Terry Schoen, an unassuming and thoughtful gentleman from Lexington, journeyed by auto two days from Kentucky where he is the character animator for Kentucky Educational Television. After studying animation in college, Dave joined Crocus Productions of Evanston, performing stop motion modelling and puppeteering. He inherited the position from a suddenly departed Crocus staffer, and manned the helm of Central for many years. I have had the opportunity to hone my skills, and its been a real maturing process. Attendees journeyed from five Midwestern states, with the largest contingent from the Chicago metropolitan area.
Animation is pretty tedious, so it takes a special type of person to do it.
Schweppe taught animation for eight years at Ohio State University and at the Art Institute of Chicago. Paul Jessel and Marie Cenkner, operators of Animasaur Productions, a stop-motion studio in Highland Park, Illinois, offered the first structured presentation Saturday afternoon. Puffy, black Asimov-like sideburns connect Jessel's temples to his jawline. This late twentieth century puppeteer exhibits a studied, warmhearted intensity. Paul assembles an armature skeleton of brass, aircraft aluminum and stainless steel, meticulously machined and hinged to imitate the motions of a boned human hand.