In checking the list of exhibitors for APE 2006, I found a listing for Linda Medley/Studio Olio (APE06 table #604). Linda Medley is one of my favorite artist and a huge influence on my work. So I was ecstatic to find that she has her own website, studiolio.com.
I discovered Castle Waiting a long while back at Comic Relief in Berkley, CA. It was around the same time that I discovered Jeff Smith’s Bone as well. I fell in love with the stories and characters almost imediatly. Here was a comic book that felt like a children’s picture book from the past. but with modern sensibility. Both CW and Bone were 360 degrees from a regular mainstream comic book. Where most comics were moving to darkness and edginess (even for characters that were not dark or edgy like Superman) here was a comic that celebrated magic through a detailed world of characters based on fairy tales, myths and legends.
For instance the lead character, Lady Jane Saunders, is beauty of beauty and the beast. She has escaped an abusive marriage to have her child in the safety of a magical retreat, Castle Waiting. Along the way she meets talking animals, hobbit’s, gypsy’s and a smakering of other eccentric characters.
There’s Sister Peace the bearded nun, Diana the cook and her simple son Simon, Sir Chess a horse knight with a missing tale, Rakem the stork, Iron Henry the blacksmith with his heart bound in iron Bands, Leeds the demon and many many others.
To get a good feel for her story telling, you can view the first issue of CW on Linda’s site HERE.
One thing I really liked about Linda’s work is her use of the extra pages in the back of her books to talk about what went into making them or things she is thinking about. One of my favorite essays is in issue #15 where she talks about the important of expressing to an artist when we like something they have done. As artist we don’t always know if folks like our work unless they tell us. A perfect example of the good it can do comes from #15 of Castle Waiting:
Just as the complainer’s criticism is a projection of their own self-criticism, it takes a certain amount of security and self-confidence to compliment somebody else. Unfortunately, our society systematically undermines self-esteem at every turn; it’s no wonder it’s so difficult for us to write a sincere fan letter. But just look how valuable expressing that appreciation can be: in CW #13 I expressed appreciation for Terry Austin’s encouragement of my early artistic endeavors. It was difficult to write but I felt I needed to do it; I had no idea that Terry might actually read it, no less at a time when he needed it; I happen to receive his encouraging reply just when I needed it. Even if you don’t believe in synchronicity, you can see that happy accidents do happen, and at the very least help keep comics coming out and preserve cartoonists’ sanity.
— Linda Medley, Castle Waiting #15
This piece was very moving to me when I first read it, and has sat in the back of my head since It’s a reminder that the world can work in wonderful, mysterious ways.
Ms. Medley writes:
I think it’s obviously worthwhile to overcome the difficulty we have doing it (of showing appreciation) and “spreading the love,” to help build the crucial creative atmosphere.
No, I’m not trawling for tons of gushy letter flooding MY mailbox;…I’m sure you can think of somebody else who’s done something that you really appreciate that you can wax gushy about. Do it today.
What goes around, comes around.
— Linda Medley, Castle Waiting #15
Now, when I first read this I thought “I want to write to Linda.” But, like she mentions in here article, it’s hard to sometimes express what you like about there work. I tried to write the gushy fan letter at the time, but it never seems to happen. But now with blog’s we are able to share with the whole world the talent and skills of all sorts of artist.
New issues of Castle Waiting will be out this summer. I can’t wait.
tags: Linda Medley|Castle Waiting|
