Animated Adventures
Tributes

Asking around, I discovered the shows were presented by a freshman. Her name was Wendy Jackson and she would be a major in our dept. the next year. I had been at RISD about 15 years by that time and noticed that our incoming students had talent in many areas, but this didn't seem to include producers or presenters, the very important people who bring the work of everyone else before the public. I thought, oh great! Finally we've got our first impresario!

Soon thereafter, Wendy showed up at my office door to tell me she was scheduled to present a traveling Film Festival in the auditorium on the same night and hour our Department was scheduled for our yearly program for Freshmen in the school who were selecting their major.

We still had a few days time to work out the publicity for this, so we decided together that her show would on 30 minutes earlier than scheduled. and our Dept. show could go on 30 minutes later than scheduled. It all worked out fine.

The next few years Wendy was in my beginning animation classes. She was an excellent student, but I most remember her in the Film Special Effects class. The student were divided into groups for projects, which included mat box, inserting an animated character into a live action background, etc. Her group of four students were always laughing. They loved their projects, which turned out entertaining.

Amy Kravitz, in charge of the junior and senior animation projects takes all the animation seniors to the Ottawa Festival every year. Wendy went on this trip in both her junior and senior year and set up private interviews with some of the world's most famous animators. These later appeared in various film publications.

During the summers Wendy worked for Gail Banker in her animation workshop for children in Vermont. She enjoyed this a lot, so after she graduated from RISD Wendy decided to interview me about my work at the Yellow Ball Workshop. Wendy recorded me on tape at school for about an hour. Later she would call me from California or send me an e-mail with further questions. Wendy interviewed me within an inch of my life! It was intensive!

In 2000 Chris Robinson invited me to be honorary president of the Ottawa Animation Festival. Wendy was on the jury, and had been presenting some programs for the festival.. She asked me to present a program of Yellow Ball Workshop films including my personal films, and also another program of RISD Student films. She would print part of her interview with me in the program for the festival.

Wendy was taking delight in learning to cook new recipes. She read her new cookbooks with great interest and looked forward to trying out new recipes. During our visit she created a delicious and memorable egg casserole with all the trimmings for breakfast which she proudly presented to her Uncle Bob and I. The simple pleasure of food and hospitality--what better way to spend time together.

Conversation was always easy with Wendy. As we sat in the hot tub under the magnificent tall cedar trees behind the house we talked about careers, family, children, what we wanted from life . . . our hopes and disappointments. This was the pleasure of warm and friendly conversation. During that short time I felt as if I had made a new friend.

Wendy was an animation artist . . . .but going to the local bead shop and picking out small gems for necklaces and bracelets was another outlet for her creativity.

Small gifts were a hit with Wendy--a pair of polar bear socks we bought at an Indian lodge, or a painting of her beloved home among the trees were received with genuine tears and gratitude. Wendy was unabashedly sentimental which made her so special to us.

And finally, my strongest memory of Wendy was her love for her husband, Porter. As Bob and I observed, it was so clear that she loved the simple and quiet pleasure of just spending time with her husband. Bob and I were touched by Wendy's and Porter's affection, sweetness and support for one another.

I remember a sweet, honest, ambicious and talented girl. I will keep this memory of her.

Yes, every animator sees the potential in inanimate objects--it's our job. But Wendy had a special relationship with potential. She was ALL ABOUT POTENTIAL. Not just the potential of birds' nests, old keys, and cut-paper; but also her own potential and, maybe more importantly to her, the potential of others. I've never met anyone else who was so talented in her own right AND so generous with her talent. It came as no surprise to me that she became a teacher--Wendy never held back her passion or her extensive knowledge of animation, puppetry, obscure Czech filmmakers--everything and everything that inspired her. Instead of closely guarding her contacts or her treasure trove of films, books, and CDs, she gladly spread the animation gospel to anyone and everyone.

Where does my story start with Wendy? We first met while she was working in a small back office for ASIFA Hollywood in the Valley, putting together the 1995 Annie Awards single handedly! I was a volunteer trying to break into the animation industry and Wendy and I hit it off immediately. She was a hard worker, but she also had an off beat sense of humor. She knew just about everything there was to know about animation history--Wendy was like a walking encyclopedia of animation. I said to myself I need to stick with this chick; I'll definitely learn something from her.

It turns out over the years, I learned much more than who all the famous puppet animators were. Wendy helped me learn how to laugh at myself and not take life so seriously. We shared so many special wacky times. My most vivid memory is when we both worked at AWN.com in Hollywood. We both drove Honda Civics at the time. Wendy had a green one and mine was purple. Sometimes at lunchtime, we'd pick a car, get In&Out Burger, drive up to the Hollywood Hills and chilled listening to the Beastie Boys! Wendy you will be sorely missed, but never forgotten. You will always have a special place in my heart!

