As a younger lad, Piedmont’s Phil Witte was obsessive about drawing cartoons.
He had some early success too. By the point he was 15 he was even revealed in a syndicated showcase for up-and-coming cartoonists. As soon as he obtained into Princeton, he although, he deserted the artwork kind after figuring out it wasn’t applicable for school.
Witte’s profession focus narrowed even additional when he enrolled in legislation faculty on the College of Chicago, an establishment famously known as the place “the place enjoyable goes to die.” Earlier than lengthy, Witte, who’s single-panel gag cartoons are at the moment on show on the Piedmont Heart for the Arts, was absolutely immersed in his profession as a litigation lawyer, a gig that didn’t go away time for lots of frivolity.
“The satisfaction of being a litigation lawyer is successful,” says Witte. “It’s a must to have that drive and sort of persona that feels that approach. However in the event you’re a cartoonist, it’s not such as you’re successful. You’re spreading pleasure, and most litigation legal professionals don’t unfold a lot pleasure.”
Whereas not spreading lots of “pleasure” via his work, Witte nonetheless discovered time to pen a few best-selling joke books about rising older on the facet — “What You Don’t Know About Turning 50” and a sequel about hitting age 60.
The success of the books obtained Witte to rethink his early love of cartooning. After fine-tuning his artwork expertise with some classes, he huddled with the late San Francisco Chronicle cartoonist Phil Frank, who inspired him to maintain plugging away at it.
“If he had advised me to stay with legislation, I’d have adopted his recommendation,” says Witte.
Earlier than lengthy Witte was getting revealed frequently in Wall Avenue Journal’s “Pepper and Salt” characteristic, Reader’s Digest, Barron’s and regionally within the Chronicle, the previous East Bay Month-to-month and the Piedmont Publish. He’s even written cartoons for one more cartoonist that appeared just lately within the Holy Grail for single-panel gag cartoonists, The New Yorker.
Seven years in the past, Witte left legislation to place out his cartoonist shingle, however don’t snort — he’s making it work. Since leaving the legislation behind he’s offered greater than 1,000 cartoons to dozens of publications. His work additionally exhibits up in greeting playing cards and textbooks. And whereas Witte was happy to see his concept seem in The New Yorker drawn by one other cartoonist, his objective is to see his very personal drawings within the journal some day.
“It’s the stamp of approval from a prestigious authority, like being admitted to Harvard,” says Witte. “On the similar time, you might even see a cartoon in The New Yorker and react the identical approach that you could be react upon assembly a Harvard alumnus, by asking your self, ‘How on this planet did that individual get in?’
“The New Yorker is the final of the weekly U.S. magazines that publishes a dozen or so cartoons every subject. They used to publish extra and in bigger format. The cartoonists prior to now had been masters of the artwork kind. There are nonetheless lots of nice cartoonists within the journal, and some of the cartoonists introduced in over the past decade are worthy, however cautious readers — and plenty of cartoonists — have observed how the cartoons have modified.”
Witte ought to know. About six years in the past, he and former Piedmont resident Rex Hesner started a weblog critiquing cartoons in The New Yorker. That effort caught the attention of Bob Mankoff, the journal’s former cartoon editor, who employed them to pen the bimonthly “Anatomy of a Cartoon” weblog for the web site cartoonstock.com.
The authorized area is infamous for its lack of job satisfaction. Regardless of this Witte says many keep it up as a result of they merely don’t know what else to do. That’s by no means been an issue for Witte. WItte’s exhibit, “Present Me the Humorous: The Cartoons of Phil Witte” is operating Saturdays and Sundays now via Feb. 5. For extra info, go to piedmontcenterforthearts.org or philwitte.com on-line.
Paul Kilduff is a San Francisco-based author who additionally attracts cartoons. He might be reached at pkilduff350@gmail.com.