Artist Profile - Sharon Tonge a Piece of Stuff by pluta (jane curtis) Melbourne artist and self-publisher of comic geek overload Shags puts the "der" in inderactive 5 dudes (submitted by shags.) phantom lice infection (submitted by shags.) introverted hermit chews some gum (submitted by shags.) A Day in the Life of Dyslexic Jane (submitted by shags.) What were your artistic beginnings? I'm still beginning What are your inspirations? Sleep deprivation, red food colouring and the mutants on this earth, and oh yeah, did you see that "Crumb" movie where R.Crumb is swapping a few sketch books for a country house in France..yep, that'll do it too Why do work in the medium you work in? I don't know - I can't help it What are the pleasures of working in this medium? Knowing pictures are easier to read of you're dyslexic or have a troublesome attention span Who or what is the source of your encouragement and support of your work? My un-biased friends and family's laughter. Occasionally I'll get a letter from someone who just bought one of my comics and liked it enough to write - that's pretty special Do you see your art as political? Only as being similar in absurdity and irrelevence Do you make your art with a specific audience in mind? I draw to keep myself amused - or if somebody says "Shags, you should do a comic about such n'such, then I draw it Is the possible sale and marketability of your work a contributing factor to their overall appearance? nup - I do it to get the lunacy out of my head Who do you admire? Anybody who strives for personal freedom. and in the comic world: Michael Leunig, Jhonen Vasquez (Johnny the Homicidal Maniac, Squee) and Ted McKeever (Plastic Forks, Industrial Gothic, Junk Culture) What are the rewards and obstacles with publishing your work yourself? rewards:complete creative control and not having to rely on anyone obstacles:scraping the money together for photocopying and limited distribution What advice would you give to people starting their own publications? everybody's art is valid and worthwhile, so be passionate and go crazy Where can we see more of your art? I have an 18+ comic (if you care about so called rude words) it's called geek overload. I've only done three issues so far, but if anybody wants one, they can send $2 or a comic swap to 95 Westbourne Grove, Northcote VIC 3070 Created on Sat, 15 Nov 1997 and last modified on Fri, 27 Feb 1998.

LOUDonline - http://www.loud.net.au - Wed, 8 Jul 1998