By Sharon Challenger.
Behind every artist lies a story, and very often the story is a compilation of many adventures, experiences and even coincidence. Our lives have chapters, and within the chapters lie the keys to our spirit.
When I first spoke with Roger Straub on the phone about his artwork, I became keenly aware that he is a humble man, and a creative genius all rolled into one. Besides being a highly talented artist, Roger is also a musician, writer, and has worked as an Elementary Art teacher. He graduated from the University of Bridgeport with a degree in Art and went on to earn a master’s degree in art education from Southern Connecticut State University.
As we sat down in his kitchen to talk about his journey in the field of the Arts, his beloved dog Alex curled up alongside a warm wood stove to nap. In moments she was snoring gently as we discussed Roger’s life experiences and work.
Originally from Wallingford, Connecticut, Roger spent his weekends and summers at his grandmother’s red waterfront cottage on the Moodus Reservoir. Today a smaller red shed studio also sits on the property, and is the inspiration for his business name, Red Shed Comics. He often spends time there to work, reflect, and recharge. The property holds many treasured childhood memories for Roger.
He spoke fondly about the adventures he shared with his grandmother. They would go blueberry picking and crabbing along the Connecticut waterways. She taught him how to identify wild edible mushrooms and they would often go picking together. It was a simpler time when people were closer to nature; a time when skills like finding edible plants were passed down from generation to generation. The strong connection to nature and his past experiences in Moodus, can be seen in his artwork today.
His studio in Higganum is in a quiet room in the Victorian home, he and his wife Michelle have lived in for fifteen years. A spiral staircase leads up to a room filled with the tools of his craft. Atop his desk sits a lightboard, a collection of pencils, pens, markers, and Prismacolor pencils which he uses for his cartoon images.
For Roger, mornings are the best time for him to work. While he works, he enjoys listening to classical music or talk radio. His process of creating a cartoon image involves first sketching the image in pencil. When satisfied with the image, he inks in the lines with a Pilot razor point pen. In the final steps, pencil lines are erased and Prismacolor pencils are used to fill in the image. He explained that he prefers doing single-panel cartoons rather than cartoon strips. He does not use balloons, with words inside his images. If he feels the image needs words, they are always placed below the drawing, outside of the frame. He emphasized that for him, “Art should be art – words should be words.” He wants his art to remain a piece of art. I was curious to know what came first in his mind, the image or the words. “The words come first, always. Ninety-five percent begin with the words – then the images come,” he explained.
His artwork is visible throughout his home, beautiful black and white portraits in pastels hang on walls in several rooms. They were created when he served as President for the Connecticut Pastel Society in 1998. As President, he had many responsibilities, one being that he had to attend and exhibit his work in galleries.
As fate would have it, during one of his exhibits, his drawings garnered the attention of Leland Morgan, owner of The Trumpeter newspaper. During the evening, Leland spent a lot of time photographing Roger’s pastels. At the end of the reception, he struck up a conversation with him, and the two hit it off. He asked if Roger would like to be the Art Editor for the Trumpeter, and Roger accepted the offer.
While working for the Trumpeter, the experiences Roger had, were quite remarkable. They brought him into contact with a variety of artists throughout Connecticut. He interviewed the musical group the Shangri-Las, Opera singer, Sarah Brightman, musicians at the CT Jazz Festival, an alligator mascot for a CT baseball team, and many more.
His role as Art Editor took a “coincidental” turn, when Leland paid a surprise visit to Roger at the Moodus cottage. He asked him if he would create a cartoon character for the Trumpeter. For Roger, this was an easy decision. He recalled an illustration assignment he had while working on his Art degree in college. By serendipity, he had the character, but he did not have a name for it. As he mulled it over, the name “Mac” came to mind, he liked it, but it needed something else, a second name. He tossed around several ideas, but none felt right.
However, one restless night in Moodus, around 3:00 a.m. the name “Machimoodus” popped into his mind. The Native people who roamed the lands where he spent so many wonderful summers, were the Machimoodus Indians. The name suited the character well, but Roger, who loves word play, decided to put a twist on it. He decided the character’s name would be, Mac O’ Moodus.
It seems fitting that Mac O’ Moodus would reincarnate in Moodus, Connecticut. Originally drawn in black and white, he was fleshed out in Moodus, wearing a green beret, bright yellow shirt, blue trousers with a red patch on the knee, and brown shoes. Each color is significant. His green beret represents vegetation, his blue trousers, water, his yellow shirt, the Sun, and his brown shoes, the earth. He also sports red hair and a red bushy beard. “Mac” is “an observer,” a good role model, a kind person, someone who cares about nature, the planet, and animals.
Roger is proud of the fact that “Mac” is hand drawn, not a computer-generated image so often found today. “Mac” is a character created in a style which has been passed down through generations. As I listened to Roger talk about Mac O’ Moodus, I couldn’t help but think that “Mac” is a man who has a lot in common with his creator.
Over the years, Mac O’ Moodus has been featured in over 30 newspapers in Rhode Island, and throughout Connecticut. The image of Mac O’ Moodus has appeared on t-shirts and coffee mugs. His first published book, “Mac O’ Moodus Tickled Pink” sold out, and a sequel is in the works. “The Alphabet with Mr. Mac,” is a rhyming book for children where “Mac” appears with each letter of the alphabet. Roger’s experience as a drummer plays a vital role in his books. As he put it, he “thinks in meter,” so the lines in the books have a specific rhythm. “What Shall We Be, Mr. Mac,” is about various careers’ children can aspire to, is also completed. Each career is described using rhyming lines. The beautifully illustrated books will be available online in the future on the Red Shed Comics website (see below).
Roger’s current work includes featured cartoon images of “Mac” visiting different places of interest in Connecticut. The hand drawn images are superimposed upon a real photograph of each location. In many of the images, viewers will note that “Mac” is not wearing his traditional outfit. Instead he appears sporting an outfit which reflects the place he is promoting. At the Deep River Landing, he is seen wearing a Captain’s outfit as he welcomes people onto a river boat. Another image has him standing along the Connecticut River, where he appears in fisherman’s garb.
Over the twenty plus years Roger Straub has been creating works of art, there have been many turns in the road. The adventures “Mac” and Roger have been on are quite amazing. His inspiration from the past, lives on and as Roger puts it, he “keeps turning over stones, keeps working.” That is how things must go, there’s a lot of observing to be done, and Roger and “Mac” will continue to keep their eyes and ears open.
Keep your eyes open for “Mac O’ Moodus” in future publications, and in Haddam-Killingworth News!
For his latest website see: http://www.redshedstudios.com/
For more information about the artist see http://redshedcomics.com/index.html
Find Red Shed Comics on Facebook, https://www.facebook.com/RedShedComics/
