Sid Barron -- (June 13, 1917 - April 29, 2006) Sid Barron was born in Toronto, and moved with his
family two years later to Victoria, B.C. He attributes his interest in cartooning to a severe stutter
which left him terribly isolated as a youth. In his early twenties, he received some art instruction
which was curtailed in 1938 when his parents sent him to attend the National Institute for Speech
Disorders in New York City. Upon his return to Canada in 1941, he began a series of jobs as
illustrator, neon sign maker and commercial artist which he pursued for the next seventeen years.
In 1958, he joined the staff of the Victoria Times as editorial cartoonist and soon after moved to the
Toronto Star. His work appeared, as well, on the pages of Maclean's magazine. Tired of the stresses
of Toronto life, Barron joined the Calgary newspaper "The Albertan" in 1962, but continued to mail
his cartoons in to the Star. Eight years later, he returned to Victoria from where he produced his
cartoons until his retirement in 1989.
Barron is known for the enormous amount of detail he adds to each work and also for his weather
'captions' which appear in the form of either an airplane banner or written on a card held by a
ubiquitous cat in the corner of each work. He has been called by Maclean's Robert Fulford "the poet
of the mundane", portraying "the inner life behind the picture window". (Source).
family two years later to Victoria, B.C. He attributes his interest in cartooning to a severe stutter
which left him terribly isolated as a youth. In his early twenties, he received some art instruction
which was curtailed in 1938 when his parents sent him to attend the National Institute for Speech
Disorders in New York City. Upon his return to Canada in 1941, he began a series of jobs as
illustrator, neon sign maker and commercial artist which he pursued for the next seventeen years.
In 1958, he joined the staff of the Victoria Times as editorial cartoonist and soon after moved to the
Toronto Star. His work appeared, as well, on the pages of Maclean's magazine. Tired of the stresses
of Toronto life, Barron joined the Calgary newspaper "The Albertan" in 1962, but continued to mail
his cartoons in to the Star. Eight years later, he returned to Victoria from where he produced his
cartoons until his retirement in 1989.
Barron is known for the enormous amount of detail he adds to each work and also for his weather
'captions' which appear in the form of either an airplane banner or written on a card held by a
ubiquitous cat in the corner of each work. He has been called by Maclean's Robert Fulford "the poet
of the mundane", portraying "the inner life behind the picture window". (Source).
| SID BARRON |
