{{tncms-asset app=”editorial” id=”bca99d6e-8138-11e6-aadb-0b4070714820″}}

Two Seattle artists traveled to Pullman this week to combine their skills and creativity in order to create a mural for the NW Alternative Comics Exhibition and give students the opportunity to see them in action.

Tom Van Deusen and Max Clotfelter each utilized different media in the creation of the mural.

Clotfelter typically writes autobiographical comics or “comics loosely based in reality,” and he is inspired by everyday occurrences around him, where there could be any sort of conflict or drama, he said.

“I’ve been drawing since I was a kid,” Clotfelter said. “My dad would take me to the comic book store, and my interest in comics naturally progressed to me drawing them.”

Clotfelter drew his animals and designs with pen and paper while Van Deusen created his half of the mural using digital methods.

Van Deusen’s passion for comic art originated later in life than Clotfelter. He went to school for print-making and has always enjoyed writing short stories. He became involved with comic drawing six years ago.

“When I moved to Seattle I realized I was in a comic scene,” Van Deusen said. “Once I wrote my first comic it was like, ‘oh man, this is what I should be doing my whole life.’”

They used funny animals as part of the theme for the mural. Van Deusen’s idea was also inspired by small comic conventions they have attended, where artists can buy, sell and trade small handmade books.

“It’s easier to satirize people by using animals instead of actual human beings, so we don’t hurt anyone’s feelings,” Van Deusen said.

Ryan Hardesty, curator of art and exhibitions at the Museum of Art, helped bring these two artists to Pullman to make this mural together.

“Through meeting everyone, we recognized those two have a great history of working together,” Hardesty said. “They were a natural choice for the mural project.”

Van Deusen and Clotfelter are part of a group of artists ranging from emerging to well-established in the Northwest who were selected for the upcoming exhibition, Hardesty said.

“It’s an opportunity to sample some of the most creative cartoonists in the Northwest,” Hardesty said, “and to engage in really captivating story-telling through visual means.”

The mural will be on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. beginning today at WSU’s Museum of Art. The NW Alternative Comics Exhibition will open on Monday, Sept. 26 at the Museum of Art.