The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

Those of you who have been with us for a good while might recall way back in 2006 I blogged about a collection from the Scottish Cartoon Art Studio called Fizzers, a book from Mercat Press which showcased caricatures and cartoons of famous Scots by the various artists in the Studio. In a rather nice turn of events the originals went on to be exhibited in a show in the prestigious environs of the Scottish National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh – it was nice to see cartooning art being exhibited in one of the capital’s major galleries like that and the launch night, which included some famous Scots like actor Brian Cox among the crowd, was a real blast. As I schmoozed my way around the opening night getting my copy of the book signed by all the artists involved I was looking for one of them in particular, Edd Travers, because I recognised his name and wondered if he was someone I had known years and years before. As it turned out he was indeed the same Edd Travers who had lived literally just down the road from my family home; I had played with his big brother when we were kids and his dad and my dad were old motorbiking buddies (his dad was there for the launch and clearly proud as punch to see his boy’s work in the National Portrait Gallery). Talk about a small world…

Edd is still in the cartooning and caricaturing line, although he has now left the Studio and struck out on his own. He dropped me a line the other day to say that work’s going well and that he also has his very own first solo exhibition of his work, which is currently on display in the Auld Kirk Museum, in his hometown of Kirkintilloch, on the edge of Glasgow (right in the town centre, the old and rather nicely converted church stands above the town cross, roughly where the Romans once had a fort on the Antonine Wall). Edd’s Heads will be at the Auld Kirk Museum until November the 6th and it’s free to enter (Edd even got a write up in the Glasgow Evening Times). I enjoyed Edd’s work (you can check out some of his caricatures on his website here) and will need to swing in for a look when I am next home; if you’re in the area then please do head along for a visit.