MR Herron (not to be confused with Mother Goose) is an author and commercial illustrator. For 35 years, he’s lent his advertising skills to clients like McDonald’s, Wendy’s, several best-selling authors and Delta Airline’s magazine Fantastic Flyer. His experience runs the gamut from decorating Happy Meal boxes to outside-the-box children’s books. He also likes to keep his thumb on political and social issues. His political ‘toons’ are a feature of national radio talk show host Rusty Humphries, while his editorial illustrations enhance the words of Rush Limbaugh in his infamous Limbaugh Letter.
I suppose it’s safe to say Herron’s quirky sense of humor evolved from his many Huck Finn-type adventures as a child growing up in Mississippi, to hitchhiking cross-country just to see which method of getting rides worked better, thumb or sign. In 1977, he moved to St. Thomas, where he was employed as first mate for a local charter captain. The daily voyages provided the perfect opportunity to collect odd stories from tourists and colorful seafaring yarns from local sailors. Eventually, Herron found himself in Hotlanta, where he took a job in an illustration sweatshop that catered to large national companies.
There he honed his skills, learning to emulate different artistic styles, as well as the harsh discipline of crunch deadlines and frequent all-nighters. On the side, he designed packaging for worldwide companies like Brainy Baby and created the lovable OrganWise Guys characters that teach kids good eating habits and how to live healthy lifestyles.
MR (Mark Robert, if you were wondering) just moved to Cape Coral from Atlanta in July, but has hit the ground running, while wholeheartedly embracing our little community. His art is featured on the cover of our magazine this month, and we plan to unveil his “Guide to the Heart of Cape Coral” cartoon map next month! He’s currently working to raise awareness for the new Cape Coral Animal Shelter with a cartoon series he calls “FurBalls,” while simultaneously developing “The Snowbirds,” a somewhat surreal look at those like himself who have migrated to our sunny shores and are ‘Living the Dream’ in this Floridian paradise.
As he moves onto this next chapter of his life, Herron is looking for even more ways to bring smiles, and chuckles to folks. Not unlike the big band leader Glen Miller, who sought “his sound,”
Herron seeks a new style… dare we say, his Cape Style.
