designer The Official Publication of the University & College Designers Association / Vol. 32, No. 2

Making Magic with Murray An Interview with the Illustrious Illustrator,

 INSPIRATION

Recently at New Jersey City University (NJCU) we were afforded the rare privilege of hosting a remarkable show called The Artist and the Baseball Card curated by Illustration legend Murray Tinkelman. NJCU illustration faculty member, and illustrator of the baseball card Catfish Hunter, Dennis Dittrich introduced his long time friend, professor, and mentor by saying: “When someone reaches a point—and very few people do—but when someone reaches a point in their field where they are absolutely peerless—where whatever that person does cannot be duplicated, imitated, or replicated—they can go by one name. Prince. MacGyver. Santa. in my everyday work. I am even comfortable in the Above: Murray role of teaching those very same principles. I have Tinkelman with NJCU And in illustration circles it’s Murray. Go to any my degree in studio art with an emphasis in graphic illustration faculty illustration department, in just about any art school design, and therefore was taught an overview of member Dennis or university in the country, and you say: “Did visual arts with a broad brush stroke, and although Dittrich and Ella Rue. you work with Murray?” Nobody says: “Murray I can draw, and I can paint, I honed my skills in the who?”. (Nobody says: “Santa who?”) It’s just that area of design. I am fully confident in my ability Below: Mac Baldrige, everybody knows who he is. That’s the impact he to recognize fine art and I can distinguish the Team Roper has had on the education of American illustrators. difference between the marvelous and mediocre. Into every life a little Murray Tinkelman should fall.” I am in utter awe of fine artists; of those who can brush their instruments of choice across their To that end, my hope is to mete out a little Murray. canvas with grace, ease, and agility and can visually To share a little bit of his wit, his wisdom, and his articulate something both magnificent and illustrious experiences, to dazzle you with his talents, meaningful. Murray is unparalleled. His some of his personal anecdotes, and his memories. I detail to perspective, his intent to work to was afforded the singular honor to be a part of the the very best of his ability, his eye for organization and planning of this show at NJCU, fine minutia is staggering. His work and to that end was granted an opportunity to is stunning, and his gifted mastery see, first hand, his studio, replete with his massive is only made more profound collection of Mets memorabilia, amazing artwork, by his commanding ability to and prized possessions, in addition to speaking to communicate. him, at length, about his professional history, his exceptional experiences, and his thoughts on the Murray is kind and generous education of the illustrators of tomorrow. But before and welcoming. He’s gracious I expound on his experiences I would like to share a and eager to share his little bit of my own. knowledge and experiences. He I am a designer. I am not an illustrator. I understand welcomes Photograph by Ella Rue Ella by Photograph the principles of design and I use those principles questions,

aking Magic with Murray: An Interview with the Illustrious Illustrator, Murray Tinkelman

by Ella Rue

18 19 and encourages a one-man exhibit of his baseball art at The National Rue: Where do you turn for inspiration? Tinkelman: Yes, I had several. I was lucky enough interaction, and doesn’t Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown, to be represented by a great, great, great studio. leave one feeling like , in 1994 and The Sports Tinkelman: Actually the first part of my career It was an advertising art and illustration studio. the lesser person for Academy in Daphne, Alabama, in 1995. His work I turned to every artist and every illustrator who It had about 45 artists under one roof. Some of simply asking. He and is represented in the permanent collections of the was published. I had many favorite illustrators those artists were , Joe DeMers, his wife, Carol, made , the , the individually, in other words not all at the same time. Joe Bowler, . These are all people who me feel completely International Photography Hall of Fame & Museum, There was a time when I loved , I still have been inducted subsequently into the Society of comfortable and and the New Britain Museum of American Art. do, but I was certainly heavily influenced by him at Illustrators Hall of Fame. These were and are great entirely welcome one time. There was a time when I was influenced illustrators! Incredible artists! And they adopted in their amazingly Murray also offers a variety of lectures: “The History by Lorraine Fox; she is a marvelous decorative me, when I entered the studio, when I was 20 adorned home. of American Illustration,” “Tinkelman: Fifty Years illustrator. I was the second best Lorraine Fox in years old, I found it very difficult to make a living in Ninety Minutes,” ”Art & Accident,” “The Artist ! She was certainly an inspiration. that first year. They were enormously supportive. Murray Tinkelman and the Baseball Card,” and “Future Stars” given There were many other illustrators that I would Their wives were helpful to my wife, and they has won gold medals at colleges, universities, and museums throughout salivate after, just wishing I could do what they did, were my mentors. I did have a great teacher, and from the Society of the country. His lectures offer a delicious first-hand and in some cases I took the trouble to learn to do his name was Ruben Tan. He was kind of a semi- Illustrators, the New account with anecdotal knowledge of the world of what they did and I did it. Now I turn inward for abstract painter. I had a scholarship at the Brooklyn York Art Directors illustration with his lighthearted wit and infectious inspiration. I kind of try to relive my prepubescent Museum, a painting scholarship. So I studied with Club, and the Society enthusiasm peppered throughout. Murray is a living male fantasies. My subject matter is drawn from him for a year. The most brilliant man that I have of Publication part of American illustration history. that: baseball, cowboys and Indians, motorcycles, ever met and although he is not an illustrator, he Designers. He’s been stuff about horror movies, stuff that kids like and introduced me to the fundamentals of art that are commissioned to Rue: Was illustration your first career path? identify with... that’s what I do know. I’m less archetypes: they apply to illustration, Below (left to right): create art by both the interested in “Art” than I am interested in subject painting, and photography—to all the The Babe; Casey National Parks Service Tinkelman: Actually it was my only career path. matter. I draw well enough now to make the visual arts. I guess Ruben was a great Stengel; and The Inner and the United States There was nothing in the world other than making subject matter that I’m interested in visible. Nobody teacher/mentor. City, The New York Air Force. In 1999 pictures that I could do, well that and to talk about questions what it is ... whether it is a face, a hand, Daily News Sunday Murray was named the making pictures. There were no other options. I or a tree. Rue: Should or even could art Magazine, 1976 Above: Murray in recipient of the Distinguished Educator of the Arts sold ice cream on the beach for Good Humor ice be used as an instrument for his studio Award from the in New York. cream for half a day and I worked in a doll factory Rue: What is the biggest obstacle for creativity? positive changes? He received the 1995 Sports Artist of the Year from for about a week. But that’s it. Other then that, Below: Book cover The United States Sports Academy, the 1970 Artist illustration is all I’ve ever done. Tinkelman: I talk to my classes about that. Tinkelman: Yes, I guess it could. , 1978-81 of the Year from the Graphic Arts Guild in New Everybody has heard about fear of failure. “I don’t For example, the artists during York City, and the 2001 Syracuse University Service Rue: What talents do you wish you possessed? want to try this... because what if I fail?” But the turn of last century who Citation, where he taught in the undergraduate there is nothing really more insidious than a fear did all of the glorious paintings program, as well as coordinating, teaching, and Tinkelman: When I started my career in illustration of success. You do something, you “succeed” at and illustrations of the ecology advising in the master’s program for 27 years. He I only had three problems: I couldn’t draw, I something, and by God you have to do it again and of Yellowstone Park, which is now the director of the new M.F.A. program at couldn’t paint, and I was color blind. I sold my first again and again, and maybe for the rest of your led to the National Parks the Hartford Art School, located in the University of illustration in 1951 to Seventeen magazine and it life or at least the rest of your creative life, and I Program. I think the Norman Hartford, in Hartford, Connecticut. absolutely proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, think some people are afraid of commitment...the Rockwell painting of the that I couldn’t draw, couldn’t paint, and that I was commitment to excellence that must be upheld. I young black girl being led His illustrations have appeared in a variety of color blind. But I was happy with what I got. I kind think that may interfere with them doing their best. by the U.S. Marshals, the title publications such as Atlantic Monthly, The New of taught myself to draw and I taught myself to act of that was “The Trouble We York Times, and The Washington Post. He has had like an illustrator. I’m still color blind, though. Rue: Did you have a mentor? All Live With,” undoubtedly

20 21 had some rather that war as anything, certainly more than all of the drawing from the curriculum to make room for also a really nice person. He tells this story about conservative people talking and bullshitting did; the photograph of the another computer class, than the boundaries have drawing. He once said that he was unhappy with sit up and take notice street execution taken by Eddie Adams, the young reached. Now we are simply not talking sense his own ability to draw so he took a year off just to because it was Rockwell girl running toward the viewers burned by napalm anymore, it’s simply insane. You got some nitwit teach himself. He was telling the story about going who was the darling of taken by Nick Ut, the anguished woman over a bureaucrat listening to some other nitwit saying out to lunch with Dora Mathew and how she was a the conservative right, prostrate body at Kent State taken by John Filo. All ‘illustration is dead’. Well illustration has changed. wonderful, brilliant fashion illustrator. She drew like despite that he was of these are some great civil rights photographs. I The market is nowhere near as visible as it was when an angel and spoke like a longshoreman. She had actually very liberal as think more powerful than any painting or illustration I entered in 1951. It’s certainly spreading out. But this deep raspy, whisky cigarettes voice. Every other a person. Maybe that and more meaningful to a positive result. I have had there are areas that exist now, markets for illustration word was a curse word, and she was marvelous, did some good. But running arguments with great friends and intelligent that never existed before, such as fresh animation simply marvelous. One day she invited Marshall to Picasso’s “Guernica,” people who feel that illustration is a very strong markets, the graphic novel, children’s books seem go to lunch with her to a fancy French restaurant which was an anti-war powerful propaganda tool. And it is, I guess it can to be growing as well. There is a ton of illustration and Marshall was feeling nervous because he didn’t painting about the be, to a degree but I don’t think it is anywhere near being done; it is just not as readily visible to the have enough money to pay for the meal. And she fascists bombing of the as powerful as photography. If we could have a general public. said, “Don’t worry about it, kid,” in her deep whisky Above: UCDA honorary town: I don’t know shoot-out in a contest: I’ll pick ten photographs and voice. At the end of the meal she calls the head member Murray what it did, if anything, you could pick any ten illustrations you want. Then Rue: Do you think artists will hold a different place waiter over and said: ”Sit down! I want ’chew to Tinkelman presenting Above: Oil and the to change people’s minds. People looked at it when show them to a bunch of civilians, and by civilians I in our culture in the future? pose for me. I want to do a drahwing.” And she at the UCDA Annual Third World, The New it used to be here at the Museum of Modern Art and mean anybody that is not an illustrator. And let’s see does a beautiful portrait of him and the guy is so Design Conference in York Times Op-Ed Page, say: “Wow. What a powerful painting,” but I’m not what the vote will be, which are the most powerful, Tinkelman: No, I think it will be the same. We are taken that he won’t let her pay the check ... they got October 1979. 1973 so sure if it was instrumental for positive change. most stirring, the most meaningful. Yes, I think if we shamans, we are magicians, we are court jesters, we their meal for free. Marshall heaves a sigh of relief.... count photography, art can definitely be used for a are a luxury, in many ways we are a luxury. Nobody Dora leans over to Marshall and says to him “Kid, Below (left to right): Below: Ecology On the other hand, what about art being used positive change. wakes up in the middle of the night and yells out nevah fahget that drahwing is magic!” Black Canyon National (detail), The New for negative change. The German filmmaker Leni “ARTIST!, I need an artist!” They yell out “I need a Monument, 1970; York Times Op-Ed Riefenstahl directed the “The Triumph of Will,” a Rue: If you could change one thing about art plumber” or “I need a doctor.” I think artists hold Rue: Do you have a parting shot? Beastie, 1970 Page, 1972 kind of a Nazi propaganda. There was that kind of education in America what would it be? a unique place in all societies and we are looked wacky, yet marvelous art deco looking stuff done by askance by some, with jealousy, and to others we are Tinkelman: Other than shut up and draw no, not artists working for Stalin on the left and Hitler on the Tinkelman: That’s a question near and dear to my magicians and performers, and oh boy is that great. really. I had such an abundance of good luck at that: right, that had sort of a deco, schmaltzy propaganda heart. People get preoccupied or enchanted with The idea is for any artist to enjoy it, to realize what a being at the right place at the right time. Meeting air. I don’t really know how much effect that had. new technology, which is fine. But you can’t forget unique position we have: to play it, and enjoy it. But so many great people to work with, like working And of course we had our own propaganda posters that there’s something primal about capturing an you also have to shut up and make pictures. with the great Herb Lubalin, one of the greatest art during WWI and WWII; I guess our high point would image by hand by taking something and drawing director/designers I think ever in the history of visual have been WWII. Things like the “Four Freedoms,” something and representing it on a two dimensional Rue: Can you explain to me how drawing is magic? communications. Working with people like Herb and again done by Rockwell... I guess that had some surface that is simply purely magic. I think that many others who allowed me to do what it was that positive results. I think photojournalists have made schools are being swayed by technology. I’m not Tinkelman: The story is second hand but I will I wanted to do at the time. I have just been luckier positive change. There are a couple photos during saying to ignore technology, by all means keep it re-tell it as I remember it. , who then I had any right to be, certainly luckier than I had the Vietnam War that certainly did as much to end up; but when I hear that Pratt is eliminating figure is a wonderful educator, illustrator, and painter, is any right to expect.

All images reproduced by kind permission of the artist

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