jeudi 5 juin 2014

Petits soldats


4 pages publiées en janvier 2000 dans la revue de bande dessinée “Quadrado”, Portugal. Éditeur: Bedeteca de Lisboa e Associação Salão de Bd do Porto. Les récits traitent de 4 aspects de la guerre: Logique de guerre - Raison -  Résistance - Mémoire. 
4 short stories published in "Quadrado" issue #3, an anthology produced by Bedeteca Associação de Lisboa & Porto do Salão Bd, Portugal, 2000. The stories deal with four aspects of the war: Logic of war - Reason - Put up a resistance - Memory.

mardi 3 juin 2014

Mardi

Il ne s’agit pas de faire des pâtés d’enfants ni des pyramides d’adultes.
Il ne s’agit pas de s’éterniser, juste de passer un peu de sable entre ses doigts en y laissant une surprise éphémère...
… Avec un peu de soleil dans les yeux, il se pourrait même que l’on n’ait pas le temps de la voir. Qu’importe, le ciel continue, bleu ou gris, clair ou pluvieux.
Le ciel est fabuleux, mais personne ne le regarde. Il faut qu’un avion venu du passé le traverse en pétaradant pour qu'enfin quelques têtes se lèvent.
Le Yéti des plages grogne et murmure que le ciel vaut plus que support à quelques cabrioles.
Mais d’abord, mettons notre chapeau… 
…et fumons une bonne pipe, dit-il.
Laissons venir la nuit.  
 Une nuit verte d’algues. 
  Partons à la recherche de Sr. Fofo.
Sr.Fofo est-il gentil ? Il boit de la bière et mange des escargots. 
Il laisse des trous dans ses habits et le creux de ses oreilles est une véritable bombe à retardement !
Et puis, il a un lion-moule qui miaule tout le temps.
Miaou-Miaou, les enfants aiment lui bourrer le mou. 
Miaou- Miaou, je voudrais lui tordre le cou. 
Sr. Fofo est-il un savant ? 
Son cerveau roule plus vite qu’une auto. 
Pas de frein à main, des idées à chaque tous les lendemains.
Enfant, il jouait à la balle. Taper dans la balle, la voir s’envoler, espérer qu’elle reste câline à coté de la lune ou se coince dans l’aile de l’avion d’un pilote d’essai.
Sr. Fofo est facile a trouver, se dit le Yéti des plages:
Lui non plus n’aime pas le mange-bonhomme.
Lui non plus n’aime pas les soldats os.
Il aime la mer, rester près de la mer. 
Il ne fait pas de pâtés d’enfants ni des pyramides d’adultes.
Il ne s’éternise pas, il laisse juste un peu de sable passer dans ses doigts.
Et parfois...   
... quand du ciel fabuleux que nul ne regarde, surgit un avion venu du passé qui le traverse joyeusement en pétaradant... 
... Sr. Fofo sourit.  

Pour Cristina Sampaio ce petit poême graphique rayé de vagues et de fumée.

Schools/Lectures/Workshops, Here There And Everywhere.

In recent months, I gave some lectures/workshops and courses in different and nice places. Here is a short summary.

ARCO, Lisbon, Portugal
This is the second time I teach in that school so fabulously located ! Below the castle Sao Jorge, you can see ferries crossing the Tagus, the other side (Alentejo) and a vast sky that brightens up your day. Many famous Portuguese illustrators provide courses in this location such as Nuno Saraiva, Daniel Lima, Catarina Sobral, etc. (Many Thanks to Jorge Nesbitt for the fun time I'm having there)

Escola Nacional de Artes Visuais, ENAV (National School of Visual Arts), Maputo, Mozambique.
In November 2013, invited by his director, Jorge Dias, I introduced my work to some students. 
ENAV doesn't provide illustration courses but has graphic, ceramic and textile courses. Most of the Mozambican artists and craftsmen are just doing great! 
  Here is an interesting text  about Art in Mozambique.
The school is divided in two different buildings: I went to the one located in a beautiful colonial Portuguese building in downtown Maputo, in Bagamoyo street.

Escola Portuguesa de Moçambique - Maputo, Mozambique.
In October and November 2013, I had the chance to teach illustration at  the Portuguese school. Such a nice school with an amazing collection of Mozambican ceramics (Makonde) and masks.
The school publishes also illustrated books for young people, certainly the best production in Mozambique. Texts and illustrations are produced by Mozambican writers and artists. 
(Many thanks to Ana Serouca, Luis Antunes, Calisto Namburete e Luisa Antunes)  

Casa dos Direitos - Bissau, Guinea Bissau.
In March 2014, I spent two weeks with a dozen young people to do a visual journalism book (illustrations and interviews) dedicated to the history of the first police station and former prison of Bissau, Guinea Bissau. Soon, more information about that book.

Aljustrel - Portugal
Invited by the Museum of Aljustrel, normally dedicated to the mine activity (History&Industry), Pierre Pratt and I, we gave an entertaining lecture about our activity as foreign illustrator (We both have some strong connections with Portugal). We also made a short presentation in a public school where dozens of kids tried to all speak at the same time! Anyway, many thanks to our friend Maria Ana Pereira for such a good time in Aljustrel.
First, a Rino by myself, then an elephant by Magic Pierre.

lundi 2 juin 2014

Portuguese illustrated books on Catalivros

Since 1994, as an illustrator and sometimes author, I published several books in Portugal. Now you can read and see the illustrations of the following titles on Catalivros.
A Cor Instável, written by João Paulo, published by Afrontamento.
O Pai NatalPreguiçoso e a Rena Rodolfa, written by Ana Saldanha, published by Caminho.
Histórias da Bruxa Rabuja, written by José Colaço Barreiros, published by Texto Editora.
O ladrão dePalavras, written by Francisco Duarte Mangas, published by Caminho.
A Cerejeira daLua e Outras Histórias Chinesas, written by António Torrado, published by ASA.
Todos os Rapazes São Gatos, written by Álvaro Magalhães, published by ASA.
For some time already, my pencils don't have the same effectiveness. Blame the stones, and other small things that I met on my way.

O seu dinheiro - Your money

6 of the 11 illustrations published on “O seu dinheiro” (Your Money section) on the last page of O Capital, supplement of the Portuguese weekly newspaper O Independente, May to August 1999. In his resourceful blog Almanak Silva, D.A. Jorge Silva wrote the following text.