones Enterprises, the publisher and distributor of the art of the legendary animation creator and director, Chuck Jones, it is the only gallery in San Diego devoted to the art of the animated film.  Included in the on-going display is art from all major animation studios as well as original paintings and limited edition fine art from a variety of internationally known artists and photographers whose work is entertainment related.  For more information please call the gallery at 888-294-9880 or online at www.ChuckJonesGallery.com.  Blog: Chuck Redux.

Image of the Day: The Hands of Chuck Jones

Artists' hands are a tool as much as the pencil, brush, or mouse are and they reveal much about the artist's personality and character just in the way they hold their instrument, or touch the paper, even in a still image such as this one of Chuck Jones at his drawing table in his home studio. 

 

When you see Chuck Jones' hands, the left holding the paper in place, the right with his favored pencil (the Eberhard Faber Blackwing 602, no longer in production) it's easy to imagine that you hear the gentle scratch of lead on paper, and witness the brisk, sure movement of his hand delineating the character of Elmer Fudd and Bugs Bunny as surely as someone who completely understands their motivations, personality tics and eccentricities as he does his own. 

Craig Kausen Leads Tour of "Chuck Jones: An Animator's Life From A to Z-z-z-z"

On Saturday, June 19, Craig Kausen, grandson of Chuck Jones led a tour of the exhibition "Chuck Jones: An Animator's Life From A to Z-Z-Z-Z" at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences in Beverly Hills, California.  A group of about 40 Chuck Jones art collectors, fans and aficianados gathered to hear Craig wax nostalgic about growing up with Chuck Jones and discuss the impact Jones has made on the art of the animated film. 

Craig spoke about the manner in which Chuck Jones constructed his films, his editing process (during the creation of the short film) and his attention to detail.

Johnnie Diem and her grandson, Garrett, were among those who enjoyed the afternoon excursion and tour.  Garrett is currently interested in stop-motion animation and has been making his own films using legos.

Of course, everyone loves to get close to the magic of Oscar and collector Tom Myak is no exception.  

As with all things Chuck Jones, there is always much love to be shared.  Craig and Diane Norwine give each other a hug in greeting and excitement at the prospect of sharing this incredible exhibition together.  

The exhibition runs through August 22nd at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 8949 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills, California.  For more information, including hours, please their website by clicking here.

Image of the Day: Chuck Jones on the Cover of Newport Beach [714]

Craig (Chuck's grandson) and I were talking today about Chuck (as we do) and we zeroed in on this cover of Newport Beach [714] and Craig said it was shortly after this photo shoot that Chuck moved his studio to the offices of Chuck Jones Enterprises in Costa Mesa and that the painting of Daffy that you see on the easel was one of the last paintings Chuck painted in that studio (February, 1993.)

 

Image of the Day: Salva 'door' Dali

At a Special Client Event in the fall of 1996 at the Chuck Jones Gallery in Corona del Mar, Chuck Jones demonstrated his amazing draftsmanship for those assembled by using a Sharpie and drawing directly onto a hanging door a delightful image of his iconic characters, Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner.  Of course, there was a mad dash to 'red dot' it, but it was not for sale.  You can see it now in its new home at the Chuck Jones Gallery in San Diego. 

Image of the Day: Chuck Jones with His Daughter, Linda

"With some help from my wife, I produced a daughter, Linda, in 1937...In my eyes--and whose other eyes can I trust?--she has always been a perfect daughter..." --Chuck Jones, writing in his autobiography, Chuck Amuck. 

Linda at age 2, with her father, Chuck Jones.

Dorothy, Chuck and Linda Jones, Manhattan Beach, California circa mid-1940s.

 
Dorothy, Linda and Chuck Jones, 1950, with the Oscars for the Jones' directed "So Much for So Little" (best short documentary of 1949) and "For Scent-i-mental Reasons" (best short animated film of 1949.)

Linda Jones, painted by her father, Chuck Jones, in 1954 (featured in the book "A Stroke of Genius, A Collection of Paintings and Musings on Life, Love and Art by Chuck Jones." 

Chuck Jones and his daughter at a gallery reception in Corona del Mar, California circa 1992.  

Image of the Day: Chuck Jones at Home on Tareco Drive

Although Chuck Jones’ film credits identified him for more than six decades as a director of Warner Bros. animated pictures, his stature as a graphic artist is little recognized by the public.  In addition to the trying requirements of any director unifying story, layouts, animation, music, dialogue, etc. into a finished pictured, he was also personally instrumental in the graphic styling of his pictures. 

 

Dedicated as he was to animation as the new graphic medium of his time, Jones had never forgotten that drawing the land and people around him was imperative to assure new ideas as to shape and color and design.  For many years, he drew and painted the human figure and the landscape in search for new gesture and new expression.  This study is reflected in the freshness of his professional work.

Steeped in an awareness of the importance of dramatics, humor, action and rhythm in telling an animated story, he managed to instill into his still drawings and paintings these same qualities.

 

Although many artists skilled in making still drawings have enriched animation, seldom has an expert in animation contributed so much to the great tradition of the still drawing.  Here, caricature, an essential factor in all great art, has been exploited on a high level.  Penetrating observation reveals new and daring aspects of ordinary people and their actions.  Each drawing is a statement of an experience and a venture into new graphic structure.  Here, content and form are balanced to insure the intrinsic value of each drawing and painting as a work of art.

 

As a classically trained artist at Chouinard Art Institute in Los Angeles, Chuck Jones studied numerous techniques from graphite to oil paint.  Throughout his life he continued his classic arts education with drawing and painting masters classes; each contributing to the evolution of his craft.  He was passionate about drawing and painting, whether it be of the famous characters he created and loved or a landscape, street scene, or beautiful rendition of man, woman, or child. 

 

In the late 1950’s and early 1960s he had opportunity to travel Europe with his wife Dorothy.  During these visits he captured street scenes, whimsical anecdotes, and memorable experiences through his mastery of the watercolor technique that stand as some of the most remarkable creations of his extensive career.

These photographs were taken at Chuck Jones' home on Tareco Drive in the Hollywood Hills, circa 1960.  To view art from the Chuck Jones Incognito collection, please click here.  

Image of the Day: Chariots of Fur

"Spring Training" a limited edition fine art 26 screen hand-pulled serigraph, created from original art for the 1994 Chuck Jones directed "Chariots of Fur" short animated film.  Signed and remarqué by animator Claude Raynes.  "Chariots of Fur" was first Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote short cartoon directed by Chuck Jones in over 30 years.  It was produced by Jones and his daughter, Linda Jones Clough, at the newly formed Chuck Jones Film Productions and brought together for the final time the legendary Jones and the incomparable Maurice Noble who provided layouts and color consultation.  

We've embedded the French version of the cartoon for your viewing pleasure: