Keith and I treated each other to an early Christmas present while in San Francisco and I couldn't be more excited. We love to collect art, especially while out of town on a trip. We came across a show at the Dennis Rae Fine Arts Gallery featuring Tom Everhart's work.
In case you are unfamiliar, Tom Everhart is the only artist authorized to artistically render the Peanuts characters. His artwork is the culmination of 20 plus years of close association with cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. Everhart had been a successful painter of large-scale landscapes before being asked to render drawings of the Peanuts characters for a commercial project in 1980. With no background in cartooning, Everhart prepared for the task by projecting Schulz's comic strips onto a 25 foot wall in his studio for closer examination. He was stunned to discover that, blown up larger than life, Schulz's pen strokes closely connected to his own painting style. His fascination with Schulz's "line" and his remarkable ability to capture it was his own distinct interpretation that impressed Schulz and launched a friendship and collaboration that continued until Schulz's death in February 2000.
We are adding Peppermint Patty to our family room ! It's a big piece and in person, the colors and lines are so detailed and vibrant. We had to have it. I love a bit of whimsy mixed with a few more serious pieces we have collected. Isn't she great !!!
His work is amazing. Just the scale of the pieces I saw blew me away. I wanted to read up a little more when I got back to our digs, and thought I'd share. These images from his site are killer and I want another. Read his full bio here.
Having it shipped - can't wait.
