Jim Morin – Retired Cartoonist, Still Opinionated
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Mr Morin, who lived under eight US presidents, has used his pen to observe, comment on and often ridicule the American political elite for decades. His fascination with cartooning dates back to his teenage years.
“I was into cartooning and into painting when I was a kid,” Mr Morin says.
French artist Honore-Victorin Daumier “was my first hero and he still is. He’s just a wonderful, wonderful cartoonist.”
He fondly recalls discovering the work of cartoonists such as Herbert Lawrence Block and Tony Auth, who drew for The Philadelphia Inquirer, both of whom served as major inspirations for him to enter the world of cartoons.
Two and a half years after retiring from the daily grind, The National News interviews former editorial cartoonist and current painter in oil Jim Morin at his exhibit at the Ogunquit Museum of American Art.
Retirement, which has enabled Mr Morin to devote more time to painting, means he consumes news out of interest rather than as a professional obligation.
“I specifically keep up with global warming and the effects of it. It’s impossible to ignore it.”
So, after 40 years in the business, just how much influence do cartoonists have?
Mr Morin guffaws at the question: “George Bush was re-elected — that’s how powerful my cartoons are.”
He says that the level of influence cartoons have is not enough to “convert” people.
“Some people have a feeling about something and they see a cartoon which clarifies their views,” he says. “That’s what I have been told by members of my audience.
“What I am thinking is that they just couldn’t verbalise it and the image crystallises that feeling for them.”
Read the profile/interview at The National News.
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