Thirty years of Earl, Mooch and MUTTS. That’s 210 years to Earl.
Time is a funny thing. Sometimes 30 years of my drawing a daily comic strip seems like forever. Sometimes it feels like I've just gotten started. When you're in the process of making art, you're in the present moment — a timeless state. For me that's also true when you're viewing art, and I know that's true when you're engaged with your beloved companion animal.
Comic strips don’t really have a beginning or an end. They are just always there for you — Ignatz is still throwing a brick at Krazy, Charlie Brown is still trying to kick the football, and Mooch will always be loving his little pink sock.
People like to celebrate the passage of time with numbers. Thirty years, 1,560 Sunday pages, 9,390 dailies, 10,950 total comic strips, and 42 MUTTS book collections, but embedded deeply in time and numbers is the love. That’s the real celebration. It’s the love for the art of comic strips and for all animals.
And the love for all the wonderful people and critters I've met on this journey. With MUTTS I've been blessed to have spent some time with Charles Schulz, Eckhart Tolle, Daniel Ladinsky, Jane Goodall, the Dalai Lama, and so many wonderful cartoonists and animal welfare advocates. Their big hearts, kindness, and optimism have touched me deeply as has all your support over the years.
Thirty years ago, when I first started MUTTS, I wanted to try and capture on paper in pen and ink the unconditional love and joy of my precious dog, Earl. It's been a true pleasure and honor to have spent that time at my drawing board with his eternal spirit.
Happy anniversary.
Patrick
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To read more about the history of MUTTS, visit the 30th Anniversary page.
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