NOTE: Due to inclement weather, this event has been rescheduled for March 25, 2014.
Ever wonder what it’s like to bring your art to life? At 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 12, animator and cartoonist Dash Shaw talks about just that idea in “An Evening of Animation with Dash Shaw” at Elizabethtown College’s Bowers Writers House.
Shaw, whose series of animated shorts, “The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D” runs on IFC, makes hand-drawn animations, which in his words are narrative, but also painterly and borderline abstract.
“They’re sort like avant-garde film crossed with an episode of Robotech,” he said. Shaw will show the pieces and discuss them, Wednesday night. Also featured at the presentation, are comic books created by Shaw. His other work includes a music video for Sigur Ros.
…it’s really fun to see these cartoons on a big screen.”
Though not instructional, audience members will learn about the artist’s creative process. “I want it to be enjoyable and for students to have a fun experience,” said Shaw. “Honestly it’s really fun to see these cartoons on a big screen.”
Shaw scans traditional animation –drawn with ink on paper, with backgrounds painted with acrylic–into a computer instead of using a multiplane camera. A motion picture multiplane camera is used in the traditional animation process creating a three-dimensional effect. “When you see them, you can tell they’re hand-done,” the artist said. “It’s executed in an old way, even though I think the end results feel very modern.”
His inspiration comes differently for each of his stories.
“It usually starts from something in my life, and then I try to move it close to how something felt, as opposed to what actually happened,” said Shaw. Though he also has been inspired by a lot of artists, the late French painter, poet and typographer Francis Picabia has been Shaw’s favorite for the past few years.
Admission to “An Evening of Animation with Dash Shaw”, sponsored by the Bowers Writers House, is free. Contact Jesse Waters at writershouse@etown.edu or 717-689-3945
717-689-3945 for more information.