Everyone loves free stuff,
especially if it's good free stuff. Come to Melba's Poboys on Thursday,
September 3, between 12 p.m. and 1 p.m. to meet famous cartoonist Liza Donnelly
and pick up a free copy of her book. Donnelley is a cartoonist
for The New Yorker, and she's funny. While you're there, grab one of
Melba's' po-boys or plate lunches.
Cartoons are special, as
they have the power to delight, educate, or bring awareness to their audience.
Whether cartoons are satirical, comical, or sarcastic, they can showcase
visuals that are also realistic depictions of our own human nature and aspects
about life as we know it. Artist Liza Donnelly utilizes her artwork through a
focus on themes that range from political developments to endearing messages of
love and marriage. An article on nrm.org reports that Donnelly's
insightful and enjoyable cartoons have been featured in publications such as The New Yorker, The New York Times, Forbes,
and The Huffington Post, among many
more. She is also the founder and creator of World Ink, a space that allows for artists to connect with one
another from various parts of the world.
Her Early Life and
Inspiration
Growing up, an
introverted Liza Donnelly enjoyed drawing because cartoons allowed her to
express her impressions of friends and family members. Her artwork brought joy
to her loved ones, and she utilized her illustrations in an effort to bring
happiness to those around her, developing a love for cartooning along the way. Donnelly
currently draws inspiration for illustrations from public affairs throughout
the world, holding a belief that cartoons can allow us to connect and
communicate to others through visual art, not just words. Donnelly's
exhibitions emphasize her journey of self-expression from a shy childhood to an
activist and visual artist.
Donnelly's Cartoonist
Themes
Occurring themes of Liza
Donnelly's art include sex, love, divorce, and parenting, and her marriage and
artwork with fellow cartoonist Michael Maslin showcase the humor of
relationships through the point of view of both men and women. Donnelly also
incorporates feminism into her artwork, since a wave of feminism through her
college career became a source of inspiration for advocating for women's
rights. She realized from working at The
New Yorker that because there are not many female cartoonists, female
artists have the ability to provide a viewpoint that is distinct and
purposeful. Through Donnelly's voice, she was able to illuminate topics of
sexism, equality, working women, and feminism to audiences everywhere. Donnelly
also describes herself as a feminist, chronicling the work of women's cartoons
and love in works such as Funny Ladies:
The New Yorker's Greatest Women Cartoonist and Their Cartoons, Sex and
Sensibility, Women on Men, and others amusing works for adults, while Dinosaur Day, Dinosaur
Beach, and Dinosaur Valentine are among her vibrant
and colorful cartoon artworks for children.
Current Cartooning Art
As she continued her
artistic growth, Donnelly focused on universal subject matter, circulating
political cartoons about ongoing presidential campaigns and, most recently, the
impact on Americans from the COVID-19 pandemic. Liza Donnelly is also a theatrical
director, performing the various roles of script writing, casting, and set
designing. She also expresses a love for live digital drawing, capturing
moments as they happen, from the comfort of home or any given place where she
can create work digitally. Through technology, digital drawing has also
provided Donnelly a space to interact with individuals on social media, as
digital artistry has become significantly entertaining within her career. Liza
Donnelly is a member of Cartooning for Peace, an organization that uses the art
of cartooning to discuss global matters and the impact cartoons and visual
images can hold in order to encourage both conversation and comprehension of
issues occurring throughout the country.
Melba's Po-Boys, 1525 Elysian Fields
Ave., (504) 267-7765, melbas.com
