Long time cartoonist and Abbotsford historian Ernie Poignant has created a collection of some of his best works, thanks to a little help from the MSA Museum Society and the Abbotsford News.
Called Poignant Moments, the 48-page, magazine-style publication showcases his first cartoon, drawn in 1937, to his latest works.
Preparing for the book took hours of planning and hard decisions.
“It was give and take. I looked at thousands of them and tried to pick the right cartoons,” he said,
As usual, he sorted through his work on the kitchen table while his wife, Rose, worked around him.
Ernie has always drawn on the kitchen table for the past 58 years he’s used it, moving his cartoons out of the way whenever it was time for a meal.
His cartoons are a mirror into a simpler time. Many are based on real events that took place in his life.
“Cartooning is more observation than inspiration,” he said.
The 93-year-old still doodles and presents “chalk talks” at local seniors’ homes.
Ernie said the completed book “looks great.”
Dorothy van der Ree, executive director of the MSA Museum Society worked with Ernie to get the book published.
“Now we are going to actively market it which doesn’t take much because everybody knows and loves Ernie’s cartoons,” said van der Ree.
The book costs $5 and is available at the MSA Museum Society (2313 Ware St.) and at the Abbotsford News (34375 Gladys Ave.).
Proceeds will go to the society.