I was hired on “The Great Mouse Detective” in October, 1985, as an Assistant Animator in Clean-up.  My job was to help get the film done on time.  I worked with Key Assistant, Dave Pacheco, to translate rough animation drawings to a single clean line, and do the in-betweens. 

Dave allowed me to animate the hair, tails, and drapery on our scenes, which were of Basil and Dawson.  I loved doing this overlapping animation, and my good work attracted the attention of the animators whose scenes we were cleaning up.

Stone Sculpture

I learned the value of doing the best I can.  This directly carries over to my stone sculpture.  A great finish on a sculpture allows the artist to justify a higher price.  More importantly, flawless work builds a good reputation.  

Senior animators emphasized the pursuit of perfection when I animated at Disney Feature Animation, and I embraced the philosophy.  

Finishing is crucial to a successful stone sculpture.  Sometimes this process feels like it goes on forever.  There is always some other little nit-picky thing to do.  Finishing was huge on my stone sculptures “A Tree Needs A Bird” and “One For All“.  So many textures and stages for the bird and the pine tree, the wild dog and the grass!