Turning the Table: Gary Holme

A look at amazing work by our 2021 judges

May 21, 2021

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Gary Holme is a Detroit-raised and Toronto-based creative who has been an Art Director, a CD, and an ECD for some of the best agencies in the world, including Chiat\Day, Sapient Nitro, FCB, Publicis, Y&R, and J. Walter Thompson. He is currently Director of Art & Content at Mass Minority, writing, producing and directing videos and content for businesses of all sizes across many platforms and channels. He is also an accomplished artist and illustrator, and one of our 2021 Photography and Illustration judges, for which we are immensely grateful.

Holme is a creative chameleon: artist, painter, illustrator, writer, art director, creative director, creative provocateur, and, as featured in the project he shared with us, a cartoonist, and a hilarious one at that. When asked to share a recent creative project with us, Holme presented one that only COVID could have created. Two is a Vibe is a passion project that Holme started with his partner to kill time, and try not to kill each other, as they were thrust into lockdown.

“Ernest Hemingway said, ‘All you have to do is write one true sentence. Write the truest sentence that you know.’ Two is a Vibe is born from genuine conversations we are having at the moment. Art is often delivered through friction, tension, struggle, and hard work. The collaborative process is messy sometimes, but as long as there are trust and mutual respect, you'll get to where you want to get,” explains Holme.

Asked to explain how each cartoon is created, Holme states “it's Marleah Stout and I just making each other laugh.” Which seems as good a reason to make anything, especially during a pandemic. Two is a Vibe is a unique of-our-time endeavour, but one that pulls from a tapestry of influences, as Holme relates “for the drawing inspiration, I bounce and slide in between many influences, illustrators, and cartoonists that I love, and many that I grew up with. But very much in the New Yorker vibe, we hope. I love Edward Sorel, and R.O. Blechman, Roz Chast, anything from Pushpin studios, Gary Larson and Harvey Pekar. I grew up in Detroit filling sketchbooks with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth Rat Fink-like cartoons, so I also like that greasier, Lower East Side NY feel. So many great cartoonists today. My current favourite is David Sipress.” 

You can follow the fun and foibles of Two is a Vibe here and check out more of Holme’s work here.

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