It’s Still Fresh 55 Years Later

Frank Mariani

Frank Mariani is seasoned (but young-at-heart) artist with over 40 years of experience in the visual arts. Like many of his colleagues, his roots go wayyyy back to childhood where his creativity revealed itself not just in art class, but in the margins and odd free spaces of notebooks, much to the chagrin (and sometimes scolding) of his teachers. When the muse strikes, the hand draws!

Frank Mariani

January 2, 2021

I’m not particularly adept at manufacturing an interesting post when the brain is kaput. That’s when I look around to see what other creatives are up to and decide what I’d like to share with you.

Any reflections on the 1965 TV classic “A Charlie Brown Christmas” should have been made here about month ago, but I only recently came across the work of artist Joe Mueller, so I’ve just got to squeeze this in.

Joe’s words from his Facebook page:

I sculpted these Peanuts characters and recreated the opening scene in the Christmas special “A Charlie Brown Christmas”. This was a Christmas Present for my wife. I sculpted the characters using “Magic Sculpt”.

My comment on the photo:

May I share your work with some members of the National Cartoonists Society? I think they’d appreciate the faithfulness of your work. Peanuts heads are deceptively difficult to draw, much less put into 3D.

More from Joe:

Yes, thank you Frank. Yes I did find it difficult to go from a 2d character to 3d. I kept looking at different point of movement from a book I have about the tv special.

And my final thought:

Pig Pen’s wiry hair is the crowning touch! Joe obviously feels the same reverence towards “A Charlie Brown Christmas” as I and many others do. It contrasts beautifully with the ultra slick productions we get today. You cannot fake authenticity. This is a labor of love on more than one level.