The idea for carving a Madonna and Child in the shape of the letter “J” connected to letters “O and Y” to spell “JOY” came from an editorial cartoon drawn by Steve Breen  in 2007.  A cartoon does not always have to evoke humor as much as it captures one’s imagination in a thoughtful manner.   Such was the case with Steve Breen’s  cartoon that nagged and prodded the creative muse to become a wood carving.

The “JOY”  carving was carved out of butternut wood measuring four and a half inches long and two and three quarter inches tall.  It was carved using only one knife, a number 559 Murray knife.  It is finished with a oil finish and Deft Brushing lacquer followed by a coat of Howard Feed and Wax.

Steve Breen  was gracious to grant me permission to use his design and post his cartoon here to show the original idea that inspired a wood carving.  In order to see more of Steve’s editorial cartoons one can do an internet search on “Steve Breen”  to learn more of his creative genius through the medium of editorial cartooning.  In addition, here is a biographical sketch about Steve Breen.

Stephen Paul Breen (born April 26, 1970 in Los Angeles, California) is a nationally syndicated cartoonist. He twice won the Pulitzer Prize, in 1998 and 2009.^[1]

He graduated from Huntington Beach High School in 1988 and attended the University of California, Riverside, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in political science. It was at UCR that he started drawing editorial cartoons for his school paper, The Highlander.

In 1991, Steve won the Scripps Howard Charles M. Schulz Award as the top college cartoonist and the John Locher award for Outstanding College Editorial Cartoonist. He was influenced by cartoonists such as Jeff MacNelly, Paul Conrad, Pat Oliphant and Don Wright.

Breen was about to become a high school history teacher when the Asbury Park Press offered him a job in the art department in July 1994. He became the full-time editorial cartoonist there in 1996.

In July 2001, he returned to his home state to join the staff of The San Diego Union-Tribune. His editorial cartoons are nationally syndicated by Creators Syndicate, who acquired former syndicate Copley News Service in 2008. They regularly appear inThe New York Times, USA Today, Newsweek and US News and World Report. His comic strip Grand Avenue appears in more than 150 newspapers across the country, syndicated by United Features Syndicate.

He is the author and illustrator of three children’s books: “Stick,” “Violet the Pilot,” and “The Secret of Santa’s Island.”

Thank You Steve for thoughtful editorial cartoons and for the inspiration you give.