At Home with Stan and Pauline Goldberg

With nearly 60 years under his belt as a comic book artist, Stan Goldberg is one of the true giants in the industry, best known for his work as a flagship artist for Archie Comics and as the color designer for all the classic Marvel superheroes and villains of the 1960s, including Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men and the Hulk.

At age 76, the part-time Hampton Bays artist shows no signs of slowing down, still working several hours a day drawing the wholesome adventures and mishaps of Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead and the rest of the Riverdale High teenagers.

“Charlie Schultz, who did Peanuts, once said, ‘If you’re fortunate enough to work with a very successful character and keep it going, you have to keep it looking the same, but you have to make it different in order to keep the spontaneity and freshness.’” Mr. Goldberg said recently. “Archie has been around since 1941—and I’ve been doing the illustrations since 1968—but it’s still popular and timely and appeals to all ages, from little kids to their grandparents who bought it when they were little kids.”

Mr. Goldberg, who has worked as a freelancer since 1958, has incorporated a studio into every piece of real estate he’s ever owned or rented. Currently, he and his wife of 47 years, Pauline, divide their time between three homes: a co-op apartment overlooking the Throgs Neck Bridge and the East River in Beechhurst, Queens; a tiny summer cottage in Hampton Bays that has sweeping views of the Peconic Bay and Robins Island; and a winter rental in the charming artist colony of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

“Every February and March, we rent a place in San Miguel, but our primary residence is in Queens, where all our doctors are,” he said with a laugh. “But we love our place in Hampton Bays. We’ve been coming out to the Hamptons since our kids were small and are now are fortunate to live here from May to October.”

The Goldbergs bought their cottage, once part of a 1950s motel complex, for $130,000 in 1988, after the motel had been converted into a co-op with 12 waterview cottages. Although still unheated and small in terms of square footage, over the years the couple has expanded their home to include a spacious deck, outdoor shower, extra bathroom and more space for Stan to work.

“My studio in Queens is much bigger, but I’m perfectly content with this small desk,” he said of the simple wooden work space, outfitted with only a desk lamp, ruler and pencil sketches for a “Battle of the Bands Competition” for an upcoming Archie comic. “You’ll notice there’s no computer. This new electric pencil sharpener is about as technical as I get.”

Above the desk, two white shelves provide storage and display space for a variety of mementos: comic books, stuffed Archie character dolls, a Spider-Man figure, a large Archie face cut-out, and books (“Hamptons Bohemia,” “Hampton Style,” “Studios by the Sea,” and “The Best Political Cartoons of the Year: 2008”).

“But these are my real treasures,” he says, pointing to photographs near his desk of his two grandchildren: 3-year-old Elliott, and Bridget, who, for her sixth birthday, wanted an Archie-themed birthday party. “They’re terrific little artists and leave their drawings on my desk. They love having a Pop-Pop who can draw with them!”

Mr. Goldberg’s desk is strategically placed so that he can look out the window at the view and gain easy access through the sliding doors to the outside deck, with its colorful display of potted flowers.

“We enjoy entertaining out here,” said Ms. Goldberg, a retired travel agent.

In addition to their grandchildren, the couple get frequent visits from their daughters-in-law and two sons, Stephen, a media director for an advertising agency, and Bennett, a graphic designer who has collaborated with his father on book projects.

“We had another child, Heidi, who at the age of 19 was raped and murdered in 1984,” Ms. Goldberg explained. “After a tragedy like that happens, your life changes forever, but you find a way to go on.”

Fortunately, the couple has found some solace through their involvement in a national organization, Parents of Murdered Children, and through their close connection with each other and their varied travels.

“We really enjoy Santa Fe and the time we spend in Mexico every year,” she said. “In fact, most of the decorations for this house came from there.”

Indeed, the Goldbergs have decorated their home space much in the way Mr. Goldberg works. For his illustrations, he takes a sheet of crisp white paper, fills each frame with characters and backdrops that tell a story, and colors it in with splashes of vibrant hues. Similarly, in their home, the Goldbergs painted all the walls and ceilings a crisp white, and filled each room with colorful objects and characters. From wooden snakes and good-luck Milagros to El Dia de los Muertos figurines and Mexican coconut-head masks, each object tells an interesting story.

“It’s like a fun house, you could never get away with this stuff in a regular house,” said Ms. Goldberg, pointing to a paper mache clown puppet that hangs from the ceiling.

“It’s an amazing piece of art that we bought for $15 in Mexico. My son hates it and thinks it’s scary-looking, like Chucky the Clown. He thinks its eyes follow you,” Mr. Goldberg said, laughing.

While pieces like these can be found throughout the house, the living room is a major repository for the Goldbergs’ collection of antiques, Native American art and Mexican folk art. Thanks to its high ceiling and beams, the living space is open and airy, despite its size. White wicker furnishings, blonde wood floors, pastel Dhuri rugs and lots of blue-and-white give the home a beachy air.

“I’m a water person and just love the soothing color of blue,” said Ms. Goldberg, whose eyes are a mesmerizing shade of sky blue.

Over the couch hang Native American paintings by Santa Fe artist Amy Stein, as well as work by Hamptons artist Mickey Paraskevas, whom Stan calls “the best artist in the world. I’ve know him forever and we’re really good friends.”

On the wall that separates the kitchen from the living room is a fun display of several dozen Mexican coconut masks adorned with flowers, shells and other trinkets—all whimsically shaped into people, devils, animals, fish, sunbursts and mermaids.

“They were all $2 each, except for one I bought in Texas that cost $20. I like to play a game with people to guess which one that is,” Mr. Goldberg said.

A collection of Mexican and Native American tin folk art—colorful mirrors, kokopelli, hearts, angels, and pictures of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo—fills the opposite wall. In the nearby kitchen, the Goldbergs hung a framed Hampton Library poster illustrated by Sag Harbor artist Jim McMullan, as well as numerous roosters and a sign that translated from Spanish says, “The queen does not cook in this kitchen.”

Although Mr. Goldberg is the recognized artist in the house, Ms. Goldberg exhibits her own creative gifts with a display of colorful tin nichos (display cases) she created and filled with skeleton figurines, sparking jewels and trinkets found on their travels in Mexico.

“We love the primitive art we find down there,” said Ms. Goldberg, who also made a “God’s Eye” yarn weaving for her daughter, which hangs in the couple’s bedroom.

In this house, a joyful, creative spirit fills every room, largely because of the exuberant nature of its inhabitants.

Mr. Goldberg, who has the impish smile of a big kid, said, “I’ve been very lucky. I’ve always liked telling a story through pictures. From the time I was a little kid, I always had a crayon or pencil in my hand. And even now, I’m also doing illustrations for women’s magazines like Cosmopolitan and Seventeen and working on other projects. I could retire, but why? I’m busier than ever. And best of all, they’re still paying me for it.”