ME Gallery Rules…

I just need to take a short break here to apologize for something.

If you haven’t explored any more of this website beyond the blog, the link icons up above lead to lots of art and other stuff, including an area called the Me Gallery. This is my collection of caricatures drawn of myself over the years, at NCN conventions, vacations, from colleagues and peers and from people over the internet who take the time to draw me from the provided photos just for fun and to be included.

The Me Gallery is a lot of fun and a great way to see how different caricature artist’s interpretations can be of a single subject. There are 196 caricatures so far, but there could easily be twice that number if not for my imposing some sanity in the form of rules. I was receiving drawings that were little more than scribbles on napkins with the expectation I would give them server space and spend time posting them in the Me Gallery. That would have been a disservice to the artists who really made an effort and tried to do a real caricature. The problem was how could I differentiate between the deserving and the undeserving without becoming a self styled judge of other’s work?

The only fair way was to limit the inclusions to professional caricaturists/artists or students attending college for art. That may exclude a few very talented youngsters or amatuers, but some kind of guidelines were needed.

Now for the apology. A few weeks ago I received a caricature of myself by 11 year old Bennett Long. It was very impressive, and I felt this kid was a rare talent, so I posted it to the Me Gallery. Since then I have received no less than a dozen drawings by other kids 17 and under, with the expectation I make the same exception for them. I don’t blame them. I broke my own rule and why shouldn’t they expect me to do it for them? One even called me out on MAD Message board forum about my double standard. You know what, he was right.

I have no choice but to adhere strictly to the rule in order to avoid bad feelings. So, first I apologize to all the young artists who sent me caricatures expecting them to be posted. I won’t be able to do that, as much as I appreciate your efforts. Secondly, I have to apologize to Bennett Long, who’s work I had to remove from the Me Gallery. It was really and exceptional job by so young an artist, but rules is rules.