No cake for Huckleberry

Sigmund Freud's field day

Holiday time

These dream comics I did a couple of years ago, which disappeared into my dusty, crumpled paper piles. I thought I'd bring them out of the 'archives.'

Time to set the Pigeons free

The year is winding down and what better way to finish than setting a new book free. Last Monday night we saw the release of 'Pigeons: Stories in the Post Volume II.' This is the result of a 6 month mentorship by post between a number of Australian authors and comic strip creators and a class of children from Footscray City Primary School to create short stories and comics. Hurrah! Here it is in print, and a rather delectable little book it is!

I worked with a young lad called Bill, who could barely keep the lid on his imagination throughout the project. The result was his lovingly rendered comic strip story 'The Six Days of Kookooness.' There are two other comics in the anthology, mentored by Bernard Caleo and Jen Breach.

So what's all this about Pigeons? 'Pigeons' is the energy of two passionate individuals, Jenna Williams and Lachlan Carter who generate community based projects to promote literacy and the sheer love of books and writing in young people. After doing an internship with the genius organisation 826 Valencia, founded by Dave Eggers in San Francisco, they have returned to Australia to create similar magic. Visit their website HERE.

Out of hibernation; the hatching of new artworks

  Multi-block lino print 'Bird Brain' © M. Burton

During my recent adventures as artist in residence at Luther Secondary College I created this linocut. Bird symbolism and human psychology seem to be an ongoing theme. Here are two more linocuts created in my present residency at Laughing Waters, Eltham:

'Rock, Paper, Scissors' © M. Burton

'Bird Stitchers' © M. Burton

Keeping a low profile

Life is busy, and I have been lying low. I hope to come out to play soon.
(Photo taken in Central Australia, 2008)

'The Departure.' Silk Cut lino print: 45 X 30.5cm © M. Burton

For me, it was love at first sight.

Fumetto International Comix Festival, Lucerne, Switzerland

This month began with an adventure far from my shores in Lucerne, Switzerland. Apart from being a beautiful, historic town set against a back drop of breathtaking alpine scenery, every spring in Lucerne you will find the place blooming with comix. Thanks to the Fumetto International Comix Festival, a wide range of talent from around the world is showcased with a focus on innovative and non mainstream creators. The 9 day festival not only hosts numerous exhibitions but also features talks, discussion panels, workshops, book fairs, and the opportunity to meet creators throughout the week. Each year Fumetto holds a competition, with all entries writing and drawing to a specific theme. This years theme was 'You + Me =Us.'

A milestone in my short history of making comix was winning the Scenario Prize for my story 'P.S.' Click on each page for an enlarged version.



So many fantastic artists were exhibited and their books launched, but I will highlight only a few. I enjoyed discovering the work of Chihoi, a creator based in Hong Kong.

À L'Horizon (published by Atrabile) is a collection of short stories that will haunt you pleasantly after you have closed the book. Chihoi takes universal experiences to a philosophical and often spiritual level (although not in a religious sense) in a beautifully understated way. His imagination is vivid, as is his sense of poetry. His books are not yet available in English, but hopefully this will soon change.

Another great discovery at Fumetto was Brecht Evens, hailing from Belgium.

This is the French edition (Les Noceurs) although it will also soon be available in English from Drawn and Quarterly under the title 'The Wrong Place.' This book is a visual feast, a festival of colour, but all carefully considered. Whether Brecht's characters are vacuous or vibrant, his choices in colour help describe his characters but also leave the reader questioning how we read people in social situations. As French operates at a much slower rate in my brain, reading this edition only ensured I lingered longer over each page, allowing me to enjoy it even more. Don't even bother reading any more of this blog until you have clicked here to see more of Brecht's work.

Brecht also specializes in drawing peoples phobias and dislikes, so here are mine illustrated in the inside cover of my book. This is me with a WET bath mat and LARGE caterpillar.

Finally, it would be criminal not to mention Emmanuel Guibert and his book 'The Photographer,' originally published in France some years ago but published only last year in English by First Second.

This is an incredibly moving book. Emmanuel tells the story of his friend Didier Lefèvre, who travelled into a war ravaged Afghanistan in the mid 1980s as a photographer, documenting a mission carried out by Médecins Sans Frontières. Humanitarianism meets human atrocity and while the Doctors seem to be performing heroic achievements on a daily basis in very primitive conditions, it is often the Doctors who are humbled and changed by their experiences. Didier's voice is honest, as are his extraordinary photos that feature throughout the book. My last words are simply, please read this book.

Here is a drawing of Didier Emmanuel drew for me in my sketch book with an ink dropper.

A comic book?

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