Cartoon in Cando — Life Drawing Workshop with Art Show
Thank you Cando Arts Council, Kathy Benson and Joan Youngerman for coorinating an amazing afternoon of cartoon life drawing. I am grateful for the opportunity where the hearts of young artists were touched...mine certainly was.
Travis Blaise — Disney animator and story artist — interview notes
ToonBoom — 2D animation software — webinar notes of hour interview with animator and story artist Travis Blaise.
Notes from Floyd Norman’s 2013 book “Animated Life: A Lifetime of Tips, Tricks and Stories from a Disney Legend.” Floyd Norman, the first African American to animate for Disney Studios, offers insight in drawing characters “alive” with Disney’s inimitable illusion of life. A how-to memoir of a fifty year corporate ladder climb from magic factory apprentice on Sleeping Beauty in 1956; to in-betweener for tour de forces Ward Kimball and Milt Kahl; to animator assistant; to coveted animator; to story lead; to art director and finally to Disney Legend in 2006. Working in person with the maestro himself shortly before Walt’s death in 1966 while producing Jungle Book, to educating a new generation of animators on Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc. — Norman has seen and done it all. He writes about it with grace, wit and wisdom.
Mulner's Valentine
Homemade card barter with a Canadian heavy-equipment operator to borrow his RV for a Medora Western film-shoot in May.
It's Your World
n 1986, Stephanie Wilson, a kindergartner in Puyallup, Washington drew a trash can atop earth saying “This is Your World.” She and her family were awarded seven tickets to Northwest Trek — a zoo in Washington with native animals. For thirty-five years the image stayed in her father, Dave Wilson’s, head. He and I met in downtown Williston encouraging me to recreate his daughter’s vision via metal signs to raise awareness of keeping pollution down through accountability.
Justin's Bible: Chasing Juliette Aristides' Muse
Commissioned by Pastor Justin Jenkins, Velocity Church, Lawrence Art Center, Kansas
Jesus weeps
Joseph gives
Paul preaches
David dances
Jonah runs...
The illustrated portrait of Christ lamenting for humanity’s inescapable destiny with death personified by his hearing of Lazarus’ is inspired by D. Jeffrey Mims’ 1999 charcoal Self-Portrait found in Juliette Aristides’ book Classical Drawing Atelier: A Contemporary Guide to Traditional Studio Practice. Aristides founded the Gage Academy on Capitol Hill, Seattle, Washington, upon training under Richard Lack as a place for serious students to study traditional art.
The hieratic scale — size associated with importance utilized by the ancient Egyptians — of a giant Joseph exposing himself to his brothers showering them with gifts of sustenance in a barren land in the spirit of his father who gifted his favored son the coat of many colors is inspired by Maria Kreyn’s 2015 oil painting Rising. “She channels heavy forms and simplicity” says The Figurative Artist’s Handbook author Robert Zeller, “of the Severe Classical Greek sculpture style from 490 - 450 BC.” Kreyn’s images fuse perceptions of spiritual dimensions with reality using symbolic light coming not from a physical light source, but a seemingly spiritual one. The layout of the brothers at the bottom references French sculptor, Antoine Bourdelle’s, Meditation of Apollo and the Nine Muses, 1910-12 Art Deco 12’ x 4.5’ bas-relief.
The portrait of Paul the Apostle references Matthew Grabelsky’s 2004 cast drawing of Orfeo Boselli’s San Benedetto, Angel Academy of Art, Florence, Italy. “By imitating accomplishments of artists who came before” says Aristides, “you surpass your current skill level and gain particular insight into the master artist’s working method.” Careful and detailed study of a brilliant drawing inspires camaraderie pushing the boundaries of what is possible. Through analyzing, deconstructing and rebuilding a masterwork, experiential knowledge of the master’s working method is found by no other means possible. The Israeli crowd Paul preaches to in Jerusalem is inspired by Pierre Puvis de Chavannes’ mid nineteenth-century, Group of Four Figures — a black and sanguine crayon drawing heightened with white crayon on 29” x 17” beige paper, Louvre, France.
The Jewish king bowing before the Ark in celebration of its return references Juliette Aristides’ 2004 charcoal and white pencil drawing, Sutherland 1: Bowing. The divine spirit rising from the Ark of the Covenant is inspired by Alice Aycock’s 20’ x 15’ x 8’ painted steel, fiberglass and wood sculpture, Tree of Life Fantasy: A Synopsis of the Book of Questions Concerning the World of Order and/or the Order of Worlds, 1990-92. Aycock’s inspiration includes the “double-helix DNA structure” says Mary Stewart, author of Launching the Imagination: A Comprehensive Guide to Basic Design, “and medieval illustration of people entering Paradise through a spinning hole in the sky.” Aycock combines linear structure with a series of circular planes in open space resulting in playful, roller-coaster-like sculpture.
Originally the “great fish” as scripture translates from Hebrew was color penciled over the Jonah chapter as a horrific dragon copied from Kevin Walker’s Drawing and Painting Fantasy Beasts: Bring to Life the Creatures and Monsters of Other Realms. I was inspired by the enormous, ghoulish fanged Xipactinus — “Sword Ray” fossil from the Late Cretaceous period seen at the Bismarck, North Dakota Heritage Center and State Museum in November, 2019. Also known as the “X-Fish,” like a marlin and tuna today, it’s aerodynamic body and teeth are adapted for catching and eating other fish. Justin requested a more whale-like creature. Upon erasing the dragon, I Googled ‘large sea fish’ and ‘men swimming’ to juxtapose references in Photoshop for final composition. I refrained from black acrylic gouache; instead vying for an aquatic-feel through ultramarine blue, viridian green and violet to achieve the deep-sea darks. “Even in the deepest depths of Sheol” Jonah says in chapter 2:2, “You hear my prayer” is my favorite passage in the Bible.
