Canada Post’s week of honoring editorial cartoonists continues with Brian Gable.
Gable’s work is instantly recognizable, his style unmistakable. He regularly uses satire and sarcasm to poke fun at decision makers and institutions, and to highlight important issues facing our country and the world.
For Gable, humour is a way to connect with readers. He has loved cartoons since he was a kid growing up in Saskatchewan, especially those in MAD magazine. He has harnessed that love of humour in his drawings.
“Throughout my career, funny was important to me because I think funny opened the door to letting the meaning of the cartoon in, in a way,” he explains. “If you’re laughing with something, you tend to be in agreement with what you’re laughing at.”
Postes Canada profiles Brian here, with a short video of the cartoonist who notes that in this
Age of Information the conciseness of an editorial cartoon is an important part of the art.
Despite his success, Gable says editorial cartooning doesn’t always come easy. Even today, his cartoons usually begin with random doodling as he sharpens his focus on an issue or news story. He can often doodle for more than an hour before a cartoon takes shape.
“There’s an alchemy to it. It’s a magical process, it’s not scientific… it’s an accident often,” he says. “And when (the cartoons) speak truthfully and powerfully, if you’re lucky the cartoon can become a great cartoon. It’s not a common occurrence.”
Elsewhere Guy, at Bado’s Blog, gives us Brian’s resume.