Fond memories of Peanuts, past present and future
by Alan Ferrigan
4/15/2015
When I was asked by Brian if I would be willing to write an article for the newsletter on Everhart and my passion for his art, I struggled with what people might want to know and how I, an untrained writer, could create something worthy of publication. How can I explain how an uncultured boy from a blue collar family has developed such an appreciation for art?
I've given great thought on how to begin and what better place than the beginning? I invite you to join me as I sit on the stool in front of Lucy’s Psychiatric booth and attempt to answer, for the first time in my life, a question I have been asked countless times: “Why Snoopy?” So step right up and drop your nickel in the can!
Why Snoopy?
Book 1
Part 1
Chapter 1
It was a dark and stormy night……
I couldn't resist! This question is one that I am sure many of you have been asked, as I have. In regard to my being a fanatical Peanuts collector, everyone is curious and wants to know: How did this obsession happen? Until now my response has always been, “I don’t know, he has always just been there, for as long as I can remember.” But the truth is that I have a deep emotional attachment to these characters. And now for the first time I am seriously pondering why and seeking to answer this not only for you, but for myself.
My earliest memories include a blanket and a little white corduroy Snoopy that both went everywhere with me. I grew up in a home with many challenges, and let’s just say that domestic violence in the 70s was something most turned a blind eye to. Snoopy was my best friend to spend time with and escape from whatever may have been going on in the rest of the apartment. We spent a lot of time together and I would say Charles Schulz played a hand in raising me. An hour spent with Snoopy and sharing in his fantasy world where he became anything and went anywhere he imagined was the perfect escape to a life in which I could do the same.
I've given great thought on how to begin and what better place than the beginning? I invite you to join me as I sit on the stool in front of Lucy’s Psychiatric booth and attempt to answer, for the first time in my life, a question I have been asked countless times: “Why Snoopy?” So step right up and drop your nickel in the can!
Why Snoopy?
Book 1
Part 1
Chapter 1
It was a dark and stormy night……
I couldn't resist! This question is one that I am sure many of you have been asked, as I have. In regard to my being a fanatical Peanuts collector, everyone is curious and wants to know: How did this obsession happen? Until now my response has always been, “I don’t know, he has always just been there, for as long as I can remember.” But the truth is that I have a deep emotional attachment to these characters. And now for the first time I am seriously pondering why and seeking to answer this not only for you, but for myself.
My earliest memories include a blanket and a little white corduroy Snoopy that both went everywhere with me. I grew up in a home with many challenges, and let’s just say that domestic violence in the 70s was something most turned a blind eye to. Snoopy was my best friend to spend time with and escape from whatever may have been going on in the rest of the apartment. We spent a lot of time together and I would say Charles Schulz played a hand in raising me. An hour spent with Snoopy and sharing in his fantasy world where he became anything and went anywhere he imagined was the perfect escape to a life in which I could do the same.
How many WORLD FAMOUS alter egos does our favorite Beagle have? Dozens! One of my favorites is the WORLD FAMOUS grocery clerk (according to Snoopy, there are no more than a dozen WORLD FAMOUS grocery clerks). My son Colin and I both laughed recently as we read this series from the early 70s. Colin, because the thought of Snoopy working at the grocery store is funny; me, because now I recognize the names of the customers Snoopy is interacting with. Snoopy asking Mrs. Mendelson, if her husband had found a job yet… made me laugh out loud. So the next time you join Snoopy in his fantasy world in which he could be anything from a vulture to a WORLD FAMOUS attorney, ask yourself: Is this imagination or aspiration? What a great message for me to have reinforced as a child: You can become WORLD FAMOUS at anything. This has become a mantra for my life. If it’s worth doing, it’s worth striving to be WORLD FAMOUS doing it!
I remember my mom taking me to see “Snoopy Come Home” as a young child… what was she thinking?! It is sad… really sad. We had to leave the theater because I was sobbing uncontrollably. To this day I cannot watch that movie without crying, and even Colin calls it “the sad Snoopy movie.” Could this, in some way, be where I get my desire to be there for my friends when they are in need? When Lila sent that letter to Snoopy he didn’t hesitate; she needed him, and he went! I often find myself visiting friends in need, friends in the hospital, and feel compelled to go to a funeral when it will positively impact someone I care about.
