Local Artist Randy Wicks Art Donated to Historical Society

The complete collection of cartoons of Randy Wicks – often funny, sometimes pointed and always memorable – have been donated to the Santa Clarita Valley Historical Society, which will curate the nearly 4,000 piece collection and make drawings available to researchers and museum visitors.
Wicks, the editorial cartoonist at The Signal newspaper, died suddenly in 1996, leaving behind a community that missed his interpretations of local and national politics, as well as issues that hit close to home. Volunteers organized by Kiza Hilton preserved the cartoons, notes and random sketches found in his newsroom studio, creating a series of “reader binders,” a 13-volume set of drawings divided by subject. Originals were carefully catalogued and put in boxes, which were recently delivered to Heritage Junction.
Wicks was hired by Scott and Ruth Newhall right after his graduation from Cal Arts in 1980. It was unusual for a community paper to have a dedicated editorial cartoonist, but they saw promise in the young Iowan. Those who worked on the collection commented on how his artistic skills changed and improved over the years.
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t say the emperor has no clothes, because a lot of times his heinie is hanging out,’ said Wicks in his book “Wicked Wicks of the West” published by The Signal in 1995. “Whether readers agree or disagree with me, it’s not that important. As long as I make them think.”
Think they did and Wicks cartoons purchased at charity auctions became a hot item to proudly display in local homes and offices. As timely as the cartoons were when drawn, his unique style and message holds true decades later.
“We’ve all wanted to see Randy’s work – a lifetime achievement – accessible and seen by the public,” Santa Clarita Mayor Laurene Weste said. “He was an incredible gift to our community, no, to the world. His kind of art took comprehension. He thought about things going on and distilled it down to something you could understand immediately.”
The collection will be available for review in the Society’s library room of the Pardee House Museum, slated to open in 2023. Heritage Junction is closed to visitors until extensive building restoration is complete. The Wicks cartoons are available for viewing online at www.RandyWicks.com.