James Kochalka
| James Kochalka | |
|---|---|
James Kochalka at home in August 2000 in Burlington, Vermont
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| Born |
May 26, 1967 Springfield, Vermont |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Cartoonist |
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Notable works
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American Elf Sketchbook Diaries |
| Awards | Four Ignatz Awards, Harvey Award, 2006 Vermont Cartoonist Laureate, 2011–2013, Eisner Award |
| Spouse(s) | Amy |
| Children | 2 |
James Kochalka (born May 26, 1967 in Springfield, Vermont) is an American comic book artist and writer, and rock musician. His comics are noted for their blending of the real and the surreal. Largely autobiographical, Kochalka's cartoon expression of the world around him includes such real-life characters as his wife, children, cat, friends and colleagues, but always filtered through his own observations and flights of whimsy. In March 2011 he was declared the cartoonist laureate of Vermont, serving a term of three years.
Kochalka grew up in Springfield, Vermont. He attended the Maryland Institute College of Art and has an MFA in painting.
His first published comics work was around 1994. He has cited by cartoonist Daniel Clowes as being a key inspiration in leading him "towards a whole world of comics that [he] never knew existed." Kochalka strongly believes that simplicity is desirable in comics and says that "craft is the enemy", and has had public debates in print and online with other cartoonists who disagree with his position. Kochalka's "Craft Is the Enemy" essays were collected in the 2005 book The Cute Manifesto.
Kochalka spent six years working in a Chinese restaurant in Winooski, Vermont, before leaving to devote his full energy to cartooning and music. His song "Hockey Monkey", recorded with the band The Zambonis, was the theme song for the Fox series The Loop.
Comic book writer/artist Frank Miller told SuicideGirls that he is a "big fan of James Kochalka," predicting Kochalka is "going to become more important and it's going to be fun watching that happen. He reminds me of me when I was six years old and I came into my mother's kitchen with a bunch of sheets of typing paper folded over and stapled in the middle that were covered with drawings and I said 'Mom this is what I'm going to do for the rest of my life.' I've learned a lot from people like Kochalka because they do stuff that shouldn't work but does."
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