Fred Bode
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Fred Bode likens himself to an every man’s artist. The simpler and more straightforward a story and its characters, the more the every man can both take from it and reflect upon it. It is with this view that Fred bases his Looney Tunes and Harry Potter art. As a native of Rochester, New York, Fred’s first exposure to the combination of good story and good art came with Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts.” But as in the case with Schultz’s work, if good story is the crux of good artwork, Fred shows it in spades. Where Fred’s Looney Tunes work has a particular wildness, while capturing thematic scenes, his Harry Potter work is much more subdued. Taking the descriptive text of author, J.K. Rowling, Hogwarts Castle when given to Fred becomes the dark yet imaginative place of the Harry Potter books. Background light, flames under a cauldron and burning lanterns give off long shadows, while walls and ceiling beams inside archaic rooms, show a nearly uncountable amount of age as old as magic itself. Fred’s belief in executing such scenes relies less on formal training than a true identity with the subject matter. More than knowing how to draw or paint an artist must understand the characters and their motives. While the Looney Tune characters symbolize slapstick antics and certain goofiness, to Fred, Harry Potter’s purpose becomes fantasy and escape. In addition to citing Charles Schultz as an early influence, Fred pays additional homage to Gary Trudeau (the creator of “Doonesbury”) and Scott Adams (“Dilbert”) as sources for his artistic ideas; both men being purveyors of not just good artwork, but good story as well.
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