by Marty Coleman | Aug 9, 2023 | Art, Collections |
50 years ago I graduated from High School. Do you know what that means? No, not that I am old, which I am not (I know this to be true because everyone tells me I look so young I could be celebrating my 49th, not my 50th…)
It means I recently attended my 50th High School Reunion (Darien High School in Darien, Connecticut.) I moved there at the beginning of Jr. High and moved away after High School, living in the town for only 6 of my 68 years. But what a 6 year span it was. My identity was forged in those years and I left with the vision and intention to become a practicing artist, which I did. So did many others in my class. We had a strong art department in our school and many of us went on to have vocations and avocations in the arts. Many others didn’t go into art immediately but had their talent and practice come out later in life. Either way, there was and is a lot of creative activity.
The result of that was the planning committee including an art exhibition and opening as part of the weekend. There are a lot of fantastic pieces so if you are near Darien, Connecticut go check the show out at the Darien Public Library. It’s up until mid-September, 2023. I sent in a suite of 9 napkin drawings as my contribution. Here they are. They are for sale at $200.00 a piece, framed. They are approximately 6″ x 6″ so they fit perfect in small areas. Contact me at marty@martycoleman.com if you are interested.
Click on any image to see a slide show of them all.
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by Marty Coleman | Nov 4, 2014 | Collections |
Last week I showed you a collection of naked men. It got more hits than any other post I have had in probably 6 months to a year. I am sure those trolling were disappointed to find out they were cartoon naked men with very minimalist interpretations of their packages, but hopefully it was interesting for the rest of you.
Why Naked?
Today it’s a naked women collection. I am pretty sure the trolls will be equally disappointed in the lack of graphic rendering.
Those among you who are upright citizens might think, ‘Well dang Marty, aren’t you the ‘Napkin Dad’ and aren’t you suppose to be an example of good morals? So, why are you drawing naked women (and men)?’ The answer is simple. I like drawing naked people. I am an artist and a big reason for that was that I was raised in a family that appreciated and collected art. My Grandfather collected art and had a fantastic collection of prints, drawings and paintings. Many of those were handed down to my mother. Thus, my household growing up was full of art, many pieces were of nudes. How early did I actually start drawing the nude? From the very beginning. My first art exhibition ever was in my High School Library in my senior year. My subject matter? Nudes that I drew from actual models. No, I am not joking. It was a different era. I like drawing naked people because it allows me a fantastic opportunity to communicate both emotions and ideas.
The Naked Emotion
You might ask, ‘But you have 4 daughters, aren’t you worried you are influencing them to think it’s ok for women to be objectified by depicting the nude?’ My answer would be the exact opposite is what I think I am influencing them to think. That it is ok and positive for women (and men) to be depicted nude (and for artists to do the depicting) when you are being true to the story you want to tell and the feeling you want to arouse. Funny I know, the word ‘arouse’ is a loaded term when talking about the depiction of the nude. But feelings about the nude are not restricted to sexual arousal. Embarrassment, pride, relief, compassion, empathy, anger, hurt, shame, exhilaration, triumph, and many other emotions and feelings can also be depicted and elicited by the use of the nude in art, photography or film. Sometimes the nude is actually the best vehicle for getting those emotions communicated in a compelling way. I would hope my daughters and grandchildren would see art, and the nudity depicted in it, in that light.
Me and Michelangelo
Of course it is somewhat silly and ironic that I write an essay about the nude in art when what you are about to see are cartoon drawings. My drawings here are not in competition with Michelangelo’s sculpture of David for the exaltation of the human form. But they are in keeping with the impetus of the artist to try to communicate well, which is all I am really trying to do when you get right down to it.
Here is a selection through the years. A link to the original posts are below each image.
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1998/99
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2001
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2003
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2004
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2009
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2010
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2011
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2012
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2013
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2014
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by Marty Coleman | Nov 3, 2014 | Collections |
Early on in my napkin drawings I started adding in our pets. We had a dog and cat, and now we have 2 dogs and a cat. They are recurring characters. We also had a snake, a turtle and lots of pet rats when my daughters were growing up. They make appearances as well.
