Maurice Vellekoop

Maurice Vellekoop (born 1964) is a Canadian artist, cartoonist, and illustrator. He is most known for his queer cartoons which often feature naked men. He has drawn pin-ups as well as multi-character comics. Vellekoop is also a fashion designer with his drawings and designs appearing in popular magazines across the United States.

Vellekoop was born and raised in Canada where he eventually graduated from art school and became a renowned artist. His work has been featured on the global stage and is also interdisciplinary as he has written books, worked on films, and also published in major publications.

Early life

Maurice Vellekoop was born in 1964 and was raised on the outskirts of Toronto. He was raised in the Christian Reformed Church, a Calvinist sect, which was not accepting of homosexuality."Maurice Vellekoop and the Return of Gloria Badcock". ''www.advocate.com''. 2011-12-10. Retrieved 2022-11-29. He participated in weekly church services, catechism classes, went to Christian schools, and was a member of the Calvinist Cadet Corps."Maurice Vellekoop , PAUL GRAVETT". ''paulgravett.com''. Retrieved 2022-11-29.

In his kindergarten report card, he was described as a "self-confident child in school" and "is spending more time with other children in such activities as the "house" and the sand box." Vellekoop was cognizant of his uniqueness from an early age when he desired dolls and began to draw intricate images of princesses.

He had four older siblings, all of which were artists. His parents were Dutch immigrants. His father was known for his love of opera and his mother ran a hair salon out of the family house's basement. Ingrid, Vellekoop's sister, encouraged him to attend the Ontario College of Art and Design which he did from 1982 to 1986.Vellekoop, Maurice (1997). ''"Vellevision:" A Cocktail of Comics and Pictures''. Montreal: Drawn and Quarterly. p. 111.

Professional life

After graduating from art school, Vellekoop began his career as a freelance artist being featured in several shows early on in his career. In 1986, several of his comics were published via REACTOR Art and Design in Toronto. He joined the REACTOR studio near the beginning of his career. He wrote a few zines entitled "Fear Comics" and "Guilt Comics.""Maurice Vellekoop". ''lambiek.net''. Retrieved 2022-11-29. His work was even featured internationally in the Palazzo Fortuny in Venice, Italy. By 1994, Vellekoop was working for popular American magazines like ''Vogue'' who sent him as a reporter to cover the "autumn couture collection" in Paris which he published as a comic. He also completed work for art exhibitions in the Netherlands.

Vellekoop illustrated for the book ''Sex Tips for a Dominatrix'', written by Patricia Payne. In his work in the fashion industry, he is known for using "felt pens and watercolours." Vellekoop saw himself as a "mild satirist" in general and utilized fashion as well as sex in satirical work.Borrelli, Laird (2000). ''Stylishly Drawn: Contemporary Fashion Illustration''. New York City: Abrams.

Vellekoop's work was featured in several shows in the United Kingdom including at Twenty Twenty Two in Manchester and Space Station Sixty Five in London. He wrote his own coming of age story, '' I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together'', which shares more about his early years specifically his religious upbringing and growing up in the North American suburbs.

His work also appeared in the Jeffrey Schwarz' documentary film '' Boulevard! A Hollywood Story''. The film tells the story of Gloria Swanson and her work to make ''Sunset Boulevard'' a musical where she ends up in a love triangle with two gay songwriters: Dickson Hughes and Richard Stapley.

His work has appeared in publications such as ''Drawn & Quarterly'', ''Time'', '' GQ'', ''Cosmopolitan, The New Yorker, Madamoiselle, Cosmetics, The New York Times Magazine, Rolling Stone, Entertainment Weekly, Fashion, Mother Jones, Glamour,'' and '' Wallpaper'', as well as in the books ''ABC Book: A Homoerotic Primer'', ''Sex Tips from a Dominatrix'', ''Pinups, Mensroom Reader'' and ''Vellevision''.Vellekoop, Maurice (2009). ''Maurice Vellekoop's Pinups''. San Francisco, CA: Green Candy Press.

He has also done work for multiple corporations including Swissair, Abercrombie & Fitch, Air Canada, Smart Car, LVMH, and Bush Irish Whiskey.

Artistry in comics

In ''Vellekoop's'' ''Pin-Ups'', Vellekoop is influenced by a number of queer artists including George Quaintance, Harry Bush, and Tom of Finland. His artistic style reflects the masculine and BDSM styles of these artists. Vellekoop is also influenced by popular culture including " Leonardo da Vinci's famous ''Human Figure in a Circle Illustrating Proportions,"'' and ''"''Disney's '' Jungle Book."'' In terms of comics, Vellekoop's main inspiration is Alison Bechdal and has also been greatly influenced by queer writers, like Oscar Wilde.

In Borrelli's ''Stylishly Drawn: Contemporary Fashion Illustration'', Vellekoop is categorized as a diverse artist "borrowing elements of caricature and cartooning to do so, often with much humor and wit." Vellekoop's fashion drawings utilizes themes of sexuality as well as different ethnicities and gender identities.

One of Vellekoop's reoccurring characters is Gloria Badcock, a magazine editor who serves as a symbol of sexual liberation and freedom. The character is pansexual but the character's story is representative of the relationship between many women and gay men, which Vellekoop believes is special and sacred.

Vellekoop's style has been described as "undeniably celebratory queerness" as his work openly discusses homosexuality.

In 2024, Vellekoop was inducted into the Giants of the North: The Canadian Cartoonist Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Vellekoop lives on Toronto Island. He is openly gay"In Print: The arts of Maurice Vellekoop"
''Xtra!'', April 13, 2006. and is in a relationship with his partner, Gordon Bowness.

Books

* ''Maurice Vellekoop's ABC Book. A Homoerotic Primer.'' New York: Gates of Heck, 1997.
* ''"Vellevision." A Cocktail of Comics and Pictures.'' Montreal: Drawn & Quarterly, 1997.
* ''A Nut at the Opera.'' Montreal: Drawn & Quarterly, 2006
* ''Maurice Vellekoop's Pin Ups,'' Green Candy Press: San Francisco, 2009.
* ''The World of Gloria Badcock'', Koyama Press: Toronto, 2011.
* '' I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together'', Pantheon Books, 2024.

References

External links

Maurice Vellekoop profile
at Prism Comics

fan site
dedicated to Maurice Vellekoop's work

Reactor Art & Design
represents Maurice Vellekoop as a commercial illustrator
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Vellekoop, Maurice
1964 births
Living people
Canadian editorial cartoonists
Canadian gay artists
Canadian erotic artists
LGBT comics creators
OCAD University alumni
20th-century Canadian LGBT people
21st-century Canadian LGBT people