“Every time I draw her…every time. It breaks my heart every time I do it.” Gary Baseman is noticeably choked up, his voice quavering. At first glance, it might be easy for some to overlook the profound themes in his work, and simply dismiss it as profane and perverse, with cartoonish devils deflowering angels by stealing their halos and critters oozing “creamy, gooey love.” But a closer look reveals why Gary has such a strong emotional response when he talks about Venison, as well as the rest of his cavalcade of plump, playful characters.

He returns to drawing in a copy of Sex Knowledge for Men, a book published in 1922. “I use these people because they’re in my dreams and they’re in my life,” Gary explains, referring to the inspiration behind his characters. Among myriad other examples, his character Toby is named after a girl he was friends with as a child, and Toby’s girlfriend is named after Gary’s first sweetheart. “A lot of things that are going in my art were going on in my life. [My characters are] strong icons that help symbolize what I’m trying to say. And then they develop lives of their own.” Not only do his characters serve as manifestations of abstract themes such as uncontrollable passion, sacrifice, desire, and unattainable beauty, but they also evolve, almost independently, to create their own distinct personalities. In a way, this allows Gary to continue interacting with people from his past through his characters.

His house is a shrine to, as he sardonically calls it, “crap.” The walls are filled with cartoons from the 1920’s and 30’s, and toys dominate the available counter space. Vintage Felix the Cats, Pete the Pups, and Ugly Dolls are among some of Gary’s roommates, as is his black cat, aptly named Blackie. “I’m still a kid,” he admits. But he doesn’t look at his collection or personal line of figurines that he’s released as mere “toys.” He sees them as sculptures that people can afford and collect in a type of Populist art movement. “They’re not as much of a product as an art piece,” he says.

The Populist art aspect of his work ties into his notion of what he likes to call “pervasive art.” As a pervasive artist, his goal is to work in all media: animation, museum installations, urban vinyl toys, etc., and to blur the lines between fine art and commercial art. “As long as you stay true to your aesthetic and you have a strong message, you can put your art on anything,” explains Gary. Well, depending on your audience, that is. You can be sure that Standards and Practices won’t be letting him feature characters from “Grazing” in his Emmy-winning children’s show, “Teacher’s Pet.” However, when he’s painting he doesn’t have to work within any confines. It’s then that he is truly free to explore the depths of his id, and create his fantastical worlds populated with characters derived from notions of sex, love and lust. “Art isn’t work. Art is life,” says Gary. “I try to be honest in my art, and what I create. And how I live my life.”