Thanks to Alec Reeves for his letter regarding the May 11 Fort Mac cartoon.
Art is to be engaging and expressive; however, the message may have been a tad obscured and misunderstood.
Please allow me to clarify: The plight of those innocent victims fleeing the fire was not my intended commentary, quite the opposite.
Instead, it was to deride idiotic online postings which cruelly labelled the Fort Mac fires as “karma for the oilsands.” Such audaciously asinine attitudes which overvalue the environment above human lives in light of a tragedy were the target of my cartoon.
I hoped to communicate shock, disgust and anger at such attitudes via the expressions displayed by the surrounding characters reacting to the “carbon footprint” comment by the environmentalist caricature.
Art, by its nature, is interpretive and should encourage a response and facilitate dialogue. This particular cartoon achieved this and I’m thankful for the feedback.
Gabriele Venditti
Sooke