Artists Celebrate Four Decades Of Work And Friendship

They've been meeting here for years at Plain Jane's on Greenwood Avenue -- a group of renowned cartoonists, illustrators and painters from Bethel and the surrounding area.

"In the 40 years we've been meeting, we've talked about cartooning maybe twice," laughs Joe Farris. "We talk politics."

Now, for the first time in over a decade, they'll be showing their work together. The show opens Sunday, August 18 at 2:30 p.m. at Plain Jane's, featuring art from Farris, Jack Medoff, Orlando Busino, Dana Fradon and John Smallwood-Garcia.

Their work has appeared in the Saturday Evening Post, the New Yorker, the New York Times, Playboy and the National Lampoon. When they started meeting four decades ago, it was in Danbury, but somewhere along the way they chose Plain Jane's as their headquarters.

"One day, Dana said we ought to have a show again," said Farris, and the new show was born.

"Maybe we'll have one every 15 years!" laughed Fradon.

Though they've been going strong for four decades, they've lost and gained members along the way. In that time, they've welcomed a number of artists into the fold.

"The main requirement is to have a sense of humor," says Smallwood-Garcia. He joined the group a few years ago when he found out about it online.

"These guys are legends in their field," he says.

Want to see work from Joseph Farris, Jack Medoff, Dana Fradon, Orlando Busino and John Smallwood-Garcia? Just click those links.