Artley Exchanges Political Pen for Mic

 Steve Artley Transitions From Cartooning to Podcasting

October 1, 2021

[ALEXANDRIA VA] Following a 30-year political cartooning career, Steve Artley has transitioned his satirical prowess to another form: radio. A few weeks ago, journalist and Public Radio broadcaster Michael Pope contacted Artley with a request to be a regular contributor to the podcast Transition Virginia, hosted by Pope and political strategist, Thomas Bowman. Artley’s background in music, theater, and voice work go into the development of the two minute segments that are a mix of comedic skits and musical parody. Artley himself scripts, performs the music, voices the characters, and mixes the audio spots for broadcast. 

Artley continues to maintain his illustration, advertising and marketing strategy support company, saying this new venture is “a reasonable fix for my political satire addiction” left vacant from retiring his "political cartooning pen” earlier this year.

Transition Virginia Podcasts are available on Apple Podcasts, Twitter, YouTube, and other media outlets. For more information, link to: Transition Virginia podcast or

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/transition-virginia/id1498833592

 

--Steve Artley

Editorial Cartoon by Steve Artley

"BOOM Economy" (click on Image for larger view)

From the Arlteytoons Vault

From the Vault of Artleytoons

This cartoon from 1987 when Florida — thanks to NRA lobbying —was one of the first States to pass a concealed carry law with the goal of making its citizens safer (click on image for larger view).

See more recent work by Steve Artley at Artleytoons. 

Skewed Terror

by Steve Artley

Je Suis Charlie by Steve Artley

I offer my quickly rendered tribute to the satirists of Charlie Hebdo. Rather than a cleverly glib commentary, here I offer a serious statement. I proudly stand in plain view and loudly utter the phrase, "je suis Charlie (I am Charlie)!" This is what editorial cartoonists do; stand and show ourselves. On every one of our rendered opines we proudly inscribe our names for all to see. Yes, I drew this. Yes, I wrote this. I said this. Me, an individual with a voice. And, I published it, sent it to my syndicate, posted it on the Internet for all the world to see.

The cartoonists killed in the Paris attack today were not hiding unseen in the bushes. Unlike their murderers, the people killed were not nameless clandestine cowards who hide their identity under balaclavas and secret themselves away into hiding after perpetrating extreme violence on unarmed targets. They didn't use guns or bombs. No weapons were among their tools, nor were threats of violence issued. They openly drew pictures that lampooned, that provoked thought, that made a statement through satirical renderings. For that they were gunned down.I appeal to those who cherish freedom to stand united against these cowards, against those who aid them and against those who applaud them. Silence allows them to flourish, so speak out. Let your voices be heard, your pencils unsheathed, your keyboards tapped. ‪#‎JeSuisCharlie‬ ‪#‎CharlieHebdo‬

- Steve Artley

Original Christmas ornaments by cartoonists

Barbara Dale had a few people over to her house after a tour at Geppi's Entertainment Museum. After pizza, she coaxed people into decorating ornaments. Here's the one-of-a-kind ornaments now on my tree with a Thomas Nast's Santa Claus, a Cliffored Berryman's teddy bear (from the Smithsonian) and a couple of Snoopy's (from Hallmark's Peanuts line).



Carolyn Belefski



Joe Sutliff



Barbara Dale



Steve Artley

I kept getting this glowing nose on Artley's ornament - Christmas is magical after all...

Artley's zombie

Steve Artley kindly gave me a drawing at OSU's Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum opening when I was looking forlornly at his caricature of Chris Sparks.This was done for the blood drive that Carolyn Belefski spearheaded a couple of weekends ago.

Steve will be auctioning off similar artwork tomorrow night at the Cartoons and Cocktails fundraiser.

Steve Artley's Aphelion Arc webcomic is live

Editorial cartoonist Steve Artley is branching into science fiction comics and his Aphelion Arc webcomic is live now.

Steve Artley retires from editorial cartooning (UPDATED)

Mere weeks after he helped organize the Annual Association of Editorial Cartoonist's annual meeting in Washington, DC, 2nd generation editorial cartoonist Steve Artley has just announced on his Facebook page that he's retiring from doing them -

Steven George Artley updated his status: "My editorial cartoons are no more. I am done, finished, kaput. Earlier today, I stepped down from the Alexandria Times. I guess it's time to try something else. What that something else may be, I don't know. Anyway, thanks to those of you who "liked" my work and left supportive comments."

In the following discussion, Steve (who is a friend of mine) also noted, he was "Tired of being an invisible Quixote. Feel like no one is out there. I make a sound and all I get back is my own echo. Or, I'm a ghost. I cast no shadow. There's no indication of measurable readership, no following, no community support... I get virtually no feedback, 'cept for the occasional hate mail. All that tells me it's time to go."
  
