The beads of sweat have run profusely down my face for hours, and exhaustion begins to set in as I and Master of Imagination Graham Annable trek a rarely tread part of the Inca trail to Machu Picchu in search of erstwhile inspiration for his next work. I've been reluctantly pulled along for this adventure in hopes that I could get answers for the questions I am asking each artist participating in the Great Great Grandshow opening this Saturday. We finally take a moment to rest.
W: What was it like to draw inspiration from the past?
GA: It was a lot of fun and very educational for me. I usually just started with general notions of time periods from my memory. Whatever classic images from films and books that got me interested in a certain era. Once I zeroed in on an idea, I began to do the real work of researching the particular time period to get the details correct. I would dive into the details of an era and discover all sorts of surprises I hadn't been aware of before.
W: Wow, I can't believe all the research that went into this work. That is impressive. Once you felt more knowledgeable about an era, what was the process for creating the pieces?
GA: I would do very rough thumbnail sketches to feel out the composition and values of each piece. Then I'd lightly sketch out the final image onto watercolor paper and ink in the characters in black. Afterwards, I'd apply the tones in whatever color I was going with and finish it by doing the final work on the backgrounds.
W: Well, the pieces are fantastic and all of your work has paid off. Of these pieces, do you have a personal favorite?
GA: I suppose "The Unfortunate Demise of Sven, Olie, and Lars - 1024" is my favorite. It took the most work and planning to accomplish and overall I felt good about the end result.
Graham Annable | The Unfortunate Demise of Sven, Olie, and Lars - 1024 | Ink and watercolor on paper | 14" x 11"
W: As you should. Are there any people in history that you find particularly worthy of admiration?
GA: Oh, there are tons of people in history worth admiring. Just like there are tons of people with us today worth admiring. I focused on trying to imagine events and people that history didn't record or admire for the rest of us.
Graham Annable | Sissipuss, Gentlest Ruler of Rome - 158 A.D. | Ink and watercolor on paper | 7" x 5"
W: Let's say we at Nucleus let you borrow our time machine for a day. Which period of time would you visit and would you bring anything back with you?
GA: I suppose since I've been reading a bunch of Arthur Conan Doyle that I'm currently interested in visiting the late 19th century. I'm not sure what I'd bring back though. Maybe a nice hat or something.
W: What can we expect from your newest animation, From Whence Before Times, set to debut at Saturday's Great Great Grandshow?
GA: I think you can expect a similar sensibility expressed in the pieces I've done for the show. Bizarre and not so bizarre events unrecorded by history.
W: Can't wait! ...Ouch, what the hell was that?
GA: Oh, that can't be good, I think those little brown snakes are pretty poisonous. Are you feeling okay?
Keep checking back as Jon Klassen and Israel Sanchez share more about their work in the Great Great Grandshow!
Blogs 01/07/2015
