As the year drew to a close, I decided that rather than reflection, feeding my soul was more important. So since it was my birthday and I had the day off of work, I drove to Detroit in order to surround myself with art at the Detroit Institute of Art. Within moments of walking through the doors, I felt my internal batteries start to recharge. It's an odd feeling--actually is a physical feeling, kind of like a tingling that runs just above the base of my skull, down along my spine reaching to the base of my sternum, and across my shoulder blades. I can't really explain it. It's not an unpleasant sensation, just... odd. After a couple hours, I feel this sensation of being "full" and that's when I know it's okay to leave. I also get this sensation when walking around Toronto or being at animation festivals.
Animation-wise, I'd call this year a successful one. I didn't have (make) time to do a lot of animation as I was teaching Animation History at Central all year--Fall 2020, Spring 2021 and Fall 2021. But we've got the new schedule in place so it looks like Fall semester from here on out, which leaves my Spring and Summer open to prep for the Fall semester's class as well as pick up some freelance work and dabble in some personal art projects.
So rather than spout off about projects that I'm hopeful to complete in the coming year (and I do have a couple), I'd like to share some photographs that I took at the DIA in the hopes that they will feed your soul as much as they did mine.
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| Red Gladioli, ~1919 Chaim Soutine |
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| Sylvette, 1954 Pablo Picasso |
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| Fruit Piece, 1849 Robert Seldon Duncanson |
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| Petunias, 1881 Henri Fantin-Latour |
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