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BERNIE WRIGHTSON... and the Cup of Coffee I Will Never Forget.
by Bryan Baugh
A little tribute to Bernie Wrightson. ...I got the news late last night. My hero has fallen. Bernie had been fighting cancer for some time, and he finally succumbed.
He was my favorite artist since I was 9 years old. He was the first artist that ever made me turn back to the title page of a book, because I wanted to know who drew the illustrations. He was also the first artist who ever made me think, "I want to draw like this when I grow up!"
So I followed his work my whole life. It started with collecting Swamp Thing, and House of Mystery comics - back when they were new. The Creepshow Book. The Cycle of the Werewolf. The Illustrated Frankenstein. A Look Back. All the other, smaller comic book projects he illustrated that fell between these major milestones... And it ended just last week, when I received in the mail, the big portfolio package from his Kickstarter campaign, which I gave the heftiest support to, that I could afford.
But Bernie was more than just my favorite artist. In the early 2000's when I was in my early 30's he became a good personal acquaintance, if not a friend. I had the pleasure of getting to know him, and he invited me to his Laurel Canyon apartment & art studio and let me hang out with him on more than one occasion. Even on days when I went over there fully intending to get in & get out, not be a gushing fanboy, not waste any more of his time than necessary, he would strike up a conversation about George Romero Zombie movies, or Frankenstein, or even Star Wars, and 2 hours would go by before I even realized what was happening.
His studio was awesome. Wall to wall shelves of Dinosaurs, Animal skulls, and every Frankenstein toy, model, and collectible that has ever been made.
One day he opened a big flat cardboard box and pulled out his original Captain Stern pages. They were painted on illustration board and I was able to get right up close and examine his technique.
On another occasion, I saw stacks of monster paintings laying on chairs or leaning up against the walls. He let me thumb through them real quick - and I saw several great images that I, a lifelong fan and collector, did not recognize as having ever seen before, printed in any book, ever. I still wonder if those paintings will ever be published.
But my favorite Bernie story was the time I went over there on a Sunday morning, and as he let me in the door, he said, "Hi, Bryan. You want a cup of coffee?" ...And I stood there, watching in disbelief, as this completely humble living legend went to his kitchen and asked how I was doing, and proceeded to make a cup of coffee... For me?!? I thought, I should be the one making HIM a cup of coffee!! When you are meeting your favorite artist of all time, whose work has been the biggest inspiration to you, since you were 9 years old... a moment like that can be pretty surreal!
He was the nicest and most generous "famous artist" I have ever met. He gave me compliments on my artwork and he gave me little pieces of his time when he didn't need to. That's the kind of guy Bernie was. I will forever admire his art and cherish his memory.
-Bryan Baugh
March 19, 2017
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661x1050px 929.08 KB
© 2017 - 2024 BryanBaugh
Comments32
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Great artwork of the best couple in comics and a fitting tribute to a remarkable artist.