Drawing: Ryan Gosling in ‘Dead Man’s Bones’

Posted on May 20, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Ryan Gosling

Canadian-born actor, producer, director and musician Ryan Gosling began his career as a child star on the Disney Channel’s MICKEY MOUSE CLUB in the early 1990s. In 2005 he and his friend and fellow musician Zach Shields discovered they had a mutual obsession with the Haunted Mansion ride at Disneyland. They wanted to write a monster-themed musical, but settled for forming a band instead, called ‘DEAD MAN’S BONES’ in 2008, releasing their self-titled album the following year. The duo are described as indie, folk and gothic rock, with some dark wave in the mix. Ryan performs under the alias ‘Baby Goose’.

Ryan was nominated for a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Dan Dunne, a troubled history teacher in the 2006 film HALF NELSON and has received numerous Golden Globe nominations for his varied body of film work. He made his directorial debut with LOST RIVER in 2013. Ryan also co-owns ‘Tagine’, a Moroccan restaurant in Beverly Hills and supports various charitable causes including PETA and Invisible Children Inc. In 2005 he joined the volunteer group in Biloxi, Mississippi as part of the clean up effort after Hurricane Katrina.

Ryan was in London this week to promote his latest film the dark detective comedy THE NICE GUYS alongside Russell Crowe. He attended the premiere at the Odeon in Leicester Square where he signed and dedicated this quick sketch I did of him as ‘Baby Goose’ in DEAD MAN’S BONES with his even quicker, simple but stylised ‘Ryan’ signature.

Drawing: Marisa Berenson

Posted on May 17, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Marisa Berenson

New York-born actress Vittoria Marisa Schiaparelli Berenson (or as she is commonly known, Marisa Berenson) played the tragic beauty Lady Lyndon in Stanley Kubrick’s 18th Century period film BARRY LYNDON. It’s one of my favourite films, because of its visually stunning and exquisite Oscar-winning cinematography by John Alcott based on Kubrick’s vision and visual innovation. It was filmed entirely with natural and candlelight, without the use of a single electric bulb. Special lenses, designed by German optical manufacturer Carl Zeiss were used, which NASA also employed for lowlight shooting on the moon landings. They also ‘push developed’ the film processing by one stop. I once held ambitions to be a cinematographer, not that you would have noticed.

Anyway back to Marisa, beautifully captured by such innovative technology and dubbed the ‘It girl’ in the 1970’s by Yves Saint Laurent. In 1972 Marisa won the National Board of Review Best Supporting Award and received BAFTA and Golde Globe nominations for her role as Natalia Landauer in CABARET. She made her Broadway debut in 2001 with the revival of DESIGN FOR LIVING and is currently playing Lady Capulet in the Kenneth Branagh Theatre season on the London stage at the Garrick Theatre.

I met the delightful Marisa at the stage door on Saturday as she arrived for the evening’s performance. She loved the drawing and as she signed it, I declared my admiration for BARRY LYNDON and included her Lady Lyndon in this sketch as a homage to the film.

Drawing: Jennifer Lawrence

Posted on May 10, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Jennifer Lawrence braved the showers in London last night at the premiere of the latest instalment of Marvel’s superhero franchise X-MEN, subtitled APOCALYPSE global fan screening at the BFI IMAX. One of the warmest days so far this year turned decidedly damp as the heavens opened, pouring its contents onto the appropriately blue carpet (or as I dubbed it ‘apocalypse azure’). J-Law plays the deadly blue-tinged mutant and femme fatale Mystique, whose powers of shapeshifting enable her to take on many aliases, including Raven Darkholme.

Hollywood’s highest paid actress who won the Best Actress Oscar in 2012 for SILVER LININGS PAYBOOK dazzled in her silver, cutout Dior gown and even provided her customary stumble as she scarpered in her platform heels to avoid the deluge. Twitter likened her sartorial elegance to the signature Marilyn Monroe look.

But it was Jennifer’s signature I was after and the constant precipitation was not helpful as she dodged the drops to quickly do the entire line with a gold pen – the member of the sharpie clan I think should be banished – that was fast losing its effectiveness in the rain. I held the drawing under plastic until the last possible moment and she to the last possible moment and get her characteristic monogram on it. I like to think she took a split second longer than she took on everyone else’s items to sign my sketch, which is nice but adds another zillion raindrops to the rendering. A golden end to a blue evening.

Drawing: Bette Midler in I’ll Eat You Last

Posted on April 22, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Bette Midler

Showbiz icon Bette Midler returned to Broadway in 2013 to play her late friend, the legendary super-agent who ruled Hollywood during the 1970’s Sue Mengers, in John Logan’s I’LL EAT YOU LAST at the Booth Theatre.

I drew this drawing of Bette in the role and managed to get it to ‘The Divine Miss M’ when she toured the UK last July. Nothing came back, so I assumed it was assigned to the round file or left unopened along with zillions of other fan mail. When it arrived through the post last month I was very happy… for a brief moment, until I realised it was probably a ‘secretarial’.

This is a term used in the ‘graph business for signatures by authorised personnel but not the authentic autograph of the celebrity. It’s one of the disappointing aspects of collecting, one which I have experienced on a few occasions. All the more reason to try and get a graph in person. Bette does sign in person and did so at the stage door, but through the mail is a different matter. Bette’s original graph is more ‘energetic’ and her ‘M’ is more divine, without a loop as it darts across from crossing the ‘t’s’. I checked exemplars of her authentic graph and the secretarial versions and this one, sadly, looks like the latter. I’ll just have to catch her in person next year when she takes the lead role in the Broadway revival of HELLO DOLLY or pops back to Britain.

Drawing: Timothy Spall in Mr Turner

Posted on April 11, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Timothy Spall

Timothy Spall won a number of International awards including Best Actor at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival, for his performance as the eccentric landscape painter J.M.W. Turner in Mike Leigh’s celebrated biographical drama MR. TURNER. Inexplicably, he missed out on Oscar and BAFTA noms.

When I saw the images from The film and Timothy’s performance I just had to capture that face and his portrayal with my trusty 4B lead. The controversial British Romanticist was renowned for his work in oils, but he was one of the greatest masters of British watercolour painting, elevating the landscape genre to an eminence rivalling history painting.

Known as ‘the painter of light’, Turner was considered a Romantic preface to Impressionism, my favourite period. As homage to this I have taken the rare turn of added a ‘dusting’ of sunset hues with my less trusty coloured pencils to my usual monochromatic studies.

After appearing over the past two decades in film roles such as ‘Wormtail’ in the HARRY POTTER series and Winston Churchill in THE KING’S SPEECH, Timothy returned to the stage as the rugged tramp Davies in Harold Pinter’s THE CARETAKER at London’s Old Vic. I meet one of Britain’s best-loved and most-talented character actors at the stage door on Saturday prior to the matinee and he happily signed this sketch for me.

Drawing: Sir David Attenborough

Posted on April 7, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

David Attenborough

Naturalist Sir David Attenborough is one of my favourite broadcasters. In fact he’s considered by most as ‘the greatest broadcaster of our time’. The 89-year-old has also been called one of Britain’s ‘living treasures,’ a term Sir David does not like.

“My shoes are very unfashionable shoes. I’m the last in a particular style that was established 30 years ago. People make different kinds of programmes now. I don’t think anyone’s trying to fill my shoes” he once said. Which is true, both literally and figuratively. He is one of a kind. The only person to win BAFTAs for programmes in each format – black and white, colour, HD and 3D. among a gazillion accolades, including 32 honorary degrees.

Although I have had the pleasure of meeting him on a couple of occasions, I actually sent this sketch of Sir David to his production company in Surrey and he immediately returned it, signed.

Drawing: Berenice Bejo

Posted on March 24, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Berenice Bejo

It was a little known black and white French film, shot on an old fashioned 1.33:1 ratio, mostly silent with a running time of only 100 minutes and featuring the director’s wife in a lead role, but THE ARTIST was the big winner in 2011, collecting every major Best Picture award including the 5 Oscars and 7 BAFTAs.

Michel Hazanavicius’ celebrated tribute to the early era of motion pictures starred Jean Dujardin as the silent movie star who meets a young dancer, French Argentine actress Berenice Bejo as the advent of talking pictures sends their careers in opposite directions. The film had a small screening at the BFI London Film Festival and given the title I just had to pop along where a relatively small crowd had gathered so I able to meet everyone without the usual collecting carnage. Then it became a huge hit.

When it later returned to London for the actual Premiere, the normal battle zone resumed. l drew this sketch of Berenice to get signed on the day, but mailed it to her Paris agency instead, which she signed and dedicated for me.

Drawing: Michael McIntyre

Posted on February 11, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Michael McIntyre

Michael McIntyre has become the highest-earning comedian in the world today since his rapid rise from obscurity to prominence after appearing on his first Royal Variety Performance in 2006. Micheal’s 2012 UK Tour covered 71 arena venues performing to over 700,000 people including a record-breaking 10 nights at London’s 02 which elevated him to the world’s biggest selling standup comedian, grossing an estimated £21 million.

Before all the fame and fortune he remembers the tough years spent on the circuit and returns to his roots, with ‘work in progress’ shows to try out new material. He often appears at smaller venues like the Soho Theatre, a place I myself frequent as frequent readers of my blog will testify. Michael’s back there this month for a few practice gigs. However he slips in and out unnoticed and nobody seems to have any info on his movements.

The staff are always helpful, but the bigger names tend to prefer a bit more obscurity at the intimate venue for obvious reasons. I did hang around a couple of times to see if I could catch Michael in person, but that proved fruitless, so left this sketch with the Soho team. For some reason I thought, given Michael’s status, his entourage may forget to pass it on or it would get lost amongst the mountain of fan mail. I expected a long wait for it’s return, if in fact it was ever returned at all or the usual 5×7 pre-printed photo with the standard letter.

But to my surprise and delight, it came back signed, complete with additional comic calligraphy within two days!

Drawing: Billy Connolly in the High Horse Tour, Hammersmith Apollo, London

Posted on February 10, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Billy Connolly

In 2012 Billy Connolly was diagnosed with prostate cancer, deafness and Parkinson’s disease in the same week. Successful surgery cured the cancer and he now wears a small hearing aid, but the slow moving Parkinson’s will always be with him. ‘It’s like having a wee mugger following you around,” he said in a recent interview. But the Scotsman, considered by many polls to be the greatest standup ever, refuses to let his battle with the debilitating disease stop him as he embarked on his latest HIGH HORSE Tour, which saw him just finish an 11-night run at London’s Hammersmith Apollo. Protracted applause greeted him every night and he responded with, “You’re only doing that coz I’m sick…I can tell the f ***in’ sympathy vote.” The Guardian’s review headline read. ‘Older, frailer but the Big Yin is still the Maestro.”

“When I was a boy I was a Catholic. I paid the fine and got out.” He once said, but he thanked theChurch in his acceptance speech at the National Television Awards last month when he received a special award for his 50 years in the business. “I’d like to thank the Catholic Church for the rhythm method of birth control without which I wouldn’t be here.”
Hopefully it’s not the last time we see him live on stage in London. His health condition may have stopped him playing his beloved banjo, but hasn’t diminished his generosity with fans and ability to sign, which he kindly did so on my sketch after I left it for him at the venue.

Drawing: Penelope Cruz

Posted on February 8, 2016 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Penelope Cruz

Penelope Cruz wasn’t initially on any guest lists for the ‘fashionable screening’ of the much-anticipated sequel ZOOLANDER 2 at London’s Empire cinema last week. So, I initially didn’t have a sketch or an intention to attend.

That changed when I received a text from a fellow graphee stalker to say Penelope, who plays Interpol’s ‘Global Fashion’ agent, Valentina, was in town and attending. A rapid response was required. This is it. Then a piece of luck to get a good position on the carpet, courtesy of the aforementioned fellow graphee, although Penelope is always very good and signs as many sigs as possible, which included my drawing and a nice dedication.