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Combining a sense of homage with an explosion of expression, Tom Everhart's paintings and lithographs are the culmination of 20 years of close association with cartoonist Charles M. Schulz and the PEANUTS phenomenon. As the only fine artist authorized to artistically render the PEANUTS characters, Everhart transcends the appeal of the comic strip's familiar faces, transforming them into studies in brilliant, multidimensional color and personal, often comical commentaries on the people and events of our time.
Everhart was a successful painter of large-scale landscapes before being asked to render drawings of the PEANUTS gang for a commercial project in 1980. With no background in cartooning, Everhart prepared for the task by projecting Schulz's comic strips onto a 25-foot wall in his studio for closer examination. He was stunned to discover that, blown up larger than life, Schulz's pen strokes closely connected to his own painting style. His immediate fascination with Schulz's "line" -and his remarkable ability to capture it with his own distinct interpretation -impressed Schulz and launched a friendship and collaboration that continued right up until Schulz's death in 2000.
In 1988, Everhart had the vision of taking the lovable PEANUTS crew to a new level of art -what one commentator dubbed "Expresstoonism." In the body of work that has ensued, Everhart has employed the members of his "cartoon inventory" in a continuous exploration of his artistic
passions: recording the movements of light and color in imaginary, non-literal landscapes and
settings; finding new ways to "seduce and amuse the relationship between the subject matter and the process"; and most of all, expressing his desire "to record the experience of my astonishment and shock at human nature -life, death, bad hair-dos, amusing fashion, ignorant observations, earnest ridiculousnesss -and my sense that in today's society, it is the experience of the normal and everyday, rather than the unusual or different, that is most astonishing."
Everhart's paintings have been exhibited at museums worldwide, including the Louvre in Paris, the Museu da Cidade in Lisbon, Portugal, and the Suntory Museum in Osaka, Japan. Additionally, CBS television highlighted Everhart's work in a special TV tribute to Charles Schulz in 2000.
Limited-edition fine-art lithographs based on Everhart's paintings are distributed exclusively by S2 Art Group, parent company of Entertainment Galleries, under an agreement with United Media (licensor of the rights to both Schulz's comic strip characters and the Everhart lithographs.)
To capture the full impact and vitality of Everhart's color and line, S2 relies on the unique capabilities of the S2 Atelier in New York City. S2 artisans, using paintings on paper and canvas by Everhart as a starting point, work directly with Everhart to painstakingly create these fine artworks with traditional hands-on, hand-pulled lithography techniques.
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