Everyone at the Studio was very sorry to learn of the death of Jean-Jacques Loup.

This remarkable cartoonist was a loyal supporter of the Salon in St.Just-le-Martel. His work was a regular feature, honoured many times over and the man himself was always to be found there each September.  We well remember the exhibition of his extraordinary “swarming” illustrations in 2002, the same year the Salon showcased Scottish work. These richly detailed and very funny scenes were the basis for a range of immensely popular jigsaw puzzles; as we recall everyone in our delegation got one soon after.

Later the main exhibition space in St. Just’s permanent centre for cartoons was named after Loup and it was the first port of call for the Auld Acquaintance show last year.

Coming so soon after the Charlie Hebdo attacks this is a massive blow to French cartooning. Our thoughts are with those who knew Loup and especially our colleagues in St. Just who were already tasked with mounting this year’s Salon under a cloud of grief and must now do so after suffering the loss of one of their very dearest friends.

Loup is pictured here with our own Derek Gray and bagpiper Graham Richardson in 2002