Number 33 Meet Your Childhood Idol

September 10, 2011

When I was a little Edith, I wanted to be a cartoonist. I drew all the time. I would rush through my schoolwork because then I could draw until it was time for the next subject and then rush through that one so I could draw again. I liked to draw with a black felt tip marker and drawing Peanuts characters was my favorite. I can still whip out a Charlie Brown with my eyes closed!

Then  along came Peter Max. Um...wow.

 I was in first grade when the Pop Art thing really took off and Peter Max work was the coolest thing I'd ever seen.  What child wouldn't be attracted to all these vibrant images? And the color! The black felt tip marker was put aside, I learned to spell P-S-Y-C-H-E-D-E-L-I-C and I drew groovy cosmic drawings all over the place trying to imitate Peter Max. I even drew all over my body like Goldie Hawn  on Laugh -In until my parents made me stop and I wrote in groovy bubble writing on my school assignments until my teacher made me stop.

America was like me- just couldn't get enough of this guy. You saw Peter Max artwork everywhere when I was a kid.

He kinda fell of the grid in the 1970's. When he reemerged, it seemed he had also put aside his black marker and had gone in a vibrant new direction with  acrylic painting on canvas rather than drawings:

It was different but you could still see him in the artwork. It was still Peter Max.

So...I found out about an opportunity to meet Peter Max in Atlanta. Really? In Person? The same Peter Max from my  childhood bedroom wall? I got on this so fast, I left one of those cartoon clouds with a zinging noise in my wake!

I hooked up with the beautiful Mary from the Wentworth Gallery and she gave me all the details and on the designated day,  I donned black and white clothing and drove the four hours to the gallery.

It was a quiet affair with wine and crackers and only about twenty or so people but there they were - the paintings. There were pieces from his cosmic period, from his newer period, small ones, huge ones, almost all in the five-digit price range. Well, at least I got to see them up close.

Then along came Peter Max. Um...wow! It was like meeting an icon like Mickey Mouse or Woody Guthrie. He was right there and just as charming as he could be. He's 74 now but he is still very much the Maxiest!

I can't believe I did this but...I bought a painting! It was one of his smaller pieces  from his hearts series and I'm going to be eating ramen noodles and hot dogs for about a year to pay for it but I just got caught up in the excitement and wanted a piece of it. The best part of it was that  when he dedicated it to me, I was telling him how much I liked his cosmic heads but how they werer way out of my school teacher budget  ($23,000) so HE DREW ME ONE (with a black marker)! It's on the paper on the back of the painting I bought.