Sometimes when I am drawing caricatures, I like to “show off” the caricatures that have been signed by famous people. Now after 14 years of sending caricatures to famous people, I have quite a collection. Usually I have at least 10-15 people come up to me and ask “How do you get the famous people or person to sign for you? How do I know these famous people?”

Well, the short answer is not as fun as the long story, so I am going to tell you the long story on how this came about. As you know I was diagnosed with cancer in 1995. Major bummer. I was given six weeks to live. I started to fight back with radiation and chemo. Well by doing so, the realization is that chemo not only destroys the cancer cells in your body, but also the healthy ones too. It really took a toll on the nerves in my extremities and it was very hard to even control a pencil, a basic tool for an artist. To this day my toes and feet feel like they are asleep all the time.

Anyway, this was a big concern. If I could not draw, I could not create. No creations, no art. No art, no Dean like we all know and love and admire and emulate, etc. I was depressed. I could not even draw a strait line. It felt like bird caught in a cage, no where to spread its wings and fly. I was really depressed.

But I was adamant. I knew I could regain my talents. I had the ideas in my head, I just had to do things step by step. I began with a simple caricature of Nicholas Cage. It did not look like him. I tried again and again. I finally moved on to some “easier” subjects. I drew Robin Williams and his grin and nose, I drew Eddie Murphy with his smile. I drew almost every “hack drawing” I could think of. I drew and drew and drew some more.

Pretty soon I had so many drawings, I did not know what to do with them. I went to the library and found a book on celebrity addresses. I thought, “Hey, why not send these pictures to these famous people?” So I did and wrote a nice letter and sent the caricature I drew of them.

After a wait of time, I received a few of them back signed and very inspiring. In the letter I sent, I wrote that I had cancer and that drawing the caricature inspired me, which it did. Nothing felt so good then to receive a caricature signed by the celebrity I actually drew. It felt like Christmas every time I opened a manila envelope.

Eventually I found better addresses and more current ones in magazines and Star Archive.com (now StarTiger.com). After about 14 years of drawing and collecting addresses and sending out sase’s (self-addressed stamped envelopes - you don’t expect a celebrity you ask for an autograph from to pay for postage, do you?)I have quite an eclectic collection. I have donated some to charity auctions and hung some up on a few walls at home. I am hoping to have an entire room dedicated to the caricatures that are signed. But that is still a dream.

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For some of my most devoted fans, you have probably wondered “Where is Dean and where is his mind-enriching and nutritionally educational blog?” Well I am going to explain myself. And what better place then my blog.

I was preoccupied with an endeavor I started 5 years ago. As I was searching some old Artist’s magazines I found a unique article about Art*O*Mat. I grew intrigued with the story of Clark Wittingham who took his Senior Art Show to the next level. He placed his photographs in an old used cigarette vending machine, and it was a big hit. He expanded the concept to create a business that provides original artwork by multiple artists. All the artwork to be the same size of an ordinary pack of cigarettes. The artists, myself included, are called Artists in Cellophane. We produce original artwork and then wrap them in cellophane,ready for transportation to who knows where. And you get paid! Publicity and Payment are two great things.

Well I make wooden fish. Not just ordinary fish from a sportsman’s magazine’s back page. I cut out a fish shape out of 1/8” hardboard, prime it (actually my niece does this for me as she needs the cash) and I paint whatever I want on this small flat canvas. Then I glue it on a pine block that is pre-painted (again mainly Mariah does this, but I add the details…kind of like how Thomas Kincaid works….hmmmm?) and I then put on my label with the name of the fish and I spray a coat of varnish on it and then wrap it up and off to North Carolina it and many others go.

Pretty simple stuff, but the process takes awhile and I am a perfectionist when it comes to my Something Fishy...fish. That is what I call the artwork, Something Fishy… I had done the math and I have completed 538 fish. In 5 years. Plus they are all different and unique with a few similarities. I name each one of them with “fishy” puns like a cup of coffee in the shape of a fish is called Carpuccino or as you know I teach art so I paint famous paintings on my fish and call it Art A’PERCH"iation. My last series I did 101 famous paintings, on fish no bigger then a cigarette pack. I am so used to the size and I don’t even smoke! Note to kids: Smoking is bad for you. It will give you more problems then you can imagine. Don’t start smoking.

Anyway, this time I was thinking of another theme. I had done the paintings and I had also done license plates (I called them License Plate Dinners as each of the state’s prevalent and most eaten fish was broken down to abbreviation like a vanity plate would be). My Dad cuts the boards into blocks and he asked me what would be the theme this time. My mind was racing and then I thought of President Obama. I was going to paint all 44 Presidents on a fish and create an American flag in the process! Sounds simple….but it took awhile.
The more recent Presidents are fairly easy to paint, but when you start from the beginning like I did, It is hard to differentiate John Adams from James Madison and Rutherford Hayes from James Garfield. PLUS I had to think of Fishy names for each. A tough task indeed.

But I completed them and took a picture that I hope I can add soon and completed 72 more unique fish as I needed more to add to my supply. Clark bought all the Presidents up for the Art*O*Mat archives. I don’t mind as the fish seem like they work more as a group then individually. And in honor of the 44th President’s inspiration, I included 4 more Barack Obamarlins!

So if you have a nearby Art*O*Mat machine, check it out and you might just see my month long project I had just described to you. And then get a token and BUY ONE! Or two and also the other artist’s stuff too. But make sure to get mine first…What? it’s stuck? Well wiggle it a little…no not that hard….Yikes here comes the manager….You are on your own! Buy Something Fishy….!!!

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