Colorful characters fill Deering’s show
“Drawing a Line: 30 Years of Cartoons and Illustrations,” at the Thea Foundation in North Little Rock , showcases John Deering’s work as an editorial cartoonist for the Democrat-Gazette during the 1980s and 1990s, a time when colorful characters dotted the landscape. Deering uses local, national and international targets, taking aim at the likes of state politico Tommy Robinson, former Vice President Dan Quayle and Mikhail Gorbachev, the last president of the Soviet Union.
In one cartoon, a startled President George H.W. Bush is bear-hugged by grateful staff member John Sununu after announcing “I’ve decided to spare the White House turkey.” In another, you can see Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein cowering bug-eyed beneath a table as one of his men watches a fiery inferno outside, exclaiming “Saddam! Look! A thousand points of light!”
Deering loves lampooning politicians, especially former president and governor Bill Clinton. In a cartoon titled “Separation of powers Arkie style,” Clinton and a judge are portrayed as a couple of hayseeds sitting on the porch of a shack located right next to the state Capitol. “Bill’s bills. Laws tended to while-u-wait” reads a sign on top of the shack. “The three branches of gubment. zecutive. legyslaytive. jewdishul,” reads another sign below. A third sign advertises beer and live bait.
Razorbacks football is always a hot topic. After coach Lou Holtz’s sudden departure from Fayetteville, Deering drew legendary sportswriter Orville Henry typing away while Frank Broyles, athletic director at the time, remarks wistfully, “Well, Orville, it’s just you, me and the pig again.” Towering over them is a massive hog, rolling lazily in a pile of slop in front of Old Main.
Environmental issues are a favorite topic, such as the acerbic two-panel cartoon “Two things that taste like chicken.” In a panel labeled “Frog Legs,” a startled frog is about to be gigged. In the adjacent panel labeled “The White River,” a dead chicken floats, legs-up, while sludge pours into the river from an industrial plant.
There are bins filled with cartoons. One features Robinson as Slim Pickens from the film Dr. Strangelove, riding a missile labeled “To L.R. from T.R.” (Robinson was a backer of the MX missile program.)
Deering is an equal opportunity offender whose editorial cartoons poke fun at the foibles of politicians on each side of the aisle. He says that his even-handed outlook makes sense because “neither side has the answers.” He admits an admiration for legendary editorial cartoonist Pat Oliphant, who “has always been my hero because he hits both sides equally.”
We can track the artist’s progress in this show, in both his writing skill and artistic development, but the thing that is most noticeable is consistency: Deering has been a really good editorial cartoonist for a long time.
John Deering, “Drawing a Line: 30 Years of Cartoons and Illustrations,” through Friday. Thea Foundation, 401 Main St., North Little Rock. Hours: 9 a.m.-12 p.m., 1-5 p.m. Monday-Friday. Info: (501) 3799512, theafoundation.org