In the Shadow of Giants

Right now, I'm busy with my portfolio.
Come the Toronto International Film Festival, my schedule will burst. I have 20 films to watch over the 10 day festival, and I hope to post about particularly notable ones, as well as, hopefully, the queues; memorable in themselves. This is a rare instance when people are excited by film and one can feel an actual energy emerge from the city. It feels like you're participating in something vital, important and alive!--and in many ways you are: these films evidence emerging voices finding new, engaging ways to tell stories.

Breaking ground occurs in every medium, and the composite above represents my thoughts on those who affected drawing, illustration and representational painting. It is obviously intensely personal, and by no means exhaustive or definitive, and of course has nothing to do with actual movements in art, but, for all intents and purposes, these are some of my heroes, although a couple big ones are absent. These people found new means of expression, were driven by new provocations, and are among the very best at what they did. They set standards terrifically high and had a profound effect on what came afterward. I always try to remember the lineage to which we belong, and these giants, to me, are the embodiment of that legacy.

Let's not forget though, that every graphic artist since the beginning of time has been in control of the same picture elements (the point, the line and the area...), and that our varied use of them results in rich diversity, in these cases, incredible visions. It drives me crazy!--but it also makes me aware that it is possible to acheive picture perfection. The quality of our images is determined by our choices, and the tools are all at our disposal...

Over the next few weeks I had hoped to show you some of the development work I've been doing on a number of films. First though I wanted to show you what I'm aspiring to, what I'm trying to live up to. I don't know how much I'll be able to reveal-I don't want to tip the hand--and the posting will be slow, but bear with me and I'll show you some drawings; but first it looks like I've gotta watch some films...

Yay!