Wendy's encouragement and enthusiasm for everything these kids did was so genuine and special, I feel truly blessed that my children got to experience what it was like just to be around her. She will be missed not only for the incredible amount of knowledge she had to share with the children of this island, but for the overwhelming gift of self confidence she gave to every child she encountered.

We became close friends, and it was also around this time that Wendy met Porter, the love of her life. I remember her sitting in my living room and telling me how much she loved him.

When Wendy left awn to start her own business, I came along and helped with the post-production and publicity for the stop motion film More. I was lucky to be a part of her life then.

Despite being younger than I am, Wendy was my mentor. She was my inspiration to start my own business, to leave the corporate world, and to teach. When she left the 9-to-5 work world, so did I. I was so impressed by her bravery in everything she did.

I cannot tell you how sorry I am. Please understand that my heart is with you, and please kindly accept all my profound sympathy.

Beyond our shared interest in animation and the visual arts, we talked about family, friends, school and the working world... I was only very recently out of the closet to Andy and my other college friends, and had not yet mastered the art of "casually" letting people know I'm gay, but Wendy was such a warm and loving presence, even having just met her, that I felt no fear in divulging this about myself. Her reaction, of course, was, "Awesome! That's great!"

I lived in San Francisco at the time, and twice, when Wendy came to town to investigate internships and job opportunities, she looked me up, and I always enjoyed her company. One time in particular, I asked what she wanted to do for the evening, since I was not much of a scenester and didn't know any particularly "hip" places to go. Wendy said anything was fine with her, and that we should go somewhere I'd never gone before. We flipped through a guidebook and were both excited to read about the "Wave Organ" located at the end of one of the piers in the north bay. This is a circular ring of large cement pipes jutting out of the pier; each pipe travels beneath the water in a different direction and to a different depth. As you put your ear to various pipes, you would hear different musical tones generated by the pressure of the water flowing past the other end.

That was the theory, anyway. I did not know the Marina area at all, and we got completely lost, several times, trying to find the Wave Organ; when we finally did, I guess the tide was low, because we didn't really hear anything at all. Despite all this, it was one of the most enjoyable adventures I had in San Francisco because of Wendy's company and her unflappable "let's see where the road takes us" attitude. Getting lost was never so much fun.

I've heard and read many great things about Wendy, and I feel honored to have spent the past year freelancing for her, even meeting her in person several times. She had so much life in her, it seemed inconceivable that she would go the way she did at such a young age.

She was a prolific writer and promoter of animation, and in particular independent art animation. We were lucky to have her on our side.

Later, we found we shared a common interest in animation education. I casually gave her my MOVE CLICK MOVE DVD at a festival. She called me two days later and told me she had watched every frame, and would it be OK if she wrote a review of it? I was deeply honored. She was so matter-of-fact about her approach to this project, and her work in general. Positive, upbeat, straightforward, and a real joy to work with.

She was a supporter of ASIFA, a champion for animators.

Over the years. Wendy became a dear festival friend. She was someone special--when we sat down together it only took a few moments to continue the conversation we started months ago. I will miss picking up those conversational threads with her.

Wendy is a concept to me of a vibrant, loving woman, contributing her efforts and care, spreading the infectious zeal and effervescent energy about her. I met her after RISD when we were both in LA, and kept in touch since then. She always amazed me at the dexterity she commanded; being able to traverse fields, communicate with all people, and bring about the realizations of her goals. Wendy was an absolutely beautiful energy, and I am so, so very sad that she is gone now.

I will never forget the day we spent in NYC so Wendy could interview Cecile Starr. Wendy's questions elicited first-hand accounts by Ms. Starr of major animator/artists of our time. The interview lead to Wendy's article, "Cecile Starr: A Pioneer's Pioneer," published in the Spring 1995 edition of Animation Journal. I remember Wendy made the mistake of telling an insane NYC taxi driver that we were late. He "stepped on it" and was actually touching/scraping parked cars in his path! He was going so fast, we thought he was going to cause some "real" damage to other cars, pedestrians, or us! At one close call during the ride Wendy and I looked at each other with the kind of look you would exhibit during the descent of a rollercoster ride - enjoyable terror!

I assisted Wendy with the soundtrack for her junior year film project "The Ingredients of Everything," performing some four-handed keyboard improvisations with Wendy! I also supplied tape loops of recycled music for the film's soundtrack. She surprised me with a soundtrack co-credit when she screened the film for me. It was a very generous gesture by her considering how minor my role was in the completed soundtrack for the film.

I lost contact with Wendy after she graduated from RISD in 1995. I do not recall exactly how, but I am sure losing contact with her was all my doing. At that time I had a love/hate relationship with animation and probably distanced myself from Wendy for that reason. Even having a long distance friendship with Wendy would have had to include animation! A few years ago I stumbled across Wendy's internet site while looking for (surprise!) animation hardware/software. I thought about e-mailing or calling her, but did not. I