Visual Culture: A Q+A with Cartoonist Clovis Brown

Words by Sherman Escoffery, Illustrations by Clovis Brown originally published by the Jamaica Observer—

For close to 20 years, Clovis Brown has kept his fingers on the pulse of the Jamaican public with his daily cartoons in the Jamaica Observer. Often done in a single block, his cartoons tell a whole story about the latest news in Jamaica. A very low-profile individual and not a man of many words, Clovis allows his illustrations to do most of his talking for him. He goes after Jamaican politicians with a vengeance, barely masking his indignation and contempt as he takes them to task on a daily basis, for what he sees as inept and corrupt behavior in a declining society. Wielding his stylus like an axe, he tackles the social issue of the day, which usually leaves the masses cheering him on, and the offended party(s) threatening to take him to court.

LargeUp: Who is Clovis Brown?

Clovis Brown: I am just a fun person that is very serious about political issues.

LU: How long you have been an illustrator and talk a little about your journey to becoming the editorial cartoonist at the Jamaica Observer?

CB: I have been an illustrator for 23 years now. My journey took me from an advertising agency to the Jamaica Gleaner and now the Jamaica Observer, where I have been for the past 18 years.

LU: Who has influenced you, and what was it about them that did?

CB: John Buscema, Marvel Comics illustrator, and his realistic types of illustrations.

LU: In an editorial cartoon, you tell a whole story. Tell us about the process and how you pick your subject and conceptualize your cartoons?

CB: By going through the papers, any story that draws my attention the most, I just do a cartoon to illustrate it.

LU: If I were to give you a headline, could you come up with the description for it on the spot?

CB: Right away, I just think about it and place what’s on my mind on the paper.

LU: Tell me some of your favorite works that you have done?

CB: A political cartoon of former Prime Minister Edward Seaga: “Seaga the one man band,” and another former Prime Minister, PJ Patterson, with the salary bag hike on his shoulders.

LU: The Jamaica Gleaner has Las May as their cartoonist, are you friends or do you consider him your rival?

CB: Las May is not my rival, we are good friends and he took my place when I left the Jamaica Gleaner.

LU: I see people tweeting links to your cartoon daily and the Jamaica Observer tops the Jamaica Gleaner in Alexa internet ranking, do you feel this has anything to do with the impact your cartoons?

CB: Yes it does, because people prefer to see a cartoon than a picture of the real situation.

LU: Has the 2010 Tivoli incursion or the result of the 2011 general election changed the outlook of your work?

CB:No, but it’s the first time a government has stood up to a political gangs, and this has encouraged me to be even bolder in my demands of our government.

LU: Why did you go so hard on the Bruce Golding administration, with the Coke Extradition, The Tivoli incursion, his ultimate resignation, and you even drew him with a Pinocchio’s nose a couple of times?

CB:Former Prime Edward Seaga had said that Bruce Golding didn’t have the balls to lead the country, so that was why I took a hard stand on his administration, to force him to do what was right for the country.

LU: You have been criticized as being very anti PNP, would you say you are a JLP supporter?

CB: No! I’m not for the JLP, but for any party that supports hard work and not political handouts. I hate that “eat a food” business.

LU: You have constantly portrayed Prime Minister Portia Simpson-Miller as a virago or common vulgar street side higgler, are you biased against her?

CB:No I’m not biased but first impression last very long.

LU: Roger Clark as a cow eating up everything?

CB: Well he did tell the Jamaican people that he could eat a whole five acres of rice.

LU: What do you think of Vybz Kartel?

CB: He is a very interesting piece of low down artist who tries to gain attention in every little way. He will say and do anything to cause controversy, anything that goes against the norm.

LU: Do the cartoons reflect your own views or are they meant to reflect the prevailing sensibilities of Jamaicans?

CB: It tends to reflect what some people are up against, because people will call to give me their opinions and ideas.

LU: So you talk to people on the street to get a feel for what is going on?

CB: No they usually contact me by e-mail and phone calls.

LU: Has your work ever gotten you in trouble?

CB: Yes, I have two cases before the court.

LU: What were some of your most controversial cartoons?

CB: The one with Portia talking about her constituency eating from a garbage bin.

LU: Your cartoons are very sharp and in a small place like Jamaica where people take things very personal and it can turn violent, have you ever covered any subject or person that made you fear for your safety?

CB: No I’m not fearful because I keep a private life, most people don’t really know me in person.

LU: Tell me about some the types of threats you have received and what was the cartoon?

CB: I received two threats when I was at the Gleaner Company and one at the Jamaica Observer but I can’t recall the cartoons.

LU: Have you ever done a cartoon that you later regretted doing?

CB: No.

LU: Have you ever felt you went too far?

CB:Yea, because sometimes I do knock them hard.

LU: You have gotten some flack for cartoon violence, especially against women. When Dorothy Lightbourne was sacked by then-PM Bruce Golding, you did a cartoon with her being kicked in the ass by Bruce Golding.

CB:No, that wasn’t me but I did do one with Bruce Golding pushing her in front of a bus.

LU: Who are some of your favorite targets?

CB:[Minister of Transport, Works and Housing] Omar Davis, [former Minister of Transport and Works] Mike Henry, PJ Patterson and the current Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller.

LU: It is Jamaica’s 50th year of independence, is there any added pressure to be more thoughtful on how you portray the country in general?

CB: No, but I will keep hitting the politicians until they make everything all right.

LU: Is there anything that makes you angry about Jamaica?

CB: The corrupt politicians and their politics.

LU: Beside a paycheck, what validates your work in your opinion?

CB:The volume of appreciation in the feedback from the public and people want to see what Clovis has done.

LU: I heard you are doing the artwork for a Jamaican version of Monopoly; can you talk a little about that?

CB: Nothing much to talk about, they were doing a Jamaican version, so I did a caricature of one of Jamaica favorite comedians.

LU: What else do you have in the pipeline, a book, or show anytime soon?

CB: Well I should have a book ready by the end of the summer. I am putting on the final touches so you can all look out for that. I don’t have a title for it yet but trust me; it will be good.

LU: At the end of the day, what do you want people to take away from your work?

CB: Just to say how my cartoons are right on target.