University City Arts League (UCAL) presents cartoonist John Karpinski in his witty, colorful and animated exhibition Harry & Zeke: Nautical Tales & High Flying Adventures. The solo show debuts Friday, May 11 with a reception at 5:30pm and runs through June 2. UCAL's gallery is located at 4226 Spruce Street, Philadelphia, PA. Admission is free and the public is invited to attend. Contact the UCAL Office for more information.

Harry & Zeke: Nautical Tales & High Flying Adventures features work from Karpinski's collaboration with book artist Elysa Voshell (Harry & Zeke Go Fishing) as well as pieces from a developing Harry & Zeke comic series. The exhibition will include 30 drawings from 2005 to the present created in pen and ink, watercolor and gouache. Sizes vary from 3.5 " by 5.5" to 10" by 10" to 20" by 30" and will also include a copy of the book. Karpinski notes,

"Comics' unique format presents me with the opportunity to tell stories and explore ideas that I do not believe could be depicted in other media."

His new comic strips reflect the Depression-era neighborhood in Wilmington, DE where he experiments with page size and page/panel presentation. Works such as the "Clown" propel the viewer into a volatile human situation reflecting a range of emotions in a single image. Karpinski has also collaborated in the Hiro Sakaguchi's Picture Journal Project at the Woodmere Museum.

Karpinski, earned a B.S. from Boston University and attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Summer Program. He is the recipient of a 2007-2009 Fellowship from The Center for Emerging Visual Artists who have presented his work at Moore College of Art and the Bebe Benoliel Gallery, Phila. PA.

The Harry and Zeke Go Fishing exhibition has appeared at the Free Library of Philadelphia; Barrister's Gallery, New Orleans, LA; 9th Biennial Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair, Washington, DC; and Brooklyn Public Library, Brooklyn, NY. Upcoming exhibitions include Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, November 7, 2008 - February 15, 2009 in Fantastical Imaginings. For more information visit: http://www.johnkarpinski.com/.