About Mark Winter / Chicane

Cartoonist. Artist. Illustrator. Oh, and autograph hunter.

Drawing: Brian Lara

Posted on July 24, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The former West Indian cricketer Brian Lara is arguable regarded as the best batsman of the modern era. He topped the test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several records, including the record for the highest individual score in first class cricket with 501 not out for Warwickshire against Durham at Edgbaston in 1994. He also holds the highest individual score in a test innings with 400 not out against England at Antigua in 2004.

He is the only batsman to have scored a hundred, a double century, a triple century, a quadruple century and a quintuple century in first class games. Lara also holds the test record of scoring the highest number of runs in a single over in a test match when he scored 28 off Robin Peterson of South Africa in 2003.

Lara’s match winning performance of 153 not out against Australia in Bridgetown, Barbados in 1999 has been rated by Wisden as the second best batting performance in the history of test cricket, next only to the 270 scored by Sir Donald Bradman in the Ashes Test match of 1937.

I sent my sketch to Brian at Warwickshire in 1994, when he was captain of the county side.

Drawing: Hugh Jackman

Posted on July 23, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

In 2004 ‘The Sexiest Man Alive’ according to a number of publications, including People Magazine, Australian actor and producer Hugh Jackman won a Tony Award for his role in The Boy From Oz – a jukebox musical based on the life of fellow antipodean singer/songwriter Peter Allen. After it’s world premiere in Sydney on 5 March 1998, it opened on Broadway at the Imperial Theatre on 16 September 2003 with Hugh taking over the lead role from showman Todd McKenney and ran for a year. It also returned to Australia from August/September 2006 with a specifically designed arena production.

Hugh liked the sketch and amongst the madness and mayhem of screaming fans (mostly of the female persuasion) at the UK premiere of The Wolverine he signed it and interrupted his ‘graph to go’ speed signing to pass on complementary remarks.

Drawing: Maggie Smith

Posted on July 22, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Alan Bennett’s The Lady in the Van opened at London’s Queen’s Theatre in late 1999 with Dame Maggie Smith in the lead role as Miss Shepherd, an eccentric bag lady who lived in a van.

Bennett first became aware of ‘the lady in the van’ in the late sixties. She died in 1989, after spending two decades living in her broken down Bedford van in his driveway. She could most kindly be called eccentric, hearing voices and the Virgin Mary appeared to her on a regular basis. The play is the story… or, more accurately, a series of incidents… between the playwright and the delusional, failed nun, Miss S, who was reclusive but not opposed to publicity.

Dame Maggie is once again nominated for another primetime Emmy Award for Best Supporting Actress in the ITV drama Downton Abbey. She is one of the few people to win the ‘triple crown of acting’ (Emmy, Oscar and Tony). Her impressive list includes seven BAFTAS, two Oscars, three Golden Globes and a Tony. She is the only person to receive an Academy Award for playing an Academy Award nominee – Diana Barrie in California Suite (1978).

Despite being nominated six times, she has never won the Olivier Award, the highest honour in British theatre. Her last nomination was in 2000 for her role as Miss Shepherd.

I was fortunate enough to see the play just before it ended in July 2000. Dame Maggie signed my sketch last week at her London office.

Drawing: Olivier Wilde

Posted on July 21, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Oliva Jane Cockburn has dual citizenship, holding both American and Irish passports. She derived her stage name – Olivia Wilde – from one of the latter’s most famous authors, Oscar Wilde.

She signed this quick profile portrait at the premiere of Cowboys and Aliens at London’s O2 in August 2011, and I later found myself captured and published by the swarming paps.

Drawing: Olga Kurylenko

Posted on July 20, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

The Ukranian-born French actress Olga Kurylenko became the Bond girl Camille in the 22nd franchise film, Quantum of Solace in 2008.

She has featured in a number of films since, including Oblivion, with Tom Cruise. She signed my sketch in person at its UK premiere at the BFI IMAX in London in April this year, with her abbreviated ‘premiere graph’ ‘Olga K’.

Back in 2008 I got a full name siggy (and a smiley face) on another sketch at Pinewood Studios while she was filming Bond, apparently a rarity.