I use animals as the voice of wisdom often. They are immune from the stupidity of society and humanity so they are a great objective reporter of our homo sapien pressures.
Here is a collection of animal drawings from 1998 to 2014.
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1998/99
Original post – It is Loneliness
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2000
Original post – All Anger
Second drawing, years later, same quote – All Anger
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2001
Original post – We Only Confess
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2002
Original post – Success Generally Depends
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2003
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2004
Original post – We all have the strength
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2009
Original post – The Time You Enjoy Wasting
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2010
Original post – Art is the Only Way
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2011
Original post – Whatever Remains
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2012
Original post – Err, Forgive, Purr
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2013
Original post – Shopping For a Unicorn
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2014
Original post – The Mosquito’s Power
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by Marty Coleman | Oct 30, 2014 | Collections |
We continue our journey into the Napkin’s archives with a collection of hands. This collection also happens to contain my favorite quote of all time. See if you can find it.
Hands are Handy
One of the reasons I used hands when I first started doing these drawings for my daughters was that they were very easy and fast to draw. I was drawing 3 drawings per morning to stick in their lunches so I had to be fast. I could quickly draw the hand with one line and have it express an idea. I liked that. Then add in that it was easy for the hand to represent something greater than self, from another world, and it was a no brainer to use the hand for ideas related to God, religion, hell, heaven, theology, etc. It came to represent more than that but that is where it started.
Here is a selection starting in 1998/99. The first napkin is undated but the only undated drawings I have are, for the most part, from those 2 years.
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1998/99
Original post – ‘Sleeping Girl’
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2001
Original post – ‘I Am An Atheist Still’
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Original post – ‘Thinking Clearly’
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2002
Original post – ‘We Are All Imprisoned by Facts’
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2003
Original post – ‘The Fingers Must Be Educated’
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2004
Original post – ‘The Unexpected Life’
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Original post – ‘The Test of a Religion’
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2009
Original post – ‘If There is a God’
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Original post – ‘The Intent of Theology’
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2010
Original post – ‘Man Must Be Disappointed’
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2011
Original post – ‘Religion Was Science’ – Creation vs Evolution #4
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2012
Original post – ‘Perfection and Progress’ – The Perfect Perfectionist Series #3
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2014
Original post – ‘The Moment of Good Fortune’ – Wealth #1
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Drawings by Marty Coleman
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by Marty Coleman | Oct 29, 2014 | Collections |
One Eye
The idea of the all-seeing eye has been around forever. The cyclops is one variation on that. I like to use the cyclops in that way, as the omnipotent witness. I also use him/her to upend ideas of beauty. If one woman’s eyes are considered beautiful, then why would it be different if she had just one eye.
Here is a selection of my cyclops drawings over the years. Below each is a link to the original post the drawing appeared in.
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2002
Original Post – ‘Thankful #2 – Hospitality‘
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2003
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2004
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2009
Original Post – ‘The Average Person Thinks He Isn’t‘
Original Post – ‘Beauty is a Brief Grasp’
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2010
Original Post – ‘Be Yourself, Everyone Else Is Taken‘
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2011
Original Post – ‘Beauty – Evolution vs Creation #5′
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2013
Original Post – ‘Attraction and Awareness – Dating 101 #4’
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2014
Original Post – ‘Expectations – Mothers #3‘
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by Marty Coleman | Oct 28, 2014 | Collections |
Napkin Review
I thought it would be fun to bring out consistent visual themes I have had over the years and show them to you chronologically. I am not talking about the quotes being consistent but the subject matter of the drawings. You will also see a very obvious style progression in the drawings over the years.
Naked Men
First up? Naked men. I draw a lot more naked women than men, but men do make a regular appearance. Here is a selection from over the years. A link to the original post is below each image. There you will find the commentary that went along with the drawing.
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2009
Original post – Life Opens Up Opportunities
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2010
Original post – The Christian Ideal
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2011
Original post – Catastrophe #4 – The Atom
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2012
Original post – Do You Swim Naked?
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2013
Original post – The Idealism Blues
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2014
Original post – What To Do Between Birth and Death – Enjoying Life #1 – The original post has a censored version of this.
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Drawings by Marty Coleman
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