ARTIST SHOWCASE – JOE WOS WITH ONCE UPON A TOON®

From Working smARTS e-newsletter, written by Dianne de Las Casas

Meet Joe Wos. He's just like a character in one of his cartoons. Joe sports a mustache, beard, and eye glasses. He wears a signature black hat decorated with favorite pins, a bright shirt, a tie, and a vest. He's definitely no average Joe!

Joe has developed a unique show his wife, Marje, creatively named "Once Upon a Toon." He seamlessly integrates two art forms – cartooning and storytelling. He draws cartoons as he tells highly polished stories infused with his wit and tongue-in-cheek humor. He designed a show that is audience interactive with a little something for everyone – kids are mesmerized by the self-dubbed "fastest draw in the East" while grown-ups enjoy Joe's playful humor. At the end of each show, Joe hands out his drawings to eager audience members. Even grown-ups line up for one of Joe's creations!

Joe began drawing when he was 4 years old. He was caught drawing on the walls with a crayon. Instead of admonishing him, his parents taped paper on the walls and encouraged him to continue. And continue he did. At age 14, Joe began drawing caricatures at festivals. At 21, he was cartooning at the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. Joe states, "I would draw different animals for the kids, but they would always ask questions about the characters I was drawing so I started telling stories about them." And thus began the development of a new a performance art form.

Joe's one-of-a-kind storytelling/cartooning performances have made him a hit at festivals and venues across the nation. A seasoned artist, Joe performed over 300 shows in twelve states just last year. And the work keeps coming in. Presenters hire him again and again because, Joe states, "I present a program that is for all ages. I do a family show. The parents enjoy it as much as the kids. They know that when they book me, the audience will enjoy the show."

Joe's success as a performer is due to his talent as an artist as well as his incredible ability to tap into his creativity to produce top notch marketing materials. Joe is a savvy self-promoter, wearing Once Upon a Toon apparel everywhere he goes, and he gives away trading cards, postcards, tattoos, and other merchandise printed with his company logo. Joe says, "I believe in heavily promoting yourself and your show. Every gig should lead to one more gig so put on a great show and let the people know who you are and how to find you." Joe also attributes his success to his support system of family and friends. "I succeed because they are so willing to sacrifice on the faith that what I am doing is good."

As an artist, Joe is constantly working on new material. His inspiration for stories comes from everything around him. He enjoys creating original stories that reflect his quirky personality or folk and fairy tales with a Once Upon a Toon twist. Joe often rehearses his stories in the car, driving to venues. Once he works out the drawings along with the timing of the story, he perfects the tale by performing it for various audiences.

Joe starts out drawing his character's eyes first. Because his back is to the audience when his pen is to the pad, Joe feels that the character's eyes give the audience a focal point and serve as his "eye contact." Joe certainly knows how to create a magical connection because his audiences can't keep their eyes off him when he is performing!

In addition to his performing career, Joe also has a regular cartoon column that appears in the National Storytelling Network's Storytelling Magazine. His cartoon, Aesop's Foibles, features the unique situations of storytellers illustrated with Joe's marvelous sense of humor. Joe once said that "the spaces between each cartoon are what tells the story." There's no "reading between the lines" when it comes to the obvious enthusiastic response of Storytelling Magazine's readers.

Joe counts his blessings. "My greatest career achievement is that I am able to do this as a career. I make a good living making silly faces, drawing funny pictures, doing funny voices, and telling stories. I lived up to what everyone expected of me. I grew up to be a kid. Now that is an achievement." His future goals include performing nationally and worldwide, publishing books, and telling his son bedtime stories.

When asked why he thought it was important to perform for children, Joe says, "To make children smile. Forget the rest of it, the philosophy, the sound educational theory. What really makes it important? A happy child is the greatest thing in the world."

Visit Joe's fun and interactive website at, of course, http://www.onceuponatoon.com. Joe can be reached by email at joe@onceuponatoon.com.