Drawing: Scott Dixon

Posted on July 19, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

New Zealand Indy Car driver Scott Dixon had a great week, winning the last three races in the current series, including back-to-back wins in last weekend’s double header in Toronto. That was his 32nd win in IndyCar.

Indy Racing League Championship, winning in 2003 and 2008. He is currently second in this year’s standings. His most memorable victory was winning the Indianapolis 500 in 2008 from pole position.

I sent a copy of my cartoon, published in the Southland Times, to Scott at his Chip Ganassi Team HQ in Indianapolis, which he signed and returned.

Drawing: Australia Vs England Bicentenary Test

Posted on July 18, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

While the Ashes series clicks into gear, I recall the Bicentennial Test between the two great rivals. It was a single, one-off match at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 1988 to celebrate the bicentenary of permanent European settlement in Australia. It was played from 29 January to the 2 February, but was not part of The Ashes series. England were captained by Mike Gatting and the hosts by Allan Border.

The result was a draw… and by some illustrative intuition I ‘drew’ this ‘toon and made up a ‘team sheet’ sending it to the famous ground and hoping both squads members would ‘graph it for me. In those days the cricket fraternity were much more obliging, plus I used a courier who ‘knew a bloke’ on the inside. In fact, he knew a number of blokes with connections, so I used him often. Needless to say, he did manage to see a bit of sport at the same time, and you can’t rush a good delivery, as they say in cricket! It was a mutual relationship that worked well.

Drawing: Anita Dobson and Greta Scacchi

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Anton Burg’s Bette and Joan played the Arts Theatre in London’s West End from May till June in 2011. It starred Anita Dobson as Joan Crawford and Greta Scacchi as Bette Davis. Based on the real life legendary feud between the two stars, the play shows them at a low point in their careers when they meet on the set of Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? which became a surprise hit and propelled them back to stardom.

Both Anita and Greta signed my original and kept copies of the sketch and sent me a thank you letter… so I guess they like it!

Caricature: Barry Humphries

Posted on July 16, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Barry Humphries has a face destined for caricature. I was visiting Sydney in early 1991, actually I was visiting Sydney every year since the late 70’s … but on this particular occasion Barry was performing his solo show, The Life and Death of Sandy Stone – his third most recognised alter-ego behind Dame Edna, the Melbourne housewife with a rampant ego and Sir Les Patterson, cultural attaché to the court of St James. Sandy Stone is the ‘returned gentleman’ – a digger from WWI.

I saw this great pic of Barry in a local rag, so I drew this caricature. I thought, he could keep the original and sign a copy for me… so I sent 4 copies for good measure. I could donate one or two to my favourite charities.

I dropped it off at the Theatre. I’m not sure which one, I think the Philip Street Theatre where Barry had connections since the late 50’s.

Anyway, a week later a parcel arrived back in New Zealand with the copies all signed… as you would expect with a witty twist. This one is simply his sig. On the others – remembering it was a copy of the same sketch – he wrote “I like this one,” “this one’s not me,” and “not a bad likeness”.

I couldn’t get a ticket to his show – sold out – but he is doing a farewell tour, which is headed for London later this year and includes Sandy Stone. So here’s hoping!

Drawing: Hayley Mills

Posted on July 15, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Hayley Catherine Rose Vivien Mills found fame at the age of 13 in Walt Disney’s Pollyanna. She won a special juvenile Oscar for her role and went on to make five other films for Disney to become one of the most popular actresses of the early sixties. Despite her long and successful career, Hayley isn’t sure she would have made it in acting had she not been a child star. “I started work at the right time. At 13 I was still spontaneous and unselfconscious.”

She mad an early stage debut as well, in the 60s West End revival of Peter Pan, as the title character. Her Godfather was the playwright, actor and singer, Sir Noël Coward. In 1992 she toured New Zealand, Australia and the UK in his play Fallen Angels with her sister Juliet. It played my home town of Invercargill, New Zealand, and I was lucky enough to meet them both at the stage door of the Civic Theatre.

Hayley signed my sketch in London, at her agent’s office in 2010.