Angie here again. Jamie has fallen into a hole at Ken Duncan Studios right now. We are hoping he will climb out soon and post something. For now, you are stuck with me and my posts.Today, I want to share a little bit about another incredible artist and a big influence on me as an artist and a human being.
Dave Zaboski is an extremely talented guy who worked for Disney for years. I met him on the Stuart Little 2 project in 2000. I knew when I first met him that he was different. Dave is an innovator and independent thinker. This guy has always inspired me with his pure perspective on life and art. Dave is a graduate of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena. He also spent many years at Disney working on shows like: Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Pocahontas, The Lion King, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Tarzan, The Emperor's New Groove, Hercules, and Fantasia.
But Dave had bigger fish to fry. He left animation shortly after we worked together on Stuart Little 2 to pursue his dream of working as a portraiture artist. And, he has done it. He told me when Disney sent him to France he found his old passion for fine art and it had stuck with him over the years. I spent most all the afternoon with him talking about art, life and creativity. Dave firmly believes that "if you work your skills and take this one life and become the best you can possibly be not letting anything stop you from connecting to the soul of your own spirit, you can make up your life with the same creativity that drives everything you do." He told me this when I interviewed him for the book, Oh yeah...I forgot to tell you, Dave is one of the 50 contributors to the book and also gave us some amazing sketches from our time working at Sony, to help illustrate the book.
You know what else? He has the most amazing custom made animation desk you will ever see. I HAD to take some snaps of it. He had a friend who was a wood worker build what Dave calls "the last animation stand he will ever sit at." Its about twice the length of any professional stand I have ever seen and has all kinds of secret compartments and nooks and crannies to organize the things an animator needs. It even has one of those old school Panasonic pencil sharpeners bolted underneath. 
Finally, there is a piece of wood so perfectly cut that you can drop it into the hole where the wheel goes and it become a solidly flush drafting desk. This is baddest animation desk in California.
Without sounding like a total kook, spending time with Dave for me is like talking to a shaman of sorts. He has got it all figured out and is doing what he loves. He has always followed his passions and I really admire that. Dave also teaches a class and I have attended about how to start new creative ventures called "What's the Big Idea?" I took the class at UCLA and it was extremely enlightening for me. He and his partner are working on a website, but in the meantime you can explore more about Mr. Zaboski on his two websites posted below.If all of this wasn't enough, Dave also illustrated a children's book called The Tailor's Gift. This book is beautifully illustrated with a really positive story. All that I would expect from Dave.
Okay, so I know I am starting to gush here, but when I come across someone so talented and so creatively driven...I just have to give them some props. If you want to see more of Dave's work here are two links to his sites.Dave Zaboski Portraiture
And here is a picture of "Rosie", his dawg. She kept us company all day and is just the cutest thing ever, she even looks like a cartoon.
Cheers, Angie
And here is a picture of "Rosie", his dawg. She kept us company all day and is just the cutest thing ever, she even looks like a cartoon.
Cheers, Angie