“There is a privacy about it which no other season gives you…. In spring, summer and fall people sort of have an open season on each other; only in the winter, in the country, can you have longer, quiet stretches when you can savor belonging to yourself.” -Ruth Stout (I’ve quoted this before.. perfect for a winter & country & solitude loving person like myself.)
I had a super amazing weekend at the Lola Giant Holiday Show. Thanks so much to all you folks that came by! I couldn’t have asked for a better end to my year of art shows. Now, onto some major production work… and to enjoy the winter. Although I’ll still be working, it sort of feels like my summer break from school, only in a different season and with different priorities. Speaking of winter, I’m seriously hoping for snow this year. I feel like I was cheated out of winter last year.
And one last note, in the last 5 seconds of my drive to my final destination of the evening, a red fox ran in front of my car and into my mom’s yard. It was dark so I didn’t see where it went after that.. I think it must be a good omen to see a coyote going one way and a fox going the other. Omen or not, I get extensive joy out of seeing foxes and coyotes in the wild.. Til next time.
This may sound a little strange, but I love how animals bulk up and their fur grows thick as the winter approaches. I’ve been aiding my little squirrel friends in their winter prep with sunflower seeds and corn. I find them waiting on my deck railings every morning as the sun rises, knowing that I’ll be fixing them up soon.
I spent last night at my mom’s house hanging out with my cat (my family tends to think I come just to see the cat) and since I don’t see him regularly, he looked like a giant — at least 1/3 bigger than he looked over the summer– he’s been gradually increasing weight and fur as the temperatures decrease. In fact, he got so scraggly during the summer that I almost took him to the vet, but I suppose it was just his way of adapting to the environment (hot as hades). There’s no question about his health now.
I was on the road back home by 5:30am this morning, and as usual, I hit the country roads, except there was a very dense fog, and since there were no lines painted on the roads, I could hardly see where I was driving. I even had to hit my brakes for a family of bunnies that I didn’t see until I was almost on top of them. Anyway, I rerouted myself back to the main highway since it took me an hour to go 20 miles and I had an art fair to get to. And not long after I got on the highway, I spotted a coyote right alongside the road, bulked up for the winter with a thick, full coat. It was so beautiful. The end.
I had a super amazing day at my first day at the Lola Giant Holiday Show. This is my first year at this show.. and it’s also my last show of the year. So many thanks to all you folks who came out today. I’ll be there again tomorrow from noon til 4.
I always go back to Lotte Reiniger to draw inspiration — it was her animation “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” that inspired me to start paper cutting & animation. My graduate thesis paper was written about her animation process. I wish I had access to this video back then (in the days before youtube..).
Nerd speak to follow: In serious effort to do the thing I’ve really been longing to do, which is more and better animation (what originally got me into paper cutting), I’ve taken a slight plunge and am outfitting myself with some new equipment.. I’m putting aside my Nikon d40 for a Canon 60d which comes with live view (and will also be a step up in my photography endeavors — getting an extra lens that zooms to 300mm for some serious wildlife closeups). I was using an old digital camcorder from the 1990’s to shoot my animation, and the image quality just wasn’t near what I want it to be. With live view, I can integrate this DSLR camera into my animation setup for image capture on the spot, and I’ll be using Dragonframe, the same software used to create Paranorman, Frankenweenie, and hundreds of other amateur and professional stop-motion animations. Dragonframe is actually able to control the camera, giving me better results as far as the image capture alone goes. I’ve also decided to invest in a desktop iMac and use the Adobe Production Suite for my editing needs. This gives me access to After Effects, an amazing motion effects software, and easily works between Photoshop and Premiere for editing and sound addition. I’m also looking to set up a very basic, but good, sound recording gitup so I can make my own music (I’ve been working hard at the ukulele for a reason!). Of course, more paper cuttings to come as my art fairs come to an end for the year (and won’t start again til next April..), but also, new paper cut animations as well. It’s been a long time since I’ve worked with any software that’s not completely basic, but I’m looking forward to figuring it all out, because as I think I’ve said before, there’s no better feeling for me than what results from seeing my artwork come alive on a screen.
Today I picked up my paper cutting that was stolen in Baldwin City from the girl that bought it at the goodwill store. She had actually purchased it a couple months ago not knowing that it had been stolen. Even stranger, it was at the same goodwill store here in Lawrence that I just very recently donated a carload of stuff to when I had the urge to purge.. So maybe there was some good karma going on there. I don’t know.. But I’m thankful that I have it back. I even felt a little teary when I saw it, since I had long ago accepted the fact that it was gone. My car got stolen in NYC when I lived there, but this was a bit more of a violation to me since it’s something of my very own making.. so there was more of an attachment perhaps. I suppose it justifies, like all things do really, my belief that everything turns out the way it’s supposed to.
The fox in this picture was guarding the bird on their journey. They took a real journey and made it back unharmed…
