What Is Love – An Animated Painting

A few weeks ago, I shared a story about a poem that I wrote on the side of a building to help raise awareness about community safety - http://bitsandpeaces08.blogspot.com/2009/01/finding-happiness-in-unexpected.html .

While I was writing that story I remembered an idea that was born at the same time as the poem – way back in the spring of 2001.

Every few years I create a peace of art especially for the woman that I love – my wife Joanne. In 2001, I was thinking about painting another portrait of Jo’. What I wanted to do was to create an image made out of hundreds and even thousands of small segments. The painting would be created by painting only a few of these segments at a time. After every 15-20 little segments I would take a photo of the canvas. Throughout the course of completing this painting hundreds of photos would be taken. In the end I would then create an animation film of the painting be created.

Most people that I’ve shared this idea with were amazed that I would spend that much time creating just one painting… but there’s more to this idea – like “How does the poem fit into this picture?”

First – just imagine a blank canvas, then imagine it with 20 random segments painted, and then 20 more and so on. You will understand that the animation film will look like a ‘sprinkling’ of small bits as the painting is being born. Now, imagine that some of these seemingly random placed segments are not so random. Now, remember the poem…

LOVE
IS A WORLD
FULL OF
HAPPINESS
FOR DELIGHT
IT IGNIGHTS
EXPANDS
INNERLIGHT

So… as the 20 random segments are painted in, very slowly these segments will begin to form the words of the poem. Once the poem has been completed, something really neat happens. Because the poem refers to love being ‘ignited’ (Yes – I realize that I’ve changed the spelling to ‘ignight’ for my poem) there will be an explosion. During the explosion of love – the remaining segments on the canvas become filled in – until the words of the poem disappear and the completed portrait of my wife appears.

This all sounds very wild and fancy - I’m sure that you’ll agree that this is indeed a unique idea. I’ve often thought about it – through the years – and now it’s becoming a reality. While I was writing my blog entry – telling the story of how I painted the poem on the side of an old building – my mind began to churn. I thought, “It’s been three years since I’ve painted a portrait of Joanne and this ‘animated/poem’ idea should finally come to life.”

Just last week I bought the canvas and began to prepare it…


It took many hours of measuring and laying out my grid – to create each of the ‘segments’

Then, I had to layout the words of the poem, onto the canvas. The original poem had to be slightly modified to fit onto this canvas. Once it was laid out, I noticed that I had a bit of space at the bottom. So I drew a bomb. I figured that since there was going to be an explosion that I should have a bomb of love to explode. I laughed when I envisioned the final animation film – designing is by far the most enjoyable part of any project.

After that, it’s all work…


These are just a few of the photos that I’ve taken, so far, in preparation for creating the animation film. As you can see, I have far yet to go…

Over the course of the next few months, I’ll share a few more blog entries with you about this project. You’ll have to make me one promise tho’ – you can’t tell my wife… this is a secret project and I want to surprise her with it for our anniversary this summer.

Jim