Saturday, June 10, Open Studio at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe, 1pm to 3pm

Next open studio will be at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe. There’s more info on Meetup.com, where you can also RSVP if you’re attending. Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe 1618 NE Central Ave · Minneapolis, MN Map

Since 2020, we’ve been meeting on Zoom. But we are now back to meeting in person once again. The location will be Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe. We’ll most likely be in the back room where the tables are, like in the old days.

Feel free to bring something to “show and tell”—a project you’ve been working on, books or comics you like, etc.

We will keep the Zoom link available for those who can’t make it in person and would like to drop in virtually. We’ll have an iPad set up for this purpose. Here is the link if you can’t make it in person: https://zoom.us/j/98942359456?pwd=aVFRNkNIZVlrampSaldVVlBuSUpIZz09

Free WiFi available. There should be plenty of parking in the parking lot behind the building. See you soon!

Saturday, April 8, Open Studio at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe, 1pm to 3pm

Next open studio will be at Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe. There’s more info on Meetup.com, where you can also RSVP if you’re attending.

Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe 1618 NE Central Ave · Minneapolis, MN Map

Since 2020, we’ve been meeting on Zoom. But we are now back to meeting in person once again. The location will be Diamond’s Coffee Shoppe. We’ll most likely be in the back room where the tables are, like in the old days.

Feel free to bring something to “show and tell”—a project you’ve been working on, books or comics you like, etc.

We will keep the Zoom link available for those who can’t make it in person and would like to drop in virtually. We’ll have an iPad set up for this purpose. Here is the link if you can’t make it in person: https://zoom.us/j/98942359456?pwd=aVFRNkNIZVlrampSaldVVlBuSUpIZz09

Free WiFi available.

There should be plenty of parking in the parking lot behind the building.

See you soon!

David Mruz Interview

My friend David Mruz passed away this week. I first remember meeting David at the BIG FUNNY show, where we had a bunch of art hung up inspired by the newspaper comics of the turn of the previous century, as well as many examples of Sunday pages from that period. David introduced himself and gave me some 100+ year old Happy Hooligan sheet music, just because he thought I would appreciate it. This sort of amazing casual, generous kindness was something that has come up frequently in the remembrances of David I have been reading online.

In the years since then, I always sought David out when I would go to the local comic conventions to sit around and shoot the shit for a while, as it was always one of the big highlights of the shows for me. David was a delight to talk to… he had an incredible enthusiasm for comics, and for the history of cartooning in Minnesota specifically. I am really going to miss getting to talk to him.

You can read a wonderful remembrance of him by his good friend of 50 years Joel Thingvall here and learn about all the wonderful things David accomplished (such as running the first comic conventions in Minnesota back in the 70s, and as a founding member of the Minnesota Cartoonist League).

Back in 2011, Britt Aamodt and Barbara Schulz interviewed me for a project of theirs collecting oral histories of Minnesota cartoonists. I recommended they interview David, since he knew more about the history of cartooning in Minnesota than anyone else I ever met (and probably knew more on that subject than anyone else ever has). Britt and Barb have given me permission to post the interview here. It does a nice job capturing David’s character and enthusiasm, and it will teach you a hell of a lot of things you did not previously know about cartooning in Minnesota. Rest in peace, David.

Photo of David by Britt Aamodt. Click on the photo to read Britt Aamodt and Barbara Schulz’s interview with David.

Saturday, March 14, Open Studio at CoCreatz, noon to 4:00 pm

Next open studio:

At CoCreatz coworking space at the southeast corner of University and Raymond Ave.

CoCreatz Coworking & Venue
2388 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55114
Map

Open Studio is just what it sounds like. We mostly draw cartoons and gab.

There is a coffee maker on the premises, but there are also places to get food and beverages nearby. Free WiFi available.

There should be plenty of parking south of University (there are meters, but they don’t enforce them much) and it’s on several major transit routes.

See you soon!

NEW LOCATION! Saturday, February 8, Open Studio at CoCreatz, noon to 4:00 pm

Next open studio:

NEW LOCATION! At CoCreatz Coworking space at the southeast corner of University and Raymond Ave.

CoCreatz Coworking & Venue
2388 University Ave W, St Paul, MN 55114
Map

Open Studio is just what it sounds like. We mostly draw cartoons and gab.

There is a coffee maker on the premises, but there are also places to get food and beverages nearby. Free WiFi available.

There should be plenty of parking south of University (there are meters, but they don’t enforce them much) and it’s on several major transit routes.

See you soon!!!