It really goes by so quickly. And summer is usually my favorite time of the year. I love many things about summer: swimming pools, longer days, the calm between semesters, freshly grown produce from the Farmer’s Market, sun on my skin, sandals, and a certain contentment that, as a child, came from not being in school.
For me, this summer is marked by the books I’ve read (more at that at the end of the year), the heatwave, and how I’ve managed my studio work. The heatwave was so intense and protracted that it somehow obscured the annual phenomenon where the light shifts, ushering with it a dose of late summer melancholy. It happened this year, but I did not feel it as acutely because of the heat.
The past three summers contained animation sprints, where I was locked away in my hot studio, sweating over my camera stand and burning the candle at both ends. I didn’t do that this year. Not exactly.
I wrapped up the writing workshop at the University of Baltimore with five new stories to animate. What a gift! I am taking my time with these, and I chose one to begin with. I hired voice over artists to read my script, and I intend to start animating this fall. I’m still working out the styles, but I’m almost there.
I did spend a lot of time this summer working on puppets for animation. 3D scanning and printing, and developing armature strategies.
I spent this summer in Bedrock sandals, which I’ve worn on all my walks. I also like Luna’s, but I think I prefer Bedrock for style and durability. I’ve been trying to work up to doing a half marathon in there. So far, I’ve done 1o miles. Anyway, I recommend Bedrocks – they are well made, and last. Kinda like Teva’s used to.
This summer brought me us Criterion Channel, and, oddly, hope.
I didn’t get to see Kinds of Kindness in the theater, sadly. It seemed to rush directly to streaming. I love the absurdity. I disagree with the bad reviews I’ve read online – I love the cast and cast shifting (actors playing different roles in the same film). I love Poor Things. I’m still processing this one – I’ve only watched it once, and that was over three sittings. But, I like it.
The fall semester has started. I have a new classroom, new ideas, and a lot of energy for this school year. The Orioles are still kicking it, and football starts this Thursday.
And what follows below are a random assortment of photos from the last days of this summer.
