Gary Clement

When I wrote and drew The Great Poochini, a story about an opera singing dog, I’d never owned a dog and I was only beginning to appreciate opera. Since then I’ve grown to love the opera and have owned two dogs…neither of which could sing.

The book was published by Groundwood Books and won the Governor General’s Award for illustration in 1999.

The Hockey Song is inspired by Canada’s second, unofficial national anthem written by Stompin’ Tom Connors. It’s impossible to go to a hockey game anywhere in Canada without thinking about it, or hearing it for the matter.

My intention in illustrating this book was to basically ignore the references to professional hockey and instead focus on the game as a true, all-inclusive and very Canadian community activity.

Published by Greystone Books.

Oy Feh So? was written by my good friend Cary Fagan. It’s about 3 kids who are driven nuts on a weekly basis by visiting relatives who continually say…Oy, Feh and So?

It’s based on Cary’s own childhood memories and very closely approximates memories of my own family.

Oy Feh So? was nominated for a Governor General’s Award for Illustration in 2013.

Published by Groundwood Books.

I’m an avid, life-long swimmer so turning this well-known children’s song into a picture book was a natural fit for me.

I dedicated it to my wife and family, as I always do. I also dedicated it to my favourite lifeguard, Alex, whom I regard as my swimming guru.

The New York Times gave it a nice review…

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/05/31/books/review/gary-clements-swimming-swimming-and-more.html

Back somewhere around 2001 Patsy Aldana, publisher of Groundwood Books at the time, convinced me to illustrate the greatest story ever told i.e. The Bible.

Her idea was to create a book that would tell these stories from a humanist perspective so that secular families would have a meaningful book that explained the sources of Judaeo-Christian culture.

I drew a lot on my own childhood memories of these stories and although I was initially reluctant to undertake such a huge project ( it took me almost 2 years to do about 40 full page and double spread illustrations!) it turned out to be a rewarding experience.

One Eye! Two Eyes! Three Eyes! is a retelling of a Cinderella-like Brothers Grimm Tale which includes evil stepsisters, a fairy godmother and, naturally, a white knight.

Published by Atheneum, Simon & Schuster.

Just Stay Put was my first picture book.

It’s a retelling of one of the funniest and best known ‘Wise Men’ of Chelm stories.

It received a Governor General’s Award nomination for illustration.

Published by Groundwood Books.

Coyote Solstice is a pro Christmas, anti-consumption cautionary tale written by Thomas King.

It won the American Indian Youth Literary Award.

Published by Groundwood Books.

Actually, weed became legal in Canada on October 17, 2018.

I do a rhyming alphabetical Year in Review for the final paper of every calendar year.

I travelled with Adventure Canada to Northern Labrador. It’s wild, remote, desolate and, hands down, the most beautiful place I’ve ever been to.

As an extra bonus adventure, I met Margaret Atwood onboard. She graciously drew some cartoons for this instalment. Who knew?

Apollo XI has fascinated me since childhood. I did this piece to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Apollo landing.

Philip Roth was, and remains, one of my great literary heroes.

The fact that he was such a friendly kibitzer made him even more heroic in my eyes.

Prior to the 2016 election, my wife and I went on a little road trip from Cleveland to Philadelphia via Pittsburgh and Washington. I documented it all for National Post.

The goal was to gain some insight into the general mood of the electorate.

We did most of our research in bars.

It was hard work but someone had to do it.

I owe it all to Mad magazine.

I did this piece for National Post to mark its sad demise.

I read 5 of Norwegian writer Karl Ove Knaussgard’s epic fictional memoir “My Struggle”.

It’s filled with angst, dread, dysphoria and…humour.

I didn’t make it through the 6th volume though. Too much of a struggle.

When Robert Mankoff, former cartoon master of the New Yorker, came to town, I was lucky enough to score an interview with him. He was very comical.

I was invited by Celestial Cruises to circumnavigate Cuba. Very beautiful. Wonderful people. Rich history. And great music everywhere.

My most recent Adventure Canada adventure was a circumnavigation of Iceland. There’s so much to see there…active volcanoes, glaciers and sheep. Lots and lots of sheep.

Spent time on assignment in London for the 2012 Summer Olympics.

I ran around doing a million things every day. It was exhausting, but I loved it and couldn’t really get enough of it.

As Samuel Johnson said…“When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life.”

Adventure Canada invited me to join a trip to Greenland and the Arctic via The Northwest Passage.

Mere words cannot describe the intense and dramatic beauty of what I saw.

So I drew pictures too.

I wrote and drew this piece about a personal trip I took to Israel a couple of years ago. Published in National Post.

I spent a couple of weeks hanging around Beijing prior to the 2008 Summer Olympics. I found the level of reverence for Mao at the Mao Memorial fascinating and strangely compelling.

I also got shown around the city by a young film student who knew where all the best dumpling restaurants were.