This is one of 2 very short animated films which I believe are cornerstones in my work to this day. (the other being the 'Madrigal Alphabet' from Sesame Street) I had hoped with the development of You Tube, torrents, and other means of finding 'lost' videos and audio, I would find this one quite soon, but it eluded me until now. I stumbled upon it quite by accident last night while looking for something else.

I saw this only once, and it's been stamped on my psyche ever since that 1st viewing.. it was the main reason I hung the cassette recorder mike around the channel changing knobs of the TV, as I hoped to one day tape it, and could maybe then play it over and over in order to draw my own visions when hearing the tune. But I never saw it again, or only caught the final fleeting seconds.

For a little gay boy stuck in Buffalo Sabre land, with it's defeated populace, and propensity for violence.. fleeting moments like this brief film, and the message I derived from it, that somewhere out there, people with a desire to create beautiful things, simply because they were aesthetically pleasing, that needed not much else, are what kept me hoping and motivated that one day I would find like minded persons, to live amongst, and create work of similar nature.

Click here to see the video

And a quick update over view of the kids in Story Forest. Though I'm rather happy with the progress at this stage, while working on it the other day, I was suddenly hit by the terror that it's beginning to look like the cover of a Jehovah's Witness publication...

One of the other Christmas related projects I'm doing is figurines based on the 12 Gift Bearer paintings I did. These are made of resin. The smaller Santa on the left is from a new company, and the larger one is from a manufacturer I had been working with until they shut down in October.

I wanted him to be smaller so he would be the same size as the other figures, which are still in various stages of development. I recently sent 'The Russians' (Dyed Moroz and Babushka) to a different factory to be made in resin AND ceramic.

Once I get those two samples I'll be able to decide which direction to go. And of course I'll share them with you, for any opinions or thoughts.

It's not as though I expect people to see every little subtle change and nuance I do to a painting on a constant basis.. but in keeping with the daily updates I thought I would post again..

Yesterday was all about folds in fabric, and the volumes of those folds. though there's a ways to go, I feel the pink apron is looking better.. I also applied those ideas to some of the other skirts in the piece.

We'll see if the momentum continues today..

Here's a shot of yesterday's work. The kids are all getting their individual personalities established and fine tuned. Some to a greater degree than others. Rudimentary lighting effects have also begun.

I'm still not thrilled with Story Lady's pink apron folds, and I'll attack those 1st thing today. But I am rather satisfied with the sleeping boy's face, as he doesn't look dead, or insane, which could easily happen when doing such a face.

Also, his 1920's style clown doll was quite a bit of work, and I've included a dime again just to give you an idea what sizes I'm dealing with.

and a detail... see the rat next to the Piper's left leg?

So I took this shot before it was almost completely dark out .. and you can actually see some of the changes a bit better. For example the lighting that I mentioned yesterday, some of the other figures coming along, and St. George on top of the fountain with no spear yet to kill the Dragon with..

Back to Story Forest, I've been refining the background, and making it begin to recede more. Also have been really working the lighting effects, with the golden glow coming in from the left.. which I think is becoming more evident.. did more on the fountain as well, but by the time I shot this it was getting so dark the pics were coming out too blurry..

Ok, total change of pace for a moment.. the owner of the Bryan China Co. drove to our home from New Castle PA. this morning to hand deliver the newest prototypes of the 4 first Christmas Plates we intend to release.

The newest ones are the ones where the central image is smaller. We feel it's a much better solution. Though some color tweaking still needs to happen, and we feel there should be an indication of some shadow so the figures don't float and are more grounded..

What do you guys think?

So after a couple layers of glaze dried, I was able to get back to work and decided to concentrate on one of the more neglected areas, The Pied Piper, the fountain he's sitting on, and the surrounding foliage.

Although, in this shot, he's appearing much redder than he does in reality. And at this point I"m still thinking his legs will go to a deep, rich purple.

While I'm adhering to the original copper etching's concept, I am adding a few fun twists to personalize it.. at 1st I thought I wouldn't mention this newest one, but as dedicated fans, membership does have it's privileges.. look just to the right of the Piper's left shin.. see something? A small creature that might have something to do with his story?

So a quick overview to see the progress.. Once the white areas of the throne are eliminated, the group of kids and Story Lady will come more into focus.. of course lighting will help that too.. Onward!

And just before a lunch break, the final group of kids is blocked in a bit more. At this point, every square centimeter of the painting has been dealt with, so now it's just a matter of coloring it in and I'll be all done..

Well even though it's my birthday today, I still love to do the things one would think I would avoid.. work, and practice really difficult Beethoven sonatas.. so after a few rounds with the Presto agitato from the Moonlight, I went into the studio and did yet another 'Hold -your-breather.'

This is the term I use to refer to passages in a painting especially faces, where the tiniest of dots of paint, can make or break an expression. One millimeter to the left or right can make a charming rosy faced child suddenly look like E.T. By holding my breath I can control the placement of said dots much better..

I'm kinda thrilled with my latest addition, the girl on the lap of Story Lady.. and just to give you some perspective, I've included a Dime..

like I said, lots of breath holding..

Time for another overview... Story Lady herself has evolved a bit, her face is softer, and has a hint of a smile.. The Pied Piper and the fountain are coming along, as is the snake.. and of course a few tweaks on Snow White..

With appointments to go to today I couldn't work as long as normally, so I dashed off the Story Lady's face, and after I took this pic. continued to work out the folds of her dress and apron. I've decided I'm having her twist her torso a bit while seated, Mannerism!

Thus her feet face slightly left, while her shoulders and arms angle more to the viewer and the children, as if she's about to say, 'Alright, let's gather 'round, and listen..'