Usually, when people say "see you in the funny pages," it's just an expression.

For local artist Jack Reid, however, it rings true.

Reid's name was mentioned as part of an ongoing storyline in the comic strip "Between Friends," which appeared in The Packet & Times May 11-12.

"I was very pleasantly surprised," said Reid on the phone from Quesnel, B.C., where he was holding a painting workshop last week. "That's quite an honour."

The artist, who has lived in Lagoon City for more than a year, wasn't familiar with the syndicated comic strip and didn't learn of his mention until he started receiving calls from people in Victoria and Edmonton - and even Hawaii - asking him if he is the Jack Reid in the strip.


Sandra Bell-Lundy, the creator of "Between Friends," is a big fan of watercolour art, the medium in which Reid paints, and so was familiar with the painter.

"I didn't know him, but I knew his work," she said.

When she started creating the storyline, Bell-Lundy said she thought it would make the content funnier if she inserted an artist's name, and Reid's was the first that popped into her head.

"I just really think he's got a lot of talent," she said.

Reid, who will celebrate his 82nd birthday June 1 in Whistler, B.C., said he's lost count of the number of pieces he's created over the course of his career.

Aside from his artwork, Reid has also written a number of art books and, as a rough estimate, has taught more than 25,000 people through classes and workshops.

Labels: comic strips, Edmonton