Cartoonist keeps it simple to spotlight cost of living crisis
If a picture paints a thousand words, what of the cartoon which is replaced by a black box?
That was what greeted readers of the Westmorland Gazette this week as cartoonist Colin Shelbourn took an unusual approach to focus on the cost of living crisis.
Colin’s weekly take on life has been a mainstay of the Gazette for more than 30 years, and features on the front page every week.
Under the black square is the caption: “Due to soaring energy costs, we haven’t been able to afford to light this week’s cartoon.”
Originally from Dorset, Colin moved to the Lakes while at school and started working for the Gazette in his early 20s.
He told the paper in 2014: “I’d just started working as a freelance illustrator and I thought the paper ought to have a cartoonist.
“I went to see the editor at the time who said they’d been thinking the same thing, so I just happened to time it right.”
Every week Colin looks through the week’s news, picks five or six stories and produces four sketches.
Perhaps it’s not a surprise that Covid has featured prominently in recent cartoons.
Last week’s was perhaps particularly poignant:
You can read more about Colin’s work here.
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