Although I work in comic books, comic strips were my first real passion. I was also lucky enough to have parents who saw what I loved and encouraged me to peruse my dreams. When I was 12, my mom had read an article on Peanuts creator Charles Schulz and his life in Northern California’s Santa Rosa. On a whim she bundled me in the car and we took an impromptu up north. The story focused on the coffee shop and ice rink that Schulz owned and where he ate breakfast every morning. Without telling me anything, my mom and I got up the morning after we arrived and we sat down for breakfast at his restaurant, The Warm Puppy. As I was obsessed with all things Charlie Brown, it didn’t take me long to pick out Schulz amongst the breakfast crowd. Our waitress noticed my excitement and brought me over to meet him. I nervously showed him the drawings that I had on my sketch pad that I kept with me at all times. He asked to borrow a piece of the paper and quickly sketched the greatest drawing that I had ever seen. This drawing has been above my art table ever since and continues to inspire me to this day. I consider this to be my most prized possession. Not because I own an original Charles Schulz Snoopy but because it reminds me of what a cool mom I had. #mom #snoopy #peanuts #charlesmschulz #thewarmpuppy
