"an artist first" interview with Mike Giaimo

(Mike Giaimo and Joe Ranft, 1983)

while wasting time looking at film credits on animation artists i've heard of but have not met, i came upon this great interview by Tee Bosustow from "Toonin to the World of Animation."  in his interview with art director/ designer Mike Giaimo, he sheds some great light on the philosophy of being an artist first before performing your "artistic" duties at your studio job.  as examples, he name drops some important figures in UPA 50's animation like Jules Engels and David Weidman (two artists i admire greatly), and how they pushed their own creative endeavors beyond work.  it's incredibly inspiring listening to Giaimo reveal the secrets behind the success of all animation by explaining the brilliance of these UPA men and their passion for creating good art even previous to working at a studio.  by being an artist first, a master of their craft, they've obtained the skills necessary to express what is aesthetically pleasing.  Giaimo mentions how the UPA men didn't see themselves as anything other than artist who fell into animation.  this to me is sexy talk to my ears, words of great encouragement.  i for one see myself as an animator.  but it's my hope to escape that mentality and lure that artist within.

to listen to this great interview with Mike Giaimo click HERE.

thank you!

i just wanted to say thank you to those who came to the goodbye party last friday.  i hope you all had as much of a nice time as i did.  i will honestly miss you guys.  for those who couldn't make it, i gave out a lil gift, and this is what it said:

-My Dear Friend-

It's really quite odd how the days come and go,

Then life's gone at the bat of an eye.

Some may have no care and tell me, "So!"

But, each day is important, and this is why:

You see, in this world there are so many people,

Like the stars, you can't begin to know.

And in it's pure form, love is its staple,

So, embrace it and you'll find that you grow.

Each person, whether enemy or friend,

Has a heart that is like no other.

So with my small but strong arms I break this earths trend,

Grab hold of you and call you my brother.

In the days that we grew, this shouldn't come as a shock,

But you listened during those hard times and strife.

And so I think of you as my special rock,

One that brings such joy and warmth to my life.

Surely more days go by like the rolling of thunder,

Days you can not relive to see.

And though the large distance may put us asunder

 I daily thank my God for thee.

Just like the stars with vast lengths apart,

Lonely, longing for a friend,

Humble yourself, don't think you're so smart, 

And call on those who'll be there till the end.

For if a day comes and one is leaving you stranded,

Don't give up, just pardon the blame.

Know there's a God who leaves no one abandoned

And each day matters all just the same.

                                             Love,

                                             pvose

my goodbye party...come please

i'm off to the Bay Area, friends.  so Friday night i drink to you!

my pen and book at the pub...

test painting #2

this was another fun attempt at a mixed medium piece. it's about 22 3/4 x 20in. notice no character design bologna in it. the next one will be bigger with maybe a more abstract/subtextual meaning, and a character to fit the scene. but, i still have more flowy nature scenes filling my stomach and mind i need to get out. we will see.

ALSO, this is going to be auctioned off for a benefit to stop human trafficking. my kind friends Andres Salaff and Sunha Yoon are putting on the show where many other amazing friends will be showing work and selling it. come and show your support/and or BUY :)

check out the link HERE!

a reel, i guess

this sorta sums up my films over the years. never made a reel before.

a reel...2011 from philip vose on Vimeo.

PORTFOLIO 2011...it be done!

check it out HERE!

it comes to life

"imperfection"

three great things

...

well-off, educated woman

for the portfolio.

another one for the books

new portfolio coming soon...hopefully

larger scale me

i hope to eventually brake out of the bad habit of working in such small scales, like my lil book, and actually try to complete finished pieces of work, preferably the kind that go on walls.

this is my first attempt i guess. it's 12x36 which might be small to you, but to me it's like being at the beach and getting swallowed by a towering 3 foot wave. in time i'll get used to it and ride them 20 foot waves. and, in the process get deeper and more sincere with the content behind each image. my goal isn't to use the means for creating art like that of a character design assignment. in animation you have a natural tendency to draw a single meaningless character with all the right straights and curves and clear silhouette standing there blandly. most of the time it's a cleche' concept that arrives to you first.  i'd like to break that mentality and put real, unique meaning and design to my images be it abstract or story-driven.

oh, above are my two boys Harry and Charlie. they're the best!

some "Tangled" ideas

these were a few concepts for "Tangled" some time back. still need to go see it ha.  get the art of book and you can find a couple of these in there, plus many many more goodies from those talented guys and gals there.

FRoZeN

another fun 24 hr. film, another weekend of neglected responsiblities. theme..."frozen".

FRoZeN from philip vose on Vimeo.

bit of fall 2010

this is an older one. why not.

simple bar sketch. lil color

snow rock

and this is from where it emerges...

ghost

don't know why i didn't add this earlier.  here's a 24hr. toons film.  took exactly that much time.  so much fun!  join in for the next one in december...


GHOST from philip vose on Vimeo.

Homes on a Hill...

during my short stay in Kenya i had the chance to go with my brother and document a very small piece of a much larger poverty-stricken community.  indeed what we saw was something that was not only sad, but in a way disappointing.

my brother ben and i put together this short 10 minute film showing a bit of the troubling situations of families who live on a dump site in Nakuru.  some of the dialogue may be a bit difficult to understand do to a lack of translators, but with the small amount of resources that were available to us i feel the emotion and expression of these kind peoples faces is enough to deliver a heart wrenching impression.  it certainly did me and hope it will you.

if by the end you feel there is any room in you to dig deeper to understand more and what can be done to help please visit this site or email:  www.rohikenya.org, rohikenya@gmail.com

humbly...thanks.

happy birthday kendall, kirstin, ben xoxo


Homes on a Hill from philip vose on Vimeo.

awwwwkward..

there it is...

baby with arms...

i enjoy things that have a mood whether it's sad, mellow, or hopeful. maybe this conveys something like that despite it's simplicity. sometimes keeping away from obnoxious lighting and realism i feel helps keep a bit of sincerity, unless you're a master painter of light like Caravaggio. i am not there yet...