(Photography by Gale Zucker)

Born in Bristol, CT in 1937, Johnny Meah began his art career at the tender age of 9, when his father, an editorial cartoonist, took him out on the fair and exposition circuit as "The World's Youngest Portrait Artist." Meah became fascinated with the circus and particularly its performers, so at age 14 he spent his summer vacation with the celebrated Zachinni Family, traveling with the King Bros. and Cristiani Circus. Hugo Zachinni, the original "Human Cannonball," was also a fine artist and helped Johnny "chart a path connecting the mind, eyes, and heart that would eventually allow me to paint dreams."

Johnny's first full year of circus trouping began in 1954, when he joined the Hunt Bros. Circus as a clown, an occupation he still pursues on an occasional basis. "Clowns and art are almost synonymous - good clowns, like good art, touch all the senses and emotions."

From the late 1950's to the present, Meah painted approximately 2,000 canvases. Amazingly, however, very few of the old banner survived the indifference of time, and the ones that have are generally revered by collectors as representative of a truly unique art form. "They were generally regarded as disposable advertising in the 40's and 50's. It was not uncommon to see old banners used to catch oil leaks from trucks or to cover equipment deemed far more important than the banner itself. 'We'll buy more' seemed to be the attitude."

In the 1970's, a few people who recognized banners as a true slice of Americana started collecting them. By the mid-1980's, banners became scarcer and private collectors bartered their treasures back and forth, driving the value of the canvases higher and higher.

Paradoxically, while the road-worn banners, many of them Meah's, were enjoying a resurgence of interest, the travelling side shows had dwindled to a mere handful. Meah's banner clientele was at an all-time low and the frameworks in his yard, once filled with works-in-progress, were draped with Spanish moss.

Not wishing to become an arbor for the encroaching moss himself, Meah, a true show biz survivor, returned to performing. In the fall of 1988, while clowning with a small circus in Texas, Meah was contacted by a Chicago gallery owner whom he had met earlier in the 1980's, when the owner was searching for banners to sell to the growing number of enthusiasts. He suggested that a market was emerging for new work by Meah, one of the last living American banner artists.

Skeptical, Meah struck a deal with the gallery owner and produced 10 new banners, nearly all of which sold via the gallery showing. Thus began a renaissance of banner painting for Johnny Meah and an entirely new generation of fans for his painted fantasies.

In September, 2001, Johnny launched his website, czarofbizarre.com. The site is a virtual tour of Johnny's history, experiences, and art, a virtual side show of his life in show business. Johnny has also published his very first set of signed and numbered, limited edition lithographs, available through the site.

For a current schedule of gallery showings and performances click here.

To purchase a signed and numbered lithograph of Johnny's work, click here.