Chovie Clipper Hoists Anchor
Gosh, it’s been a long time since the Catblog was updated. Here’s a watercolor I did down in San Pedro at the old Ports O’ Call center. It was a charming place in those days, many quaint buildings, seafood restaurants and views of cargo and pleasure craft waiting at the docks. Several times, Cathy and I would start sketches of ships only to have them take off from the moorings half-way through the painting! The old Chovie Clipper didn’t disappoint me, she stuck around for her portrait and I had a good time painting her. The colors in the scan aren’t as pretty as the original. It’s 10″ by 14″, a little bit larger than I usually paint. If anybody wants it, just Paypal me fifty bucks with your address and I’ll send it to you. UPDATE: One of my wonderful readers has bought the “Chovie Clipper”! Thanks, Jenny!
Felix is from 6-5 to 6-11-1933. Felix gave Danny’s father’s pants to a hobo last time, containing the old man’s paycheck in the pocket. With the aid of a bulldog and a dinosaur bone, the intrepid little cat retrieves the dough and gets a big feast in the 6-10. Felix gets kicked, socked and pummeled as he bounces in and out of the house on an old bed spring in the Sunday page. This really feels animated to me, could have been a storyboard!
Myrtle is back! Originally appearing 3-7 to 3-13-1949, I love the Sunday page as the family gets their first television set. I remember our old black and white set from my childhood so well, in fact I can’t remember a time when we didn’t have a set of some kind. Yes, there were a lot of fights on the air, but also some great old cartoons and comedies, and puppet shows! Mrs. Smaltz’s cat figures in the first three dailies, teasing poor Bingo. She looks a lot like Hyacinth, who appears in the Sunday, but is not the same cat. I like the feeling of sadness in the 3-12 daily, as Samson discovers the body of a dead rabbit in the bushes and they have a funeral for it. I’ve buried a couple of beloved cats and a poor dead bird or two, so this one has meaning for me.
A double helping of Kat, from 7-12 to 7-24-1943! Offissa Pupp standing behind one of Garge’s fat tree trunks has a pleasing design to it in the 7-15 to 7-17. The little touches of wood planks and potted plants in the foreground of the 7-16 once again reveal that Garge considered the Coconino characters performers on a stage. The “Bam” and “Boo” talking tree gags of 7-22 and 7-23 are very silly, yet somehow still resonate in that offhand Herriman way. Who else could put over such jokes?Â
We’ve been struggling a bit since the last post, with cast iron drain pipes from the upstairs bath tub developing a leak which stained the downstairs drywall with dirty wash water. The odor was not pleasant. I got tricked into paying more than 500 bucks for a company to do an evaluation of the water stained walls for asbestos content! What a rip, the guy who did the asbestos checking was here only a half an hour. He found no asbestos. A retaining wall near the patio outside collapsed (it was unreinforced), and we had to put up a new wall. Our wonderful handyman, Jaime Toscano did the work, he’s so good. The septic tank filled up with water, which turned out to be from a leaky galvanized pipe that was stuck in the middle of the tank. This pipe feeds a hose bib out back; what a lot of wasted water. My wife’s art gallery, the Tirage in Pasadena, is closing down after more than 35 years and we will soon be getting many of her paintings returned to us. The Tirage was a very good gallery, well run by hard-working folks, but there is a declining interest in fine art for purchase by the public. I’ll be posting a few images of Cathy’s paintings in future Catblog posts. Thanks for reading, don’t forget about us!
Yowp says:
Mark, it’s always a pleasure to see your posts, no matter how often you have time to do them.
You give so freely of your time and knowledge (and collection in some cases) that animation fans owe a debt of gratitude to you.
Mark says:
Thanks so much for your kind comment, Mr. Yowp. You know, more than half the fun of collecting something is being able to share it with people who can appreciate it. This is doubly true in such obscure corners as collecting animated cartoon memorabilia. YOU are the true champion of cartoon blogging, Yowp. I really admire how you stick to your themes, in the Yowp and Tralfaz blogs, and I learn a lot just reading your posts. You also are a Benny and old-time radio fan, two interests which I share with you. OTR collecting is perhaps THE best collecting interest you can have, it’s the cheapest and gives the most rewards for the money and time invested.
Pokey says:
I also enjoyed them..I live in Southern Calif. and I know that Ports O’Call area well. It still thrives but lost point from me wya back when they took out the big ol’ Ferryboat eating place..it sitll is a big thriving place for the top cruise ships, from whcih we take our cruises..(and I love the real “human” way Offisa Pup looks in that Krazy cartoon above).
James Tim Walker says:
Hi Mark, it’s the valley kid. I love your artwork I’ve been looking at it for probably 52 years. It’s hard to believe that we were at Chounird together all those years ago. I’ve got a $50 bill for One of your paintings anytime, but it must be delivered over lunch in The beautiful valley!
And old-fashioned Bear hug and half Nelson,
The Valley Kid
T W.
James Tim walker says:
Hey Kausler,
No reply, what am I chopped liver.
The valley kid.
Mark says:
Hi Valley Kid! So sorry I have been extremely tardy in replying to your great messages. You know, it was YOUR idea to put some of my paintings up on the old Catblog, who knew any of them would sell? Thank you for the great notion. I didn’t know you loved my artwork, it’s a great compliment. When it cools down a mite, we should definitely meet for lunch somewhere in the Big Valley, but not at Babs Stanwyck’s ranch! Please don’t take offense if I don’t reply right away, you know it’s my fate to eventually piss just about EVERYBODY off! We had two power failures in a row last week in Glendale, due to the heat. My faithful DVR cable box was a casualty. Many of Cathy’s favorite DVR recordings have now vanished, but that’s a 21st Century Hazard! Love, The St. Louis Kid
Charles Brubaker says:
It’s always a pleasure to see your blog post whenever! Sorry to hear about your pipe troubles. Having had our own leaky pipe troubles back home few years back, I know how annoying they can be!
Love seeing your paintings.
Mark says:
Thanks Charles, all the pipe troubles are resolved for the time being. I’ll try to include more of Cathy’s and my paintings as the posts continue. Continued success with “Ask A Cat”.
robert alvarez says:
Well Mark that is what I get for not checking your blog more frequently. I loved the painting and would have bought it had I seen it when it was available. You are the person I always mention when a question comes up about animation history. I hope you and Cathy are both doing well.
Your other old Chouinard friend,
Robert
Mark says:
Hey Robert,
Thanks for reading the Catblog! I don’t update it much, so I don’t blame you for not checking it often. I’m glad you liked my painting, I hope to do more of that someday. Cathy and I are alright. Did you hear about the Vincent Davis estate sale? Look in You Tube under Estate Sales.net, and “A really Awesome Collection” or words to that effect. It was today, June 29th. Seeing all of Vince’s old things on the video made me very sad and nostalgic. I only found out about it last night, so couldn’t go today.
Pokey says:
PS Hope you two are alright and thanks to reader Jenny for buying the boat painted above..
SJC says:
Hey, I dpon’t knwo if you got it, and accidentally deleted or have not yet published it or just forgot it, but I live in southerhn Calif.and have been to Ports O’Call. Hope you are better!
Mark says:
So sorry to be late in responding to your comment. I am doing fine, just hit the big 7-0. Poor Ports O’Call looks like it’s going to be re-built entirely. Soon it will look like a giant shopping mall with $5000 a month apartments for rent, I’m sure!
SJC says:
I’m alkso Pokey, (see above) so glad that both my messages were pubished..
Mark says:
Hey Pokey,
All’s Well! I hope you enjoy my new post! Regards, Mark and Itza
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