another...

here's another painting from a while ago

More Art

Here's the last painting I finished... a bit different. It's hanging in my Dining room. My daughters toys are sitting on a table in front of it...ignore those... It's called The Starfruit Tree, and it started as an unfinished painting that I din't know what to do with. I had grown a starfuit tree on a window ledge from a seed (one of my few successes at gardening), and just got inspired one day. I plugged away at this painting for months off and on and it was one of the most enjoyable paintings I've ever done.

New Job

So, I finished at Core, and am starting at IDT Toronto this Monday. It was a great experience at Core, but IDT will be a very nice change. Lots of old friends are there, and it will be a new challenge which is always a good thing! My three week vacation felt like it lasted 3 days. Dammit.

Baby!

Well, we had another girl! Isabel Johnston, born Oct. 23rd at 9:58 am. Mom and baby are feeling great and we can say goodbye to sleeping in, but it's worth it.

Another painting....

Painting

I have about 15 or 20 of these things sitting in my basement... all 4 x 4 feet on sanded plywood.

current music....

Death From Above 1979. Wow. Pick up the EP called Heads Up if you can find it.
Hard-Fi : Stars of the CCTV
Sebadoh : Bakesale (oldie but a goodie)
Arcade Fire (of course)

Another....

Just a sketch....

Surly Squirrel

So Surly Squirrel is kicking ass out there on the festival circuit. 5 awards in 7 festivals! Congratulations to my friend Peter Lepeniotis on a super job! I hope you all get a chance to see it. It's on the Siggraph Animation Festival reel for 2005. Check it out!

Mount St. Helens

I've always had an interest in volcanoes and natural phenomena, and ever since Mount St. Helens erutpted I've been watching as the lava dome within the crater has grown over the last year, but it looks like it's slowing down quite a bit. Less earthquakes, and slower lava extrusion.

Here's a link to the VolcanoCam where you can track what's happening right now.

Joe Ranft

I've neglected to update this with anything lately. Life got busy, my wife and I are having another baby, we're renovating the house, the job is coming to an end soon.... but hearing the news of Joe Ranft's passing hit me really hard.

We all love to be told a good story.

Joe Ranft told great stories.

Stories are told for so many different reasons, but lately most of the seemingly important stories we are told are to create fear in us to forward a cause, like in politics.

I used to be a pretty negative person, but since the birth of my daughter I've done everything possible to be more positive and set a good example for her, and listen to stories with a positive heart and life, and they've been difficult to find. The stories that Joe Ranft told were all included in that goal. It's not about putting blinders on, it's about looking at the postive side of things.

As an animator I try in some small way to be a story teller as well, and... when somebody who has told so many great stories and had so many more to tell is taken away at such a young age it is just heartbreaking. I had never met him, but as stupid as it sounds, when I saw him in all the DVD's and interviews, it almost felt like I did know him. I wish I could have known him. He told stories to make people happy, and unfortunately that seems to be a rarity these days. What a terrible, terrible loss. But the stories will live on.

And they are a treasure.

ROTS

So I watched Return of the Sith last night, and I have to say I liked it more than I expected. You know, you hear this and that before you watch a movie and you try to prepare yourself.... but it was pretty good! The audience I watched it with didn't laugh too much at the corny bits so maybe that helped...

New Music: Stephen Malkmus - Face the Truth

Well, uh.... first post?

So here it is. I'm on the web.