Saturday, October 15, 2011

Candle Dance Video

Candle Dance....

The streetlights blinked on without having to compete with the stars of a clear night, as it had been quite rainy most of the day. But the usuals were not daunted by the downpours. One by one, or two by two they made their way into the Coney Island, claiming their seat. Creatures of habit. No one dared to venture to a different table or seat at the counter, even if the the creature who claimed the spot was absent.
   Feather, one of the new cooks was in a fist fight. But no one moved a brow as the helpless mound of dough took punch after punch.
   Clara, a constant, finally spoke up. "Feather, you mad at somebody? Geez."
   "He's training to be the next 'feather-weight' champ." That was Wilmer, jumping in from the corner table. It was like that with the Harley night crowd. Easy-going chats. Only winding-down conversations. It was as if everyone silently agreed that the night was too late to get all worked up over someone's words.
   They would save that for the morning coffee crowd that dragged in and burst out with the bright sun and a caffeine jolt.

   Jandalene got the ice cream parlour side whipped up. Another newbie. She and Feather became fast friends, but neither would admit that the opening for manager position had them in competition mode. Should have been obvious. For every praise that Feather received, Jandalene would give an attention getting throat-clearing, and, "Oh, think I'll check the inventory...again."
   Vinton, the owner, loved organization. After all, the restaurant was his 'child.' And, if the 'child' was not happy, the whole house heard about it.
   Feather had dreams of his own. Two of them sat as caged cubs in a situation they did not understand. It would be up to him to salvage any of their remaining hopes to be a family again.
   Jandalene came in like Feather. A little by chance. A lot by circumstance. She appreciated Vinton's approachable managerial style, still she kept the novel of her life inside. Her blank stare didn't always mean a blank page.
   At The Pound Dog, across the street, Minerva stands eyes focused on Harley's through the thick glass door. She turned the open-closed sign. Her daughter put away the last of the dishes, sighed, and was glad the day was done.
   Minerva just stood there....
By B.Arnold

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

SOS For A Friend

Artist's Thoughts,
I was going through the afternoon headlines on a newswire moment ago and found a moving and very serious story on a tech entrepreneur. His name is Amit Gupta and he has recently been diganosed with acute leukemia. His need for a bone marrow transplant match is urgent! Amit is South Asian. There is a Twitter hashtag:ISwabbedForAmit.

I read that the New York tech community is hosting an event on Friday for an opportunity to donate. Amit's story is on tumblr.amitgupta.com. If you can, please get the message out to help Amit. Thank you so much.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Getting It Write

Artist's Thoughts,
I keep a journal that I also sketch in. Although, there are times when I may not completely work out what I intend to say, sort of just go with the flow, I guess. For me, that's the 'highwire' style of writing.

I was thinking about the etiquette of mentioning names of authors, artists, ect. I got on this subject because, there I was at the library reading this wonderful article in a writer's magazine and failed to note the writer's name. I will find out, of course and give the proper notation. The writing has left such an impression on me.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Candle Dance Scene

Artist's Thoughts,
This is a scene from the upcoming animated film clip of "Candle Dance." I am volleying between multiple projects to catch up on so much time away.

As I have been letting the visual side lead the way, it's kind of let me short of words. Among other things. I did however manage to sketch some thoughts in my journal to get back into the writing side that I enjoy so much. While at the library, I read an article in a writer's magazine. It was a very inspiring story about a writer who wrote about getting back into writing after experiencing grief.

Staying in the vibe. Until next time....

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Dancetown Pict


In this scene the animated character, Parker V. from Hero City Beat and Peppermint Village appears in the continuation of Dancetown. Also in this still are two mechanical beings from the story.

Artist's Thoughts,
Every story begans with a searching of the heart. What to say? How to say it? My approach to this continuation of Dancetown started with a series of visuals that soon helped to pin down the meaning. I had the premise for a long time, but was not sure as to how it would work. Once I established the tone, which is energetic, lots of movement, dancing, but also with the storyline of an artist being true to their call, more scenes continued to unfold.

The keyword here is "unfold."

I like to select different characters to play the lead roles. There are many unusual characters in Dancetown. "Parker V." the lead in the picture above, is one of my favorites.

It's good to dance. Gotta stay in motion.

Looking forward to sharing more with you.