Linus Maurer, a longtime Sonoma Valley resident, career artist and cartoonist, passed away peacefully on Jan. 29 at his home in Sonoma.
Linus was the inspiration for the Peanuts cartoon strip character of the same name created by his longtime friend Charles Schulz. The two met when they were art instructors in Minneapolis, and remained close ever since both eventually landed in Sonoma County.
The town of Kenwood was graced with Linus presence from 1991-2005, where he would make his daily trip to the post office, stopping by the dry cleaners and then the Kenwood Press office to chat, tell stories and share his engaging sense of humor with a captivated audience.
Though he was still drawing cartoons in his later decades, Linus was most well known for his whimsical, larger than life (literally), out of the ordinary, instantly identifiable paintings. There was high demand for Linus paintings he sold hundreds, many on commission, and showed his work in a number of galleries over the years.
In a profile on Linus which appeared in a 1999 edition of the Kenwood Press, local Kenwood author at the time Bill English described Linus artwork like this:
Collected by some of the most famous names in the world, a Linus painting is prized for its colorful images and outrageous subject matter. Take a pinch of Pink Period Picasso; mulch in some over ripe Modigliani; swirl in a pound of Warhol; sprinkle on some Lichtenstein; mix deftly with 50 years of cartoon experience, and you begin to get a sense of the provenance that has resulted in the paintings of Linus Maurer.
And what did Linus think about the essence and purpose of his work. Back to the 1999 article:
My paintings are tongue and cheek interpretations of American personality types, said Linus. I think we are all pretty funny and Im just trying to point that out If someone has one of my paintings in their house, I want them to love it like a family pet. I want them to feel joy every time they look at it. I want them to come home, look at the painting and feel happy.
A native of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Maurers career included working as an illustrator for IBM and AT&T in New York, and as an art director for the McCann Erickson ad agency and Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. He became a successful cartoonist, with syndicated strips in the 1960s and 1970s called Old Harrigan, Abracadabra and In the Beginning. He also created the Challenger puzzle that was syndicated in newspaper crossword sections. His word puzzle, Wheel of Fortune, was a favorite of readers all across the country for many years. While living in Sonoma Valley, he penned a single panel cartoon, Newshound, for over 20 years for the Sonoma Index-Tribune. He also worked on developing commercials.
In his later decades, he shared a life with his partner Mary Jo Starsiak. Though Linus never had any children of his own, Starsiak said he took great joy in making her children and grandchildren smile and laugh as he regaled them with tales of his many childhood pranks.
As for being the model for Charles Schulzs Linus Van Pelt character in one of the most successful strips of all time, Linus, in his usual humble and self-effacing manner, said:
I consider it a great honor. The impact the Peanuts strip has had on the culture is truly amazing. The characters are all over the world. And I do feel I have some things in common with my cartoon alter-ego. I think were both level headed and philosophical.
Linus was the inspiration for the Peanuts cartoon strip character of the same name created by his longtime friend Charles Schulz. The two met when they were art instructors in Minneapolis, and remained close ever since both eventually landed in Sonoma County.
The town of Kenwood was graced with Linus presence from 1991-2005, where he would make his daily trip to the post office, stopping by the dry cleaners and then the Kenwood Press office to chat, tell stories and share his engaging sense of humor with a captivated audience.
Though he was still drawing cartoons in his later decades, Linus was most well known for his whimsical, larger than life (literally), out of the ordinary, instantly identifiable paintings. There was high demand for Linus paintings he sold hundreds, many on commission, and showed his work in a number of galleries over the years.
In a profile on Linus which appeared in a 1999 edition of the Kenwood Press, local Kenwood author at the time Bill English described Linus artwork like this:
Collected by some of the most famous names in the world, a Linus painting is prized for its colorful images and outrageous subject matter. Take a pinch of Pink Period Picasso; mulch in some over ripe Modigliani; swirl in a pound of Warhol; sprinkle on some Lichtenstein; mix deftly with 50 years of cartoon experience, and you begin to get a sense of the provenance that has resulted in the paintings of Linus Maurer.
And what did Linus think about the essence and purpose of his work. Back to the 1999 article:
My paintings are tongue and cheek interpretations of American personality types, said Linus. I think we are all pretty funny and Im just trying to point that out If someone has one of my paintings in their house, I want them to love it like a family pet. I want them to feel joy every time they look at it. I want them to come home, look at the painting and feel happy.
A native of Sleepy Eye, Minnesota, Maurers career included working as an illustrator for IBM and AT&T in New York, and as an art director for the McCann Erickson ad agency and Wells Fargo Bank in San Francisco. He became a successful cartoonist, with syndicated strips in the 1960s and 1970s called Old Harrigan, Abracadabra and In the Beginning. He also created the Challenger puzzle that was syndicated in newspaper crossword sections. His word puzzle, Wheel of Fortune, was a favorite of readers all across the country for many years. While living in Sonoma Valley, he penned a single panel cartoon, Newshound, for over 20 years for the Sonoma Index-Tribune. He also worked on developing commercials.
In his later decades, he shared a life with his partner Mary Jo Starsiak. Though Linus never had any children of his own, Starsiak said he took great joy in making her children and grandchildren smile and laugh as he regaled them with tales of his many childhood pranks.
As for being the model for Charles Schulzs Linus Van Pelt character in one of the most successful strips of all time, Linus, in his usual humble and self-effacing manner, said:
I consider it a great honor. The impact the Peanuts strip has had on the culture is truly amazing. The characters are all over the world. And I do feel I have some things in common with my cartoon alter-ego. I think were both level headed and philosophical.