In 1996, I got to France and I started doing large chalk drawings on Detroit's Hudson's Building. Three issues in this volume do not contain the comic strip. September and October issues were done in Paris as Express Poetique. I exhibited 20 of my artworks in a group exhibit Les Jardiners de la Memoire at the Musee Creation Franche, in Begles.
The SURREAL THEATRE continues to be dedicated to some of my favorite artists. The panels are often done in odd shapes, instead of the usual squares and rectangles. These dedications include cartoonists William Steig, who created wild graphics with a distinct energy, R. Crumb, Dan O' Neill, Chuck Jones, famous for directing Bugs Bunny cartoons, Virgil Partch and Gary Larson. Other dedications here include my Parisian friend Jaber, poet Kenneth Patchen, photographer Brassai, and jazz musicians Charlie Parker and Bud Powell.
Number 8 is a special issue I did for an exhibit and performance festival at Detroit's Willis Gallery. The 10th annual Emotional Digest in Number 13, is a bit more indirect in this volume than usual. It includes such poems as sole food/ soul feud and inside the hornet's nest.
Numbers 14 and 15 bring the 10th annual Dedication Issue. I wrote Dada Deck for Tristan Tzara. greenage is for Utopianist Charles Fourier. The poem nothing exceeds like excess is for writer (and friend of Ubu) Alfred Jarry. Drawings here are for Victor Hugo. There are also dual dedications. First, Next Year for artist Vincent Van Gogh and writer Antonin Artaud, who wrote about Van Gogh. Then, second, That 20th Century Stomp for musician Louis Armstrong and artist Pablo Picasso, the great upsetters.
Personal Favorites: Number 7's Total Light and Total Darkness, Number 12's Ink and other conceptions of writing and drawing. Then too, I like Numbers 10 and 11 which created when I was in France. My visit to France revealed other flavors to me. Paris!
SURREAL THEATRE favorites include those in Numbers 4, 5, 6 and 7.