Brushes with Greatness

My triumph with Triumph...

I got a cold call asking if I could portray a (bigoted) police sketch artist in a "Funny or Die" skit with Triumph, the Insult Comic Dog. After the shoot, I'm with comedian Lamont Price (the mysterious stranger), one of our beleaguered UNH students, the dog puppet in question, and the man behind the dog, Robert Smigel. Here's the NSFW video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j556MWGVVqI

The Cheers years

John Doherty was on staff at "Cheers", formerly known as the Bull & Finch Pub. He functioned as House Caricaturist before the show debuted, during the entire successful run, and even after the series ended. Here's John with Rhea "Carla" Perlman in the Pub's backroom!

The Cheers years

Senator & Governor in the house

Politics Shmolitics! No matter what "letter" is after your name, John will produce an uncanny likeness. All politicians are fair game when it comes to caricature, here's his take on former Senator John Kerry and former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis.

Backstage with the Dead

John has drawn many famous people over the years, but the highlight was when his favorite band, the Grateful Dead offered him the opportunity to draw up close and personal at the Furthur Festival. Here's John offering up his art in an homage to percussionist Mickey Hart.

With the New England Patriots

Football great Tedy Bruschi hired John to draw at a the New England Patriots' Players Christmas party. Bruschi is incredibly humble and gracious, and so were the other Pats players and the rest of the guests.

Rodney & Erika Harrison & their drawings

At the Pats Christmas Party event, John drew players and couples and was a big hit. Here's Rodney Harrison and wife Erika showing off their caricature.

Chance encounter with a legend

You may not know the name if you don't follow caricature, but you may recognize the style! John tells the story of this caricature of himself this way, "I was doing a beer promotion on the Cape , and it was slow going at first. Then I heard a voice say "Hey, I do this, too!" As a live caricaturist, this may be the second most common thing we hear, after "How long you been doing this?" So I called his bluff, thinking it was like most of the other hundreds who I've heard say it over the years, a guy who doodles while on the phone or such. But he responded "Vanity Fair magazine" and boom! I was face to face with a man whose work I have admired for years: Robert Risko. We exchanged drawings, and both came away energized from the chance encounter. I later interviewed Robert for the caricaturist's quarterly, "Exaggerated Features".