The catamaran that David McCulloch built in Old Lyme, which Jon Buller of Lyme used as his inspiration for Heloise, the fictitious boat in his novel "Fog-Mound."
Local Artists Explain How Their Respective Crafts of Cartooning and Boat-building Combined
David McCulloch of Old Lyme builds boats, and Jon Buller of Lyme draws cartoons and illustrates children’s books, two widely divergent art forms.
Yet, on Thursday, March 19, at the Custom House Maritime Museum in New London, the two artists will join forces to present a talk about a craft that is dear to both: a sleek, hand-made, single-seat trimaran. McCulloch built the boat and Buller immortalized it in graphic novel trilogy “Fog Mound.”
.jpg) In the talk, McCulloch will discuss the real world process of boat building, while Buller will explain how he adapted a solid nautical creation to the ethereal needs of fictional art.
McCulloch is a retired marine geologist, and Buller penned the comic strip “Bob Blob” for The Gazette of Old Lyme from 1974 to 1992.
The roots of their collaboration date to 2005, when Buller and his wife and author Susan Schade were working on their trilogy’s second novel, “Faradawn.”
Buller knew he needed to create a visually distinctive boat for the book, and was suffering from what can only be described as “boater’s block.”
At the time, McCulloch threw an open house for local residents to admire his collection of seagoing vessels and Buller attended. When he laid eyes on the petite trimaran, he knew his creative troubles were over. A page from Buller and Schade's book "Faradawn" depicting the catamaran is shown at left.
The talk is from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and tickets are $7 (New London Maritime Society members admitted free).
In addition, Buller will also be presenting a series of four workshops for ages 8-16 titled “Creating a Graphic Novel: Cartoon Basics.” The dates are March 17, 24, 31 and April 7 from 4 to 5:30 p.m., and the fee is $45. Buller has presented similar workshops in area schools.
The Custom House Maritime Museum is located at 150 Bank Street in New London, 447-2501.
For more information, and links to the web sites of both Messieurs McCulloch and Buller, visit www.nlmaritimesociety.org |
