Mad Menagerie
An ongoing series in pen & ink

“…animals don’t always speak with their mouths,” said the parrot in a high voice, raising her eyebrows. “They talk with their ears, with their feet, with their tails- with everything.”
– Hugh Lofting, The Story of Doctor Doolittle
Jam Session started as a rough drawing I made in one of my sketchbooks. Reviewing it later, I redrew a more finished version because I needed a new piece of art for an upcoming art show. After I finished it, I had ideas for more.
The idea of creating drawings of animals engaged in human-like activities came from 2 books I bought when I was in art school, The Drawings of Heinrich Kley and More Drawings by Heinrich Kley, both published by Dover Books.
The books contain many of the artist’s anthropomorphic pen & ink drawings of animals in every aspect of daily human life. Some of the drawings convey social or political commentary and others are just meant to be fun. I still turn to these books for inspiration or to just enjoy Kley’s brilliant artwork.

Heinrich Kley was born 1863. Wikipedia lists 1937, 1945, and 1952 as possible dates of his death. He was a working illustrator in Germany and was sought after for his watercolor and oil paintings of industrial and manufacturing scenes. But his true legacy was the pen and ink drawings I discovered in those 2 books. Kley contributed these drawings to Jugend and Simplicissimus, two avant-garde magazines published in Munich.
These illustrations eventually came to the attention of Walt Disney who became an avid collector of Kley’s artwork and his influence can be seen in many scenes of the movie Fantasia.
Tango

My wife and I took ballroom dance lessons for many years which inspired this drawing. Tango also began as a rough sketchbook drawing. The warthogs are shown performing a shadow promenade.
Alas

My town of Stratford, Connecticut was the home of the nationally known American Shakespeare Theatre. The majority of its productions were William Shakespeare's plays and featured many well-known film actors including Katherine Hepburn, Christopher Plummer, and Ed Asner, among others. The theater was active from 1955–1989. During these years and beyond, Shakespeare became an integral part of the town’s identity. My pen & ink Alas is my homage to the town’s connection to The Bard.
Following the last production of The Tempest in September 1989, the theater management was deep in debt and the theater was forced to close. The town made attempts over the years to lure developers to remake the theater into a profitable business, but none succeeded.
In February 2019, an act of arson burned the theater to the ground. The property is now a town park but still carries the Shakespeare name.
The Aesthete

I enjoy listening to WPKN, a local non-commercial radio station whose operations are paid for by its listeners. Not having to answer to sponsors frees up the DJs to play music they like. On any given day you can listen to world music, jazz, rock, punk, reggae, and more.
One DJ plays mostly doo-opp and music of the late 50s and early-to-mid 60s. The affection he feels for these artists and the music they made is so strong that he occasionally becomes emotional after playing their songs. This is what inspired The Aesthete.
Number 82

In the Fall of 2014, Two Roads Brewing Company here in Stratford started an annual art competition titled CONN Artists which is open to any artists living in the state of Connecticut. All artwork submitted needs to reflect a theme that changes every year. The theme for that first year was Connecticut Manufacturing.
Stanley Tools has been headquartered in New Britain, Connecticut for more than a century. Their tools were originally all manufactured there too, but some of their products are now made overseas.
The top prize for the winner was for their artwork to be scanned, enlarged, and reproduced on one of the large brewing tanks which are easily visible through a large glass window in the tasting room. The winner also received a check for $1,000.00.
My entry of Number 82 featuring a crab-like creature made from a vintage Stanley paint scraper didn’t even get an honorable mention. But at the closing reception and awards ceremony, all participating artists got a free pint of beer in a complimentary glass sporting the Two Roads logo for us to take home. So there’s that.
For each of these drawings, I purposely avoided using puppies, kittens, bear cubs, and other animals perceived as adorable. Instead, my subjects are the opposite. The goal I set for myself was to pay homage to Heinrich Kley and elevate these animals with some elegance and appeal to pull the viewer in. I hope I achieved that.
If you would like to purchase giclée prints of any of the artwork featured in any of my stories, leave me a comment specifying which story and which image. Alternatively, you can contact me through my design website.
I am happy to take on commissions, nude, clothed, portrait, or pets.
If you enjoyed this article, please consider buying me a coffee. It would be very much appreciated.