Though Paul Madonna says he is grateful for his overseas travels and commissions, he always appreciates coming home to the Bay, no matter how long he might stay away. “San Francisco’s not a jealous lover.”
Coffee is communion, at least in the world of Paul Madonna. In his own words, “We sit down, we talk about selling the house, traveling the world, getting a dog — all over coffee.”
Madonna, a Pittsburgh native, has been writing and drawing since he can remember. “As a kid, I loved making comics and cartoons. I had different characters and I would write stories for them,” Madonna recalls. He’d often copy things he liked — “Peanuts,” movie posters, album covers. “Failed imitation is the most original thing we can have because you find your own style, your own voice. You might blow it, and it might not look anything like it, but suddenly you realize ‘that’s me.
“I realized that in order for people to give you money for what you do, they have to know it, and they have to like it. And they can’t like it unless they know it,” Madonna says. He’d leave free copies everywhere he went, determined to circulate his work. By the early 2000s, Madonna was working on a graphic novel that featured a fictionalized character that grew up in The City’s Sunset district, so he started drawing the neighborhood. “I grabbed my sketchbook, put in some ink and water, went to the Sunset and drew from life,” says Madonna.
During those years, Madonna gave everything he had to the Chronicle and “All Over Coffee,” calling the experience “art bootcamp.” He was sustained by his aggressive entrepreneurial spirit, which he credits to his parents. “They opened their first pizza shop in downtown Pittsburgh in their early 20s. They taught me how to run a business, and how to run a life. The stuff they don’t teach you in art school,” he says.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
CNN anchor Christi Paul says goodbye - CNN VideoAfter almost 20 years with CNN and HLN, NewDay Weekend anchor Christi_Paul signs off for the last time. Watch highlights of her career and listen to her final goodbye:
Read more »
Springsteen teams with Paul McCartney at Glastonbury festival for encore of N.J. performanceThe performance came a week after Springsteen joined McCartney on stage at MetLife Stadium.
Read more »
Christi Paul, CNN’s ‘New Day’ Weekend Anchor, Will DepartA lot of changes are taking place at CNN after the merger of its parent company, WarnerMedia, with Discovery, but this wasn’t one many people were anticipating. Christi Paul, who has been a r…
Read more »
Watch Dave Grohl Join Paul McCartney for First Public Performance Since Taylor Hawkins' DeathWatch Dave Grohl join Paul McCartney onstage at Glastonbury, his first public performance since Taylor Hawkins’ death. Bruce Springsteen was also a surprise guest during McCartney's headlining set
Read more »
Paul McCartney Features Johnny Depp Footage During Glastonbury SetSir Paul McCartney played a clip of Johnny Depp in an old music video as part of his headliner set at Glastonbury Festival on Saturday. Depp featured in the original video for McCartney’s song &82…
Read more »
Paul McCartney taps Dave Grohl, Bruce Springsteen for epic Glastonbury setPaul McCartney jolted England’s Glastonbury Festival with a little help from some rock star friends from across the pond. Bruce Springsteen and Dave Grohl dropped by Sir Paul’s headlini…
Read more »