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.

Drawing: Neil Diamond

Posted on July 14, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Neil Diamond is considered one of the greatest pop songwriters/performers of the modern age. ‘The Jewish Elvis’ has sold over 125 million records worldwide and is the third most successful adult contemporary artist ever on the Billboard Chart behind Barbra Streisand and Sir Elton John.

He originally wanted to be a Laboratory Biologist and find a cure for cancer, but in his senior year at New York University a music publishing company offered him $50 a week to write songs, and the rest, as they say, is history. Medicine’s loss was music’s gain.

The Solitary Man himself simply sums it up “I write these little songs and go and sing them in a recording studio and later, in front of a lot of people. It seems an odd way to gain an inner sense of acceptance of the self. But, it’s what I do.”

In March 1996 he broke a 3 year touring hiatus with a world tour, starting in New Zealand and signed my sketch after the Westpac Centre concert in Christchurch.

Drawing: Chris Isaak

Posted on July 13, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

One of my favourite performers and all round good guys, Chris Isaak loved the the sketch and signed it at the Wellington Town Hall, New Zealand, in July 1995 as part of his Forever Blue Australasian Tour that year.

Drawing: Jimmy Barnes

Posted on July 12, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

James Dixon Swain was born in Scotland, fifty something years ago. He emigrated to Australia at an early age and became a music icon… better known as Jimmy Barnes. The ocker rocker songwriter has more hit alblums than any other Aussie entertainer, as a solo artist and as lead singer of the band ‘Cold Chisel’.

His career took a bit of a dive in the mid 1990s but began to revive by 1996. He embarked on a six-gig ‘little New Zealand’ stint, playing smaller, more intimate venues. One of those was the Lake Hawea Motor Inn in Central Otago. I did this quick sketch to illustrate my review for The Southland Times. he signed the original backstage. It was called the Long, Hot, Summer Tour, but from memory, it was neither long (an hour and a bit), hot or felt like Summer, with the weather closing in. Hardly Barnes-storming, but it threatened! More importantly he was a decent bloke, with a ripper encore set.

Drawing: Scarlett Strallen, Victoria Hamilton-Barritt and Leigh Zimmerman in A Chorus Line

Posted on July 10, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Marvin Hamlisch’s A Chorus Line is one of the most successful musicals of all time. The story of seventeen dancers auditioning for a spot on a chorus line, the action takes place on the bare stage of a theatre.

It opened in July 1975 and became a box office and critical hit, winning 9 Tony Awards and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It ran for 6,137 performances and a West End production started in 1976, winning the Olivier for Best Musical. A number of revivals have followed, the most recent at the London Palladium, which opened earlier this year to rave reviews. It was booked to continue into 2014, but posted early closing notices for the end of August.

The female leads – Scarlett Strallen (Cassie), Leigh Zimmerman (Sheila) and Victoria Hamilton-Barritt (Diana) all signed my sketches at the stage door and requested copies. I gave them redrawn originals. Leigh won this year’s Olivier Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Musical.

Drawing: Jack Nicklaus

Posted on July 8, 2013 by Mark Winter / Chicane

Jack Nicklaus is widely regarded as the most accomplished professional golfer of all time ‘The Golden Bear’ won 73 titles, including 18 majors – in a career that spanned 25 years. He won the Masters six times, the PGA Championship five times, the US Open four and the British Open Championships three times.

I sent this sketch to Jack at his Palm Beach office in 1994 and he signed it for me. He is a frequent visitor to the UK and I saw him at this year’s Wimbledon Tennis Championships.