Guest Cartoonist Lee Strawberry + Arcade of Iniquity + Our Next Exhibition

We continue talking with Lee Strawberry, a delightful exhibitor from our recent STORYBOX Comics Fair in downtown Silver Spring, MD.

Oct 20, 2023

A Chat with Lee Strawberry

DWIGHTMESS: You've extended yourself into many different mediums, but ultimately it seems like you make a webcomic that's tailored for Instagram. Tell us a little more about your journey into the form. How did you arrive at the format in which you work now and how did your mental illness, which seems to remain unnamed, though you mention it frequently, come to play a part in the subjects you cover so very energetically?

STRAWBERRY: Back in college I attached my self-worth as an artist to how well I could draw realistically. I kept close to my desire to capture strong emotions through self-portraiture. However, over time I developed an interest in the ability to capture strong emotions within simple line-work. I wanted to do so to capture how I was feeling in the moment. Recording those intense feelings was a really good coping mechanism for me. My comics were originally just for me, the comics titled ‘Feels’ predated the time I began posting actively on Instagram. I started sharing my comics online because it felt nice speaking to people who don’t know me personally, with the possibility of someone connecting with me because of how I felt. It made me feel less alone in how I felt.

I have Bipolar 2 disorder, anxiety, and depression. Bipolar 2 is classified as having severe mood swings, with more depressive than manic episodes. I don’t mention specifics too much because of the worry that the artwork I create and feelings that I have during a manic or depressive episode would be dismissed. I also consider that some people who might not have a specific disorder may still see themselves through my comics, and it would be unfair to exclude them from my work. I believe my work has evolved during my time on Instagram, I have to be more mindful about posting comics that cover sensitive topics due to my work being available to a wider audience. Someone who is casually browsing on the app may not be ready to see a comic about self-harm.

Pop Up October Venue: The Arcade of Iniquity

Next Dates Open:
Saturday, October 28th, 6-11pm & Halloween, Tuesday, October 31st, 6-midnight

$10 Admission,, very young children should be accompanied by an adult.
Cash accepted at the door or pre-purchase -->

ARCADE of INIQUITY
a production by Moloch's Midway and Cabinet of Infernal Mysteries

Visit Us Halloween Weekend !!!!!!!!!

DWIGHTMESS
805 Silver Spring Ave.
[*Visitors must enter via Ripley St]
Silver Spring MD 20910

NEXT EXHIBITION: From Teleos to the Beyond

DWIGHTMESS presents "From Teleos to the Beyond," a conceptual group show exploring material spirituality and existential narratives created through comics, featuring the original #comics art of Sam Sharpe, Everett Bass, Bob Lubbers and Peach S. Goodrich.

Combining the uncanny and the profane, the arcane and the contemporary, indie, lost and forgotten artists, "From Teleos to the Beyond" represents a cartoonists' inclination for testing out possible habitable cosmic systems through the particularized and unshared realities of their art.

"From Teleos to the Beyond"
Sam Sharpe | Everette Bass | Bob Lubbers | Peach S Goodrich
November 10 - December 31, 2023

DWIGHTMESS
805 Silver Spring Ave
Silver Spring, MD 20910
[entrance on Ripley Street]

Opening Reception:
Friday, Nov. 10, 7-9pm
Light refreshments & drinks served Sam Sharpe to be present virtually, Peach S Goodrich will attend.

Gallery Hours: By Event & Appointment.

from the DWIGHTMESS Studio: “sarcophagi makes for courtroom drama”

from the DWIGHTMESS Studio: clock drones social reorder