Here I am again

Ah. It has been years now, i stopped writing.

clever niece did good again last summer too

been perusing leigh hodgknson blog with awe. what a clever clever egg

rabbit

This is a small animation by my clever 6 year old niece Hannah. She made the rabbit entirely by herself, we animated for a bit then went out on our bikes to pick enough blackberries for a pie.

Working hard and life is busy. I've got a new film idea I am working hard on and hoping to get funding for - I have been pitching to and being encouraged by Re-animated/Warp and have plenty to do. The tatemovie is moving forwards, all the children's drawings are stunning (but sadly none by either of my nieces so far). The studio is getting busy. It is going to be a beautiful film.

I am going to BAF (Bradford animation festival) at the end of this week and then the lovely Bristol Encounters week long festival (brief and animated) where MoM is showing in Best of the South West along with some very exemplary films.

The ArthurCox party is on the thursday - tickets can be got (go to worldofarthurcox.com and look on the news board).

Another Hannah-nimation to follow soon when i can make it small. it is quite giant and very brilliant.

Japan and stuff

It has been ages again. and i have been busy.

I have moved into Aardman to be the art director on the incredibly exciting tate movie project (www.tatemovieproject.com). So far we have been on a tour of the tate galleries doing workshops, and made a small test and a bigger test. The drawings and ideas sent in by the children are pretty ridiculously good, the project is a beauty.

Mother of Many is getting into plenty festivals, so i have just got back a week ago from 2 weeks in Japan. Hiroshima festival was stunning and i met lovely people there, saw amazing films and went to big parties, and to the peace park and museum (which was hard and upsetting). I travelled down into Kyushu where i got quite ill, but made up for it when i got better and saw giant crabs and temples and ate as much as i could fit in my belly.

Then returning to britain I set off on a big road trip visiting my whole family. To bretton, otley, west witton, warton and then home, it was a big drive hundreds of miles in the orange. I looked after my niece and we did some animation - which she loved and is very good at for a 6 year old. It has been a pretty perfect week, looking forward to going back to work.

One of a Kind

We finished radiotherapy - and had a launch with all the amazing children. Cream teas and a sunny garden.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHDuLIjMKr8

like old times

I am sitting waiting for a render. Radiotherapy is so almost done - but last little hickups and messes happening, but i am used to it and ready this time. Feels a lot easier to be recognizing my mind and keeping on top of things. Desperately wanting a swim now...NOW, but i have to wait.

Am very pleased with the finished thing I think - though it is hard to see what it is with my face so close to the screen.

It has been such a hugely lovely film to work on. Children, oncologists and radiologist have all been so amazingly inspiring, and a team of such ridiculously clever people all working hard for me has been a pleasure.

Mother of Many was in Canne short film corner but didn't win (Crash Bang Wallow - another 4mations one did - well done Jon). Was amazing though having it on youtube - over 100 thousand people watched it and there were so many comments... (the best was 'i like boobies'). Really looking forward to going to Krakow in a couple of weeks. But more soonly to having a rest a bit if i can fit one in.

x

one thing at a time and a bit of rest

International Day of the Midwife went really well, about 60 people came and made £400 for safehands.org, and I gave out around 40 tokens for free swims at the lido. Midwives were happy and nearly made me cry with their praise and loveliness about my film.

We screened 10 films, including Steve Smiths - 'Eating for Two', Safehands Ethiopian training film 'The Big Push', some of 'One Born Every Minute' from channel 4, 'Doubled Up' by Sam Moore, 'Window, Water, Baby, Moving' by Stan Brakhage, and 'Mother of Many' by me.

Window Water - I hadn't realized was a silent 10 minute art film with lots of extreme close ups (Brakhage filmed his first baby being born in 1959) - I had watched it on youtube, where it was very tiny and had music added and the lady bits didn't look quite so big. That said - it is a very beautiful film and I am very glad to have got it shown.

I rowed in big international gig championships in the Scillies at the weekend ... though we very nearly got the booby prize - we managed to pick up speed and win our final race and get a trophy. The best bit was sitting in the sea like a viking - waiting to race.

I am really quite relieved now - to be only concentrating on one thing - but that one thing is still many. The deadline for the radiotherapy film is 2 weeks away - so i had better get on with it.

Looking all good though with a brilliant team of clever eggs.

x

INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE MIDWIFE

it is at

4 oclock

(not 3)

and for midwifes only....