Gary Baseman Essay

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The Exciting World of Gary Baseman Gary Baseman is a successful artist, cartoonist, humorist, illustrator, television and film director who resides in Los Anglos, California. Baseman was born in 1960, grew up in California, and in 1982 he went to UCLA where he received a Phi Beta Kappa degree. After college, he began working as an artist, and has been ever since. His artwork is unique, and sets itself apart from that of other artists because its colors, shapes, and unique characters bring us into another world, the world of Gary Baseman. The following is a quotation from his book, Dumb Luck: "Gary Baseman's art reminds me of an artichoke. His imagery, subject matter, motifs, and imagery can be challenging to digest, requiring far more care than might initially appear to be the case. At first glance the cartoon idiom he works in is easily dismissed as simplistic or trivial. But like the artichoke leaf, Baseman's paintings can prickle and stab with their acerbic vision and startling absurdities and cruel cosmic ironies, maintaining all along a loving underside, an unbridled optimism at the rightness of these random events. This is the way it's supposed to be, he assures us, and it's okay. Our confusion is what makes the world interesting. Paradise exists, but there is danger en route. And though his pieces each bear a unique and sovereign presence in the world, each is also tapped into the common heart, a singular consciousness. What began as small illustrations of pastel paint have now grown to multimillion dollar cartoons, logos, ads, and television characters recognizable by all. Basemans characters are recognized for their bulging eyes, playful smiles, and humorous names, such as Hot ChaChaCha, Pulp, Creamy, Music Kitty, Lil Copy Cat, and Pupik. In an interview with Charlie Rose, Baseman explains, "For me, I want to live in my own surreal
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