My Interview with Frankie Galasso, National Syndicated Cartoonist

Frankie, thanks for meeting with me. Tell me in your words how you describe yourself.

“I’m a cartoonist. Simple right? I’m one of a few remaining sports cartoonists and illustrators from the heyday of newspapers. Newspapers used to be where people got their news, first and foremost. So, the cartoonist played an important role in telling a story and delivering the news in a creative way. Our job was to get the reader’s attention, to make them laugh, and to get them interested to read further.”

You have done cartoon artwork of celebrities, sports figures, lighthouses, landscapes. What is the process like? Take me through your thoughts on drawing an image.

“Well, it’s a lot like you are doing now. You’ve done some research on me and it shows. Now, when I draw an image, I do my research. Yes, I’m inspired by good, professional work. But I research the image. Online, in person, I go meet with a celebrity if I can, I go to a lighthouse. I look at old photos, new photos, I even take photos of the image myself. I get to know the image, if that sounds right, so well that I feel confident drawing it to the best of my ability.”

In terms of artists, how would you characterize your work? Who in the art world do you closely resemble?

“Well, I did an interview with the YES network some years back and they had sports journalists speaking about the role of cartoons in delivering the news. Legends such as Al Hirschfeld and Bill Gallo. I see myself as a journalist of course because of my many, many years in that field. But if I had to name artists I feel that resemble my style and artwork, I would say Walt Disney and Norman Rockwell - two heroes of mine and giants in the field of Americana and creating interesting characters.”

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