I am working on four drawings at one time this week so none are ready to publish.
Since I know the Napkin Kin are chomping at the bit to have some sustenance I am posting this for your enjoyment.
This was taken by a friend a while back and unfortunately I forget who took it. But they get anonymous credit!
Liz didn’t grow up in the church but she had been attending for many years.
She got the dress from a new online shopping service. She loved it and was excited to wear it to church where she was going to get up on the alter and report about the youth choir.
As they got out of the car in the church parking lot her husband said, “I just noticed that two of those little donut circle things on your dress look like your nipples. They’re right where they would be.”
Liz gave him the death stare. “WHY ON EARTH would you say that to me right now, even if it is true?” She said. “You know I am going to be completely self-conscious about that now! You can be such an unthinking idiot sometimes.”
By the time the pastor called her up onto the alter she had already suffered through 20 minutes of panic. As she walked up she saw her four choir friends sitting on the side, waiting to go on and do their quartet devotional. She looked at them looking at her and she knew they saw the same thing as her husband. She turned to face the congregation blushing a deep crimson. There was nothing she could do about it.
She forgot to tell the congregation what time the youth choir concert was going to be and forgot to explain about the fundraising needed to send the kids to choir camp next summer. She tripped on her way back down the stairs but caught herself before she fell. She sat down next to her husband, who whispered that she did a great job and no worries about the dress, it wasn’t obvious at all. She wanted to kick him in the balls.
Afterwards, everyone said she did a great job. Many of the women complemented her dress and asked where she got it. Two guys from her husband’s mens group also complemented the dress. She wanted to kick them in the balls too. She dragged her husband out of the Fellowship Hall the second the niceties were over.
Her husband was in the dog house for the whole week. As a result he missed out on their weekly night for having sex. She told him that he deserved far worse so he better not complain.
In later years Liz said that it was that moment, as odd as it sounds, that changed the direction of her life. She ended up leaving her husband and her church a year later. She moved to Florida with their kids, taking a job as a music teacher at an inner city high school. She started caring much less about what people might be thinking of her and her clothes and as a result was very happy. She ended up having polka dots and circles in almost everything she wore.
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Drawing and story by Marty Coleman
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People tend to put professional photography into a very serious box. It’s used to show the worst of humanity and nature, a very serious thing. It is also used to show the highlights of both, which ironically is usually just as serious. It is true that in recent years, with the advent of the cell phone camera and the internet, everyday snapshots of very funny events and juxtapositions have proliferated. But in professional photography, seriousness still is given the top shelf on which to reside. It’s not that different than in cinema. Funny movies and comedic actors just don’t get the same level of respect and reward as do those that are serious.
But, in spite of that, we still have great comedic movies and actors. We also have some very funny photographers. Foremost among them in my mind is Elliot Erwitt. He is one of my all time favorite photographers. He spent 50+ years as one of the preeminent photographers photographing the world. He was a founding member of Magnum, the elite photography agency started by Robert Capa mid-twentieth century. He eventually became its president. He took some of the most iconic and important political and social photographs of that century. He was a VERY serious photographer. At the same time he was the least serious photographer you will ever find.
The perspective of Erwitt is not to be purposely funny. It’s to record a world that has interesting juxtapositions that can sometimes be very funny. They can also be poignant and stark in their irony and pathos as they reveal the human condition.
No one has ever been better at capturing the humanity of the Dog and other animals.
I have been drawing and photographing the nude figure since I was 17 years old in High School. As I matured, one of my goals in doing the nude has been to juxtapose the inherent sensuality of the nude with something that offsets it. It can be humor, a unique visual perspective or something disturbing. I want there to be an element that draws people away from the sensuality just enough to make them stop and think about it. I was inspired in that direction in no small part due to Erwitt and other photographers ability to do that so successfully.
Sometimes Erwitt is just able to capture the perfect moment of absurdity, contradiction or surprise that makes you smile and laugh.
I have focused only on what I think are his humorous pieces. He took photos of some of the worlds most important leaders and entertainers as well as some of the iconic national moments in America. If you like what you see here, do an information or image search of Elliot Erwitt. There are fantastic collections of his work out there as well as revealing articles and histories of his place in 20th century photography. He’s well worth exploring further.
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You can see and read the entire ‘Artists I love’ series here or by going through the list below.
2018
2016
2015
2014
2012/2013
2011/2012
How did The Napkin Dad end up being such a sexy hunk modeling a ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ t-shirt?
This is a photo of me taken by Steve Cluck, a Tulsa artist and entrepreneur. One element of his business is producing and selling the famous ‘Don’t Hat the 918’ t-shirts (for those of you out of the state or the country, 918 is Tulsa’s telephone area code). He is doing a photography project that consists of 918 people from the Tulsa area wearing his ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ shirt.
A few months ago a friend of mine, Beth Hawkins of Beth Hawkins Video and Photography, posted a request on Facebook looking for some people to be in a promotional video she was shooting downtown. It was on a day I had to be in Tulsa to coach so it would be easy to just go a few hours early and take part, which I did.
Beth Hawkins
One of the other people acting in the video was Steve Cluck, who I had never met. We had to wait while shots were set up and got to talking about his t-shirt business and my Napkin Dad endeavors. He told me about his project to photograph 918 people from Tulsa in his ‘Don’t Hate the 918’ t-shirt. When I explained who I was he recognized my moniker and invited me to participate.
That was enough for me and a few months later Linda and I went over to his studio and took the shots.
Steve Cluck
Have you ever heard the old saying “90% of success is just showing up.”? Well, it’s true. I answered Beth’s call because I like her and want to support her in her work. I also thought it would be fun. She also promised free pizza so there’s that too. Showing up is not just about showing up for things you are obligated to show up for, that should be a given. It’s also about being proactive and grabbing hold of things to show up for. Using your own initiative to go do something, to help, to participate, to explore your world. The results are usually unexpected and positive, as in meeting and networking with people who are good for your business, your social life, and your friendships.
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The Wealth series continues with a question.
What do you think? Does it? I am torn, not sure if I believe it does or not. I can see it can help with some forms of unhappiness but then again plenty of very wealthy people still suffer from being severely unhappy and the money does nothing to help so I don’t know.
I know my family had probably it’s worst continuous years of unhappiness when we were the wealthiest. In particular my mother’s suffering seemed to get much worse when we had more money, not better. But I don’t really know what it would have been like during those years if we had had less money so it’s hard to pin it on the wealth.
Your thoughts?
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Drawing and commentary by Marty Coleman
Quote/question is adapted from a quote by Roberto Gervaso, 1937 – not dead yet, Italian political commentator and journalist
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