Saturday, March 24, 2012

Cesareo Pelaez (October 16, 1932 - March 24, 2012)



It's always a shock when someone passes. I'm taking a moment from publishing "HOLE IN THE SKY" to re-post some of the illustration work I did for "Le Grand David and his Spectacular Magic Company".

The company's founder, Cesareo Palaez, AKA Marco the Magi, has passed.

Personally, Dr. Palaez believed deeply that I could become an incredible person. He came into my life at a time when I was grieving from the passage of my father. He told me one of the most important things anyone has ever told me in my life - in the FIRST FEW MINUTES I MET him; "You are an artist. PERIOD. Don't listen to anybody. Don't take sh*t from anybody. Do whatever the f*ck you want!"

While this statement was extreme and perhaps now I take it with a grain of salt, his words gave me the boost of confidence I needed to rise from a deep depression.

The next few months working for Le Grand David and his Spectacular Magic Company was a time of artistic bliss; I was given very few guidelines and I inherited Dr. Palaez's old school graphic design studio that contained bendi dot paper, xacto knives, light boxes and other pre-computer layout gizmos.

I left the company to further pursue illustration in different avenues but I left transformed and on good terms. Today I remember Cesareo Palaez and thank him for his talent, intensity and enthusiasm.

1 comment:

  1. He did the same thing for me. Thanks for posting the illustrations.

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