This is not to discount the exceptional job my mom did (after all, she didn’t know what to expect when we went into that theater). My mom was a very strong, compassionate woman that happened to be married to an abusive alcoholic for 18 years. When I was 8 years old she made the decision that we deserved better. My brother was older and already out on his own, so when we left it was her and I (Snoopy and Woodstock) against the world. I look back now and realize that earlier on when I was very young she was not in the right place to be able to look after herself, never mind a child. Not to say I was not loved but depression makes everything a challenge. She taught me through her actions to work hard, pay attention to detail, help and share what you have with others even when you do not have much.
As an aside, I would say I am not just Snoopy at heart, but also Charlie Brown, Linus, and even a little Woodstock mixed in for whimsical good measure
This is not to discount the exceptional job my mom did (after all, she didn’t know what to expect when we went into that theater). My mom was a very strong, compassionate woman that happened to be married to an abusive alcoholic for 18 years. When I was 8 years old she made the decision that we deserved better. My brother was older and already out on his own, so when we left it was her and I (Snoopy and Woodstock) against the world. I look back now and realize that earlier on when I was very young she was not in the right place to be able to look after herself, never mind a child. Not to say I was not loved but depression makes everything a challenge. She taught me through her actions to work hard, pay attention to detail, help and share what you have with others even when you do not have much.
As an aside, I would say I am not just Snoopy at heart, but also Charlie Brown, Linus, and even a little Woodstock mixed in for whimsical good measure
A Change of (Ever)Hart
I will never forget the first time I saw an Everhart image with Snoopy and my reaction was very powerful! Sacrilege! Does the Schulz family know about this?! This cannot be legit!
I will never forget the first time I saw an Everhart image with Snoopy and my reaction was very powerful! Sacrilege! Does the Schulz family know about this?! This cannot be legit!
Hitched by Tom Everhart
It took a long time to get over the initial discomfort and I grew to love Everhart’s Peanuts images. I love the colour, the lines, the characters’ personalities shining through, and the timeless way they’re portrayed. I find it amusing how the sales people I have met over the years would tell me what he was thinking about while painting and what it represented to Tom, only to learn later that their version was so far from the truth. I know when Tom creates something the characters represent people from his own life, as they have come to represent people and experiences in my life to me. Like “Snooze Alarm Boogie 7:15am” for me, is Colin and I snuggling in the morning, hitting snooze over and over before I have to leave for work. “Hitched” I gave to my wife as an anniversary gift and obviously it is us on our wedding day. The “Bora Bora Boogie Oogie” series inspired us to honeymoon in Bora Bora and we even spent time on the Island of Taha’a, which is the setting for “Hitched.”
Who Placed the Wake Up Call by Tom Everhart
I have to be honest though, I am not an art aficionado. I collect and I am passionate about Tom Everhart’s work and only his work. It is the only art I own. That is because of his close relationship with Charles Schulz and the fact he is creating art with the characters I have grown up loving. The fictional part of my life, that has been there for as long as I can remember.
I first saw an actual physical lithograph in a gallery on a trip to Vegas and I was in awe. The images on the internet could never convey the incredibly vibrant colour and obvious passion in the work. I remember walking into Jack Gallery at the Fashion Show mall and getting lost in the art; it felt like I was home. And that is how it began over 10 years ago. I met Ron Hirshkind, the Gallery manager, and we quickly became friends. Thus began a tradition to visit Vegas and come home with a new piece for our growing art collection each time.
I first saw an actual physical lithograph in a gallery on a trip to Vegas and I was in awe. The images on the internet could never convey the incredibly vibrant colour and obvious passion in the work. I remember walking into Jack Gallery at the Fashion Show mall and getting lost in the art; it felt like I was home. And that is how it began over 10 years ago. I met Ron Hirshkind, the Gallery manager, and we quickly became friends. Thus began a tradition to visit Vegas and come home with a new piece for our growing art collection each time.
Alan and Colin at S2
S2 Art Group published Tom’s work and represented him for over 15 years. They created beautiful lithographs on a printing press from the 1800's (very few of these presses are left in the world and they were originally run by steam). Lithography is considered the printers’ art form. While Everhart created spectacular images, the lithographs produced by the S2 Art Group are truly an art unto themselves. Think about how colorful the pieces are and consider for a moment the fact that the lithographs were created from pieces of original art! The process involves dissecting the original and creating a plate for each and every individual color. All of the colors are hand mixed by a chromist to ensure the perfect match and applied by hand to the rollers. Each sheet hand-fed into the press requires one press run for each color. This could mean 15 or 16 runs through the press for each sheet; in an edition of 500, you could be looking at over 8000 impressions! That is 8000 impressions that have to be layered on top of each other in exactly the right spot or the image is ruined. Each sheet is checked and rechecked to ensure perfection each time. This is truly a labour of love! The presses are in Vegas and it gets really hot there. Imagine being there in the heat, pulling sheets off the press, the aroma of the ink wafting throughout the entire building. When I get the opportunity to visit the former S2 Art Group in Vegas I can say it is the smell that hits me the minute I walk in and right away I feel a sense of warmth.
Sadly when Jack Solomon passed away about 3 years ago the S2 Art Group went bankrupt and the relationship with their stable of artists including Tom became strained and most left the firm.
The new owners are working hard to continue the tradition of lithography and sharing this wonderful art form with the world. They have moved on but the Peanuts gang will always be the art that I love the most when produced on this medium.
Tom continues to create awe inspiring art, art that I love, and he has moved on to using a Giclee’s process for his limited edition pieces. A technology more aligned with this century and a process that is every bit as challenging to work with, and demanding. They tend to produce smaller editions and he continues to amaze me with his work. His art has been dramatically influenced by the time he spends in the French Polynesia over the last several years and I must say I love it. It combines the characters I love with a place that I consider to be the most beautiful on earth! Every day I look at “Chillin” and know that I will someday return. It is the vision board in my office and inspires me daily!
Sadly when Jack Solomon passed away about 3 years ago the S2 Art Group went bankrupt and the relationship with their stable of artists including Tom became strained and most left the firm.
The new owners are working hard to continue the tradition of lithography and sharing this wonderful art form with the world. They have moved on but the Peanuts gang will always be the art that I love the most when produced on this medium.
Tom continues to create awe inspiring art, art that I love, and he has moved on to using a Giclee’s process for his limited edition pieces. A technology more aligned with this century and a process that is every bit as challenging to work with, and demanding. They tend to produce smaller editions and he continues to amaze me with his work. His art has been dramatically influenced by the time he spends in the French Polynesia over the last several years and I must say I love it. It combines the characters I love with a place that I consider to be the most beautiful on earth! Every day I look at “Chillin” and know that I will someday return. It is the vision board in my office and inspires me daily!
I know many hard-core Peanuts collectors struggle with Everhart and his style and I remind you of a conversation Linus had with Peppermint Patty in 1972. He said “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder” - something I agree with. Charles Schulz and Tom Everhart hit it off as friends the first day they met. They shared a line, a style, and with Sparky gone we are left with his protégé if you will. We no longer look forward to a new strip every day or the next WORLD FAMOUS alter ego, but what we can still look forward to is Tom’s next creation. Our favorite characters continue to live on long after Charles passed and I am thankful for this.
Most children in Colin’s kindergarten class do not even know who Snoopy is. The new movie will change this for many, as parents take their children and introduce them to something special from their childhood.
I hope you continue to find the love in Peanuts, the message and the passion. Life is short, we must make the most of our brief time to touch and help as many as we can. Unbeknownst to Charles Schulz he helped my Mom raise me and helped form my beliefs. I like who I am and now I try to share the same knowledge with my children in the hopes that with a little help from the Peanuts gang they will grow up into caring, giving and tolerant adults.
Until we meet again, thanks for spending this time with me.
Most children in Colin’s kindergarten class do not even know who Snoopy is. The new movie will change this for many, as parents take their children and introduce them to something special from their childhood.
I hope you continue to find the love in Peanuts, the message and the passion. Life is short, we must make the most of our brief time to touch and help as many as we can. Unbeknownst to Charles Schulz he helped my Mom raise me and helped form my beliefs. I like who I am and now I try to share the same knowledge with my children in the hopes that with a little help from the Peanuts gang they will grow up into caring, giving and tolerant adults.
Until we meet again, thanks for spending this time with me.