Happy Dreams

Cookeville, Tennessee

I visited my hometown of Cookeville, Tennessee where I read from "Zoom Cat Zoom!" and "Ice Cream Dreams," By Karla Kuskin, illustrated by me, as a part of "Chocolate, Poetry, and Prose," a benefit for the Tennessee Rehabilitation Center, held at Tennessee Tech University.

(Left to Right) Lewis reading, talking with dad Jarvis Matheney after the reading, and enjoying the company of attendees Janey Bassett, Lewis's first grade teacher, and Marge Rios, Lewis's sophomore high school Spanish teacher.

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During the same visit, Cousin Debbie Reed bestowed a great honor on me in the form of the one and only "Zoom Cat Zoom!" afghan she made for me.

(Left to right) cousins Tiffany Reed, Tara Reed, Debbie Reed, Lewis, and his son Elliot.

Cartoon Limbo At VENU Gallery

"Cartoon Limbo," an exhibit which featured 29 artists and their cartoons, correspondence, rejection slips, anecdotes, and stunning original art related to the business of cartoon art and illustrations which have been turned down for publication at some point, was a great success. In its one month run at Venu Gallery, it was attended by over 1,000 people.

(l. to r.) Venu Gallery prior to opening night, Opening night, Diane Velletri and Bonnie Ray talking "Limbo," Lewis Matheney with featured cartoonist Gerry Olin Greengrass

Several websites and blogs discussed "Cartoon Limbo," from "Journalista: The Comics Journal Weblog," to Mike Lynch, chairperson for the Long Island chapter of the National Cartoonists Society, who featured it, along with photos of the opening night reception on his much-followed website.

Click here to read Mike's blog and see photos from opening night.

Thanks to NBC and Today New York for their feature on "Cartoon Limbo"

Thanks to the following artists for participating in "Cartoon Limbo." Click on any of their names to view their websites.

In alphabetical order:

Jon Agee
Santiago "Chago" Armada
Carl Barks
Dick Briefer
Art Cumings
Jeff Danziger
Simone Di Bagno
Stan Goldberg
Naxieli Gomez
Gerry Greengrass
Woody Guthrie
Irwin Hasen
Bunny Hoest
Crockett Johnson
Michael Klein
Karla Kuskin
Mike Lynch
Ruth Marcus
Lewis Matheney
John Reiner
Sergio Ruzzier
Charles Schulz
Maurice Sendak
Dr. Seuss
Monica Sheehan
Jay Stephens
James Thurber
Joe Vissichelli
Mort Walker

TWO BIG BOOKS ON TWO BIG WALLS

"Zoom Cat Zoom!" by Lewis Matheney and "Ice Cream Dreams" by Karla Kuskin, with illustrations by Lewis Matheney, were exhibited as
"TWO BIG BOOKS ON TWO BIG WALLS."

The contents of both books were displayed from cover to cover at
Venu Gallery in the Village.
Each page was 18" x 24" with 36" book covers,
making for an exhilarating viewing experience.

Lewis read to visiting audiences from "Ice Cream Dreams" and "Zoom Cat Zoom" and answered questions.

Below is the postcard designed especially for this event:

June 2006

Reading, Drawing, & Book-Signing at Gumbo as a part of Brooklyn ArtWalk'06

Click here for more info on Gumbo
Click here to email Gumbo owner Karen and get on her mailing list.

May 2006

BOOK EXPO AMERICA in Washington, DC

left: "ZOOM CAT ZOOM!" BOOK-SIGNING, middle: WITH GLM PARTNER GARY LEE,

right: ELLIOT & FAMILY VISIT

April 2006: Brooklyn Women's Exchange and Flying Squirrel

Reading, Drawing, & Book-Signing at BROOKLYN WOMEN'S EXCHANGE then Reading, Drawing,& Book-Signing in English & en Español at FLYING SQUIRREL

Below are the postcards specifically designed for these events:

Brookly Women's Exchange:



Flying Squirrel