Interview with Gary & Laura Dumm

Gary is a life-long Clevelander. Gary’s mom helped teach him to read using comic books as a kid, so they’re kind of in his blood! He attended Cuyahoga Community College in the sixties where he took classes in painting and printmaking. He married Laura in 1971, and they started a life of artistic collaboration as well as creating their own art.

In 1974 Gary met author Harvey Pekar through a friend of Laura’s who worked with Harvey, and began a 30+ year association drawing comics art for his ground-breaking autobiographical comic book “American Splendor”, and Laura added color as needed. Many other comics projects and art show exhibitions have followed for this husband-and-wife team.  Laura has had solo art shows, as well as exhibiting with Gary in numerous group shows. They have worked on many publications, independent comic books and graphic novels. They have even co-curated a couple of successful art shows in Cleveland that extolled the virtues and importance of their city's current and storied comics’ history.,

 

 

Laura was born, raised and still resides in Cleveland, Ohio. She is a self taught artist who was lucky enough to have gone to a high school (West Tech) that was trying out a new program called “Specialized Art Class” with 6 periods of art a day. Basically a college education for 3 years. She married cartoonist/artist Gary Dumm in 1971. In 1986, after working for various magazine publications, she made the decision to become a freelance graphic artist/illustrator and started her own graphic art business to pay the bills. In 2009 she retired to be a full time painter.

First and foremost she is a painter. “I’m a typical Gemini, I need change. I have never worried about having a signature style, painting the same way over and over is a bit boring to me.” For example, from 2008 to 2011, she was painting people/animals in abstract quilt like patterns, paying homage to the women who created quilts as a way to express themselves as well as keeping their families warm. In 2014 she changed to a more realistic pop art style. The one constant in her work is always bright color palette.

Gary & Laura Dumm's Info

https://www.dummart.com