Aeneas
Unapproved bronze sculpture concept; August 13, 2009; for the first million dollar high school west of the Mississippi, built in 1931.
Although Troy fell with Aeneas being a near-lone survivor to the spoils of the Greeks and Achilles’ unquenchable wrath, his descendants, the twins Remus and Romulus suckled by the she-wolf, founded Rome — one of history’s greatest and most influential civilizations spanning a thousand years.
“Fate raises up, and Fate casts down the happy and unhappy alike: no man foretells his Fate.”
— Sophocles (450 BC)
(translated by Dudley Fitts and Robert Fitzgerald)
POP CARS ART SHOW MAILER
POP CARS are touring North Dakota and it’s high time I got this mailer out to friends, family and fans. If you’d like me to jot your address next to Jeff Bridges and Sigourney Weaver, holler at me at mack@macklinart.com. Design created using scanned in hand-drawn illustration rotoscoped digitally in Photoshop with a Wacom Cintiq tablet.
Grand Theatre Thank You Card
Thank you card and wishlist to the Grand Theatre management and staff for countless hours of silver screen film school this past year with a tremendous selection of post-Covid retro galore. Usually I’m the only kid in class. But last night there was a three-hundred and fifty pound man who fell asleep early into Ridley Scott’s “Alien.” Needless to say, had we been aboard the Nostromo, he’d have been the first to go. Fingers crossed for the Sergio Leone trilogy...and would it kill ya to play Katsuhiro Otomo’s “Akira.”
Berryton Ranch greenhouse gutter with flue — September 30, 2011
Berryton Ranch greenhouse gutter with flue, September 30, 2011. Some of my fondest memories at the farm are reading, writing and drawing in the south side greenhouse at the Kansas cattle ranch. I converted the 10’ x 20’ limestone walled, concrete floored and curved glass ceiling sunroom into an art studio with saw horses and plywood tabletop. I surrounded myself with dense vegetation including African water lilies that bloomed once a summer. A continuous nurturing of creative pursuit — absorbing art and design books through Topeka’s interlibrary loan, plein-air landscape painting near the Wakarusa River and time to reflect while watering potted plants with handmade ceramic ware from college — blessed me with a lifelong love of artistic development I am grateful for.
THE ICE-CHEF COMETH
“The general rule of ice sculpture” says Minneapolis chainsaw carver, Trevor Pearson “is to be as aggressive as possible.” Trevor is as fast with a joke as he is with a filed-raker blade saw. “How do you know when it’s finished?” I ask. “When my arms are too tired” he says with a ‘Minnesota-Nice’ smile. “You must be flexible by innovating tools.” He points to a dolly he welded handles on to act as legs for a flat plywood table when laid down. “Order custom made tools” he says explaining a retired CNC machinist turned virtuoso Alaskan ice sculptor who threads rotary tool heads each with a unique purpose including — rosco bits, end mills, cone burrs and rotary knives. Trevor brushes crystals off the forty-inch tall ice chef after three hours of carving. He pulls off his saucer glove, shakes my hand and says “I better hit the road...”
When I think of certified Reiki Master, Crissy McGillis, in Jackie’s Wellness Spa, downtown Williston, North Dakota, I don’t think of holistic healing vibrations transmitted through a laying on of hands originating a hundred years ago by Japanese spiritual monk, Mikao Usui, meaning “Universal Life Energy.” Instead, I think of the Okinawa Karate master, Mr. Miyagi, furiously rubbing his hands together then clasping Ralph Macchio miraculously healing an illegal kick to the knee before returning for the final fight against the leader of the ruthless Cobra Kai gang, Johnny Lawrence, in the 1984 coming of age classic “The Karate Kid.” Despite my knowledge of an Eastern healing art limited to 80’s Hollywood drama; I’m excited to barter five 7” x 14” acrylic canvases painted with Reiki symbol and translation, framed with Minwax coco bean stain on 1” x 2” treated pine strips run through a table saw displayed in Crissy’s parlor, in exchange for massage sessions. I hope by means of touch, channeled energy activates natural healing processes restoring physical well-being where I’d feel good enough to take on the whole Cobra Kai gang myself. Or at the very least have Johnny Lawrence hand me the tournament trophy and say, “You’re great.”
Jen's Mask
Tattoo brush and ink design drawn from life based on a handmade Italian mask gifted from a US soldier to his daughter.
Firefighter Muralist
West Fargo (Horace suburb) mural pitch inspired by pop art giant, Roy Lichtenstein, of a 1996 yellow five-seater Freightliner FL80 (sketched at fire station) dousing the flames of the Williston, North Dakota old Methodist parsonage (sketches from curb) built in 1915 — where I resided a month upon arrival three winters ago.
Photos and commission by the first full-time salaried West Fargo Fire Chief, James Herrmann — five year Williston resident — who played a good sport and let me don jacket and helmet from 1957.
"Not a day without a line. By writing, reading, working and practicing daily, perseverance will lead me to a good end.” – Vincent Van Gogh