PIIIIGS IIIIN SPAAAAACE!!! (finished!) and thoughts on Jim Henson.
Ah, the beautiful sight of my drawing desk in use.
Finished Pigs in Space fan art! Click here to see it on my DeviantArt page!
The new Muppet movie got me mega-nostalgic and inspired to do some Muppets fan art. One of my favorite sketches was "Pigs in Space". I rewatched a bunch of them on Youtube to refresh my memory (this person has all of them on Youtube, in what seems to be chronological order) as it's been YEARS since I watched the show, and was cracking up anew at how great it is. The chemistry between the 3 characters of Link, Piggy and Strangepork (and by extension, Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson) really makes it work, plus I love sci-fi so send ups of that genre is extra amusing to me. :) It's just a fantastic part of a fantastic show.
I think this new movie has, for some reason (and in combination of other things and emotions I'm experiencing in my life right now. which are a subject for another post!), sent me into a kind of re-mourning for Jim Henson, now that I'm an adult. When I was younger and he was still alive, I REALLY wanted to work for him. I mean REALLY. I think I was basically planning on it, because, duh, what else would I do? It was either him or Disney, but I was leaning towards Henson, I think partially because he was a real alive person (unlike Disney who died way before my time) and I figured he'd still be around to work for by the time I grew up. I also had sort of an 8 year old's crush on him, at the same time as seeing him as sort of a kind, fatherly figure (feel free to psychoanalyze that! But I bet lots of other kids felt the same). Films like Dark Crystal and Labyrinth were just so fantastic and right up my alley. I loved Sesame Street and it was one of the few TV shows my parents let us watch as kids. I used to love making things like puppets and robots out of junk and stuff I found. Henson had just finished work on the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie (which I also adored, as a gigantic TMNT fan) when he died, and it was shockingly awful. Pneumonia? What the hell? Who dies of pneumonia? (of course, I now understand that many people do, but usually older or already ill people. Not a man of mere 53, and certainly not him!) I remember being in my living room when my Dad explained to me what happened. It was so senseless and bizarre, and I honestly think that in a subtle way I didn't really understand, it kind of led to me abandoning art or something creative as my career. He was just so unique, and his projects spoke to me more than anything else in entertainment, so when he was gone, it was like that little dream of my own died, too. "What's the point?" What could I possibly become involved with that would be as awesome and with an established and successful company? So, so sad. I don't feel I'm exaggerating to say that Jim Henson's premature death altered the course of my life.
This is a good article about it, fairly similar to some of my own feelings in many ways.
I know at this point that I will probably never seriously pursue art as my sole system of financial support, if at all. I am grateful for the people who work hard to keep Jim's legacy going as best they can, and I am hopeful for a sort of Muppety rebirth. I'm also glad to have them pushed to the forefront of my mind right now, while I'm questioning (always questioning) my current life and choices and what to do and where to go from here as an always growing and evolving (and hopefully improving!) person. Jim always seemed to have hope and kindness and humor and imagination, and most of all, seemed to truly believe that anything is possible and that to follow and work for your dreams is absolutely imperative - and he encouraged you to believe in yourself and your dreams, too.
"Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending..."
Thanks, Jim!
*Bonus Youtube Clip*
Muppet show version of one of my all-time favorite folk songs, "The Leatherwing Bat", sung by Judy Collins and some felty forest friends. ;)
I think this is my absolute favorite version of this song, the instrumentation is beautiful.
Finished Pigs in Space fan art! Click here to see it on my DeviantArt page!
The new Muppet movie got me mega-nostalgic and inspired to do some Muppets fan art. One of my favorite sketches was "Pigs in Space". I rewatched a bunch of them on Youtube to refresh my memory (this person has all of them on Youtube, in what seems to be chronological order) as it's been YEARS since I watched the show, and was cracking up anew at how great it is. The chemistry between the 3 characters of Link, Piggy and Strangepork (and by extension, Jim Henson, Frank Oz and Jerry Nelson) really makes it work, plus I love sci-fi so send ups of that genre is extra amusing to me. :) It's just a fantastic part of a fantastic show.
I think this new movie has, for some reason (and in combination of other things and emotions I'm experiencing in my life right now. which are a subject for another post!), sent me into a kind of re-mourning for Jim Henson, now that I'm an adult. When I was younger and he was still alive, I REALLY wanted to work for him. I mean REALLY. I think I was basically planning on it, because, duh, what else would I do? It was either him or Disney, but I was leaning towards Henson, I think partially because he was a real alive person (unlike Disney who died way before my time) and I figured he'd still be around to work for by the time I grew up. I also had sort of an 8 year old's crush on him, at the same time as seeing him as sort of a kind, fatherly figure (feel free to psychoanalyze that! But I bet lots of other kids felt the same). Films like Dark Crystal and Labyrinth were just so fantastic and right up my alley. I loved Sesame Street and it was one of the few TV shows my parents let us watch as kids. I used to love making things like puppets and robots out of junk and stuff I found. Henson had just finished work on the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie (which I also adored, as a gigantic TMNT fan) when he died, and it was shockingly awful. Pneumonia? What the hell? Who dies of pneumonia? (of course, I now understand that many people do, but usually older or already ill people. Not a man of mere 53, and certainly not him!) I remember being in my living room when my Dad explained to me what happened. It was so senseless and bizarre, and I honestly think that in a subtle way I didn't really understand, it kind of led to me abandoning art or something creative as my career. He was just so unique, and his projects spoke to me more than anything else in entertainment, so when he was gone, it was like that little dream of my own died, too. "What's the point?" What could I possibly become involved with that would be as awesome and with an established and successful company? So, so sad. I don't feel I'm exaggerating to say that Jim Henson's premature death altered the course of my life.
This is a good article about it, fairly similar to some of my own feelings in many ways.
I know at this point that I will probably never seriously pursue art as my sole system of financial support, if at all. I am grateful for the people who work hard to keep Jim's legacy going as best they can, and I am hopeful for a sort of Muppety rebirth. I'm also glad to have them pushed to the forefront of my mind right now, while I'm questioning (always questioning) my current life and choices and what to do and where to go from here as an always growing and evolving (and hopefully improving!) person. Jim always seemed to have hope and kindness and humor and imagination, and most of all, seemed to truly believe that anything is possible and that to follow and work for your dreams is absolutely imperative - and he encouraged you to believe in yourself and your dreams, too.
"Life's like a movie, write your own ending, keep believing, keep pretending..."
Thanks, Jim!
*Bonus Youtube Clip*
Muppet show version of one of my all-time favorite folk songs, "The Leatherwing Bat", sung by Judy Collins and some felty forest friends. ;)
I think this is my absolute favorite version of this song, the instrumentation is beautiful.
Click to view