Episode 113 'My Wet Hot Portuguese Summer'

It has been a long summer, but one that seems to have passed in the blink of an eye. Many things have happened, but I also feel like I have absolutely nothing to blog about. An age has past since the Annecy festival, and I sit here contemplating my 2024 thus far in regards to my life and career. But unfortunately, at the moment my writing currently goes hand in hand with my emotions (an interesting transition from the days of old, where my frivolously upbeat writing about how I built a pirate ship that one time, also seems so long ago) and I find it hard to focus on just the artwork.

    Perhaps my sensitive side is getting the better of me. But I do actually have an explanation for this (I think) and it coincides with one of the many personal projects I have begun, now that I am utterly free of everything. My decision to leave Sardinha em Lata (the Lisbon based animation studio) remains steadfast in my resolve, although I do have moments where I miss the studio life. But things are always cooking in the creative pipeline, so I shall keep my ear to the ground for any news. I would definitely consider going back, of course, but the project would really need to attract me. Vamos ver!

Yamination studios has also been in touch. The Birmingham based animation studio is the origin of my stop motion career, where I met such industry legends as Drew Roper (director of the studio), Tim Allen, Chris Gough, Andy Biddle and Yossel Simpson. I would work with Drew again in a heartbeat. 

Hmmm what else? Ah yes, my emotional writing. The reason for this is because one of my personal projects is to write a fictional novel, and hopefully get it published depending on its readable values. I am constantly getting positive feedback from my blog posts - apparently people like the way I write. One or two lovely souls have since suggested to me the idea of writing a novel, or a short story; so I have decided to take up the challenge.

    However, with the idea stemming from my blog it only felt natural to maintain such a writing style for the novel. I have a plot. I have a narrative. I even have a main character. And in the classy and slightly narcissistic fashion of many authors, I have based this main character on me and my life experiences. This gives credence to how personal it might become, as the narrative will indeed be a reflection of everything going on in my little head. You may have detected (over the past couple of posts) some element of a mental crisis hidden comfortably within the writing, and there will no doubt be more to come!

I have been writing stories all my life. My mother has kept a treasure chest containing my back catalogue of work; sort of like a bibliography box. And upon my recent visit to England, I opened it up. And lo! What a plethora of tales, stories and poems. As writing was an escapism for me, it was interesting to read how I perceived myself at the time because I was frequently placed as the protagonist in a fantasy world that never existed. I don't think anything has changed, after all these years. 

The picture above is an exert from a story I was writing when I was sixteen years old (approximately) and I am absolutely fascinated with how I am putting this narrative together. The conversation, from the top, is between myself and a girl I was very fond of at the time. The conversation begins with me, then the girl and then I conclude the conversation with "yeah, people do stupid things when they like someone". How on earth did I make such a statement at the age of sixteen? Perhaps it was something I regurgitated from a Hollywood movie, but I must say that I couldn't agree more with my younger self. Crazy!

Put it on Lisbon Coffee Shop

There has been great interest in my watercolour paintings, with more commissions than I can shake a paintbrush at. I have been printing the designs as postcards and selling them around Lisbon. Two coffee shops and a café each have a collection of my postcards on display (all for sale to the public) and I have managed to make a little profit over the summer in doing so. I am also planning to host a watercolour painting workshop to teach the basics in watercolours; how to tame the water, control the colour and blend it precisely how you want it. I will find some venues around Lisbon and will hopefully get this project off the ground this autumn.

New studio space

With great lighting!

My main base of operations has shifted from my tiny bedroom in the shared apartment, to a studio space in Penha da França (a ten minute walk from here). When I returned from the van trip in June, there was a lot of uncertainty regarding where I wanted to be. I had a new, fresh perspective on life and my career but really needed to have my own space. And because the rent in Lisbon has become astronomically unfair (especially if you hope to find a place for one) then I had to make alternative plans. The art studio was recommended by a friend and I managed to rent a space, buy some furniture and move all of my art supplies there. Having this space has truly re-invigorated me and the projects I want to pursue. Creative Tommy is a happy Tommy. 

The studio is home to three other artists; Florence (who owns the studio and rents out the spaces), Christine and Zuzanna. Florence Champ is an extraordinary person with an impeccable vintage taste and speaks about five different languages! Please follow her and check out her beautiful paintings and sketches on her Instagram page @giallagirl

Christine Hauser is a Lebanese artist who works primarily in acrylic paints, creating fascinating raised textures on canvas material. Check out her powerfully vibrant work on Instagram @christinnante

Zuzanna Rajewska is a wonderful Polish artist with an amazing collection of oil paintings. Her floral pieces (painted on large canvas) are incredibly detailed and full of bright, complimentary colours. Check out her work on Instagram @selfie_core

Another project I have uncovered from the past is the Dinosaurchestra children's book I had begun writing and illustrating back in 2020 circa the road trip to Portugal, when the world seemed extinct and Zoom calls had taken over. The dinosaur designs have been done and I still adore them (a little self praise there) so this gives me motivation to continue. My only weakness would be the actual narrative and writing ONLY BECAUSE I have never written for a pre-school audience before (there is nothing wrong with my current writing style, of course!). This book will not be my immediate focus, but it has been taken off the shelf and dusted, ready for further treatment. And that's a good start.

The last official project I worked on was with my dear friend and colleague, Sir Gonçalo Marques. He is one of my greatest friends and co-founding member of Rig Squadron. In July, Gonçalo asked for my help on a set building project he had been approached to do. It was to construct a 200x100cm diorama of a landscape ravaged with natural disaster, to be the centre piece of a theatre production in Graça. Now, there is a lot of information there and the concept confused me also BUT I feigned ignorance and decided to only ask questions about the diorama itself, and what the visual needed to be. I wasn't meaning to be rude, but the client was beginning to describe (in much detail) the entirety of the production and not being so clear on what the model actually needed to look like. I appreciate artistic licence but guidelines must be placed or you have situations where the client calls you two days before the deadline, telling you that there isn't enough of this, or the colour is completely wrong over here! And this is exactly what happened with us. Boo!

But production politics aside, it was an absolute joy to work with Gonçalo again in his new fully operational workshop (location not enclosed). We both worked at Sardinha em Lata together, and have moved on a little now, to new things. This theatre project was really fun to work on; it was a chance for us to show off our experience and knowledge of materials and carpentry (do not fear, there is no competition here!) and enjoy building this diorama to the sweet sounds of Peter Gabriel and Sting. 

There is little more to include in this post. The extensive amount of writing can sometimes unnerve the fainthearted reader, and I wouldn't want anybody to swoon on my behalf. Unless you are a beautiful galactic princess, of course. 

My current project is actually myself. Amidst the creativity is still a silly English boy who strives to maintain that focus. But I have some great projects to keep me busy, and with my exercise regime I shall be as fit as a fiddle once again!

One final thing...