Lynda Barry

I decided my next graphic artist profile should be on Lynda Barry because she came to Evergreen a week ago. (which was sold out, grr) I had seen a little bit of her work in my Sequential Narrative class, but thats about all I knew about her.


Well it turns out that she actually went to Evergreen, along with Matt Groening. Apparently Groening published her comic "Ernie Pook's Comeek" in the CPJ. This was exciting to me, because I've had some stuff in the CPJ. (not like it was hard). So after Evergreen she moved to Seattle and was picked up by the Chicago Reader.


Barry has published over five books, one of which, "The Good Times are Killing me" was turned into an off-Broadway musical. Barry often does writing workshops. Barry used to draw her comics with a pen, but began using a paint brush on account of her wrists hurting. I think the brush gives Barry's work a beautifully strange style that reads as more real and emotional.


From her book "What It Is", Barry writes "Paper and Ink have a conjuring abilities of their own. Arrangements of lines and shapes of letters and words on a series of pages make a world we can dwell and travel in." This quote really stuck out to me; I think its because Barry said what I knew was true and had felt before, but never been able to articulate that well.

I really enjoyed reading Lynda Barry's comics and learning about her. The
most important thing that Lynda Barry illuminated for me is to have fun and develop your own style/voice, which is something that I'm working on, though I feel I still need work in that area.