"Coincidentally, when I called my editor today, he said the mayor had just called, asking "who is that guy?" Meaning me, of course, who drew the local issue cartoon that portrayed him as an anthropomorphized bulldozer. I HAVE BEEN THERE FOR FOUR FREAKIN' YEARS, MISTER MAYOR!!!! And only NOW, you notice I'm there? This all underscores that I made the right decision."

Cartoonists at Artomatic photographs

Cartoonists at Artomatic photos in my Flickr account. Exhibitors include David Hagen, Ben Claassen, Michael Auger (not pictured), Annie Lunsford, Karon Flage (photos by the former Small Press Expo/SPX head), illustrator Bono Mitchell and collagist Grace Yost. Bon vivant editorial cartoonist Steve Artley is in the pictures too. Hagen, ARtley, Auger, Lunsford and Mitchell all contributed to the Team Cul de Sac anthology which goes on sale tomorrow.



David Hagen. I'm now wondering how to get the drywall off the pillar.

And here's two shots of Russ Kick from his Graphic Canon booksigning at Big Planet Comics Bethesda:

Letter from Art Young to Steve Artley's grandma

Art Young and my grandmother (Elsie Artley) were from the same home town, Monroe, Wisconsin. They began corresponding in the 30's. I found this old letter (attached) tucked into an old, tattered copy of Art Young's Inferno among my dad's (cartoonist Bob Artley) stuff.
-Steve Artley
artleytoons
Artley Design Inc.
http://www.artleytoons.com/

Update - Steve's posted the letter and more commentary on his own blog.

Steve Artley interviewed by David Paccia

I'm about to go read this now -

Steve Artley - Cartoonist Survey #207
David-Wasting-Paper blog January 29, 2011
http://david-wasting-paper.blogspot.com/2011/01/steve-artley-cartoonist-survey-207.html

Steve Artley's father's latest book recommended in Smithsonian Magazine

Steve Artley writes in about his editorial cartoonist father (Bob) and brother Rob's new book -

A description and cover image of Memories of a Farm Kitchen was included in the "Holiday Gift Guide: A Food Book for Everyone on your List" of the Food & Think section on the electronic version of Smithsonian Magazine.

 

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/food/2010/12/17/holiday-gift-guide-a-food-book-for-everyone-on-your-list/

 

Memories of a Farm Kitchen, by Bob and Rob Artley. A charming and utterly unique memoir about growing up on a 200-acre farm in Iowa in the 1920s and 1930s, this homespun book recalls bygone days of icebox refrigerators, cellar larders, and ham hanging from the rafters.

 

Steve told me a bit more about the book's history-

"This was a book that almost didn't happen. My dad started it about 6 years ago. The last few years, he had a series of strokes that affected his vision and hearing, as well as his drawing hand. One day, while I was visiting him in his Florida studio, he showed me some of the pieces he was working on for the book, and I could see they were not up to his usual level of the dozen books he had produced up to that point. I told him this frankly, adding that I figured he'd want to know the truth."

"I offered to help assemble the pieces and layout the pages, if he could finish the text. A couple of years and another stroke later, he got the text to me and it was not quite up to his usual standards of writing either. So, I called in my brother. I told him the manuscript needed more than mere proofreading. It needed fixes in style, etc. I was so pleased that he took on the assignment with enthusiasm. He far exceeded my art direction. He used Dad's story, but dressed up the style. He even wrote an additional chapter, for which we had art, but no words."

"At my father's urging, the publisher had been planning to put my name as co-author. I was never comfortable with that from the beginning. I was just the art director and project manager. My sister Joan Artley-Sterner also took part in planning out the book. Both of us were more comfortable being listed in the acknowledgments only. So I told the publisher to make my brother the co-author."

That's a nice story about a family pulling together, isn't it?

Beeler tops Cartoons & Cocktails auction updated

Steve Artley went to Cartoons & Cocktails last night and tells us, "Nate Beeler stole the show with one of his toons auctioning for 2100 buckeroos. That is a record for the C&C event. Actually, yours truly held the record for a few years at $1750, but am happy to pass the baton to the next generation of political renderers."

Nate says the cartoon that sold is his September 1st one, pictured above. You can see all his cartoons at the Washington Examiner site, which even though I'm a friend of his and opposed to the Examiner's political stance, I must say are excellent.

Steve Artley's cartoons added to Alexandria Times

Countering the general trend towards firing political cartoonists, the Alexandria (VA) Times has hired Alexandria cartoonist Steve Artley to provide local cartoons twice a week. See "Toons for the Times," Alexandria Times April 19 2009. Excellent news - we haven't had anyone in neighboring Arlington since the Sun-Gazette let Mikula go.