Cartoonist Paul Palnik credits success to living in the now

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What’s the key to a successful art career that has spanned over 50 years? Per Columbus cartoonist Paul Palnik, it’s living in the present.

Palnik was practically born with a pen in his hand. He could draw, he says, before he knew how to write. He has fond memories of being a young child and filling sheet after sheet of brown wrapping paper with sketches of anything he could get his hands on.

That love of drawing eventually sent him to The Ohio State University, from which he would graduate with a bachelor’s degree in fine arts and, later, a master’s degree in painting and drawing. Before he could earn a living as an artist, though, he taught at several universities and did a stint with American Greetings.

Palnik’s cartoons aren’t comic strips or graphic novels. Instead, his style is defined by intricate line art covering highly-detailed and involved canvases. They’re black-and-white masterpieces, covered from corner to corner with the sprawling musings of Palnik’s mind.

He works in the simplest of materials: ordinary BIC fine-point markers on acid-free paper, proving the adage that, sometimes, simpler is better. And if the sheer complexity of his art isn’t enough to intrigue the viewer, his content certainly is.

“I kind of delight in the profound and absurd things,” Palnik says. “That is the driving force of my cartoons: the absurdity of not knowing why we’re here, and the profound part of what we do once we figure out why we are.”

Since he was a child, Palnik has struggled with the greater questions in life. Why are we here? What purpose do our lives have? He can still recall asking his elementary school teacher those questions and never getting an answer.

Those questions led him to explore the world through art and religion. His strong faith is often a theme in his work, but the art is also inspired by everything around him, the things he sees and experiences, and, often, simply what’s on his mind.

“A lot of my drawings are done so I may discover who I am and what I’m about,” Palnik says. “I believe you can’t be happy without answering the ultimate questions.”

As his career progressed, Palnik found himself working the art show circuit. It rapidly became clear that he could make a living selling his art, and he was able to stop teaching to become a full-time artist. Today, at 70 years old, he can look back on a career that has reached international acclaim with reviews from people such as Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, and a strong and dedicated fan base. A collection of his works can be viewed at OSU’s Billy Ireland Cartoon Library and Museum.

Even after an art career spanning most of his life, he still loves it as much as he always has. He cherishes the comments his fans send him, and wakes up each day eager to draw and create. It’s a lifestyle that has quite literally worn him down, with the bone in his drawing elbow worked down to the nerve from more than 60 years of rubbing against his drafting table. However, he still maintains that he is living the dream.

Looking to the future after such a full life and career seems daunting. Palnik, however, has a special philosophy in life. One of the secrets to his success, he says, is the knowledge that one must live entirely in the present, without dwelling on the past or worrying about the future.

He lives entirely by that mantra, tackling every second of every day with the full energy of his self. It’s an energy that is frequently channeled into his art.

“Creativity is confined to the present. The root of the present is the creative force,” Palnik says. “The best time of your life is now, because there is no other time. Do it 100 percent to the present, and I promise that when you’re 70 years old like I am, you won’t regret a day.”

Taylor Woodhouse is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at gbishop@cityscenemediagroup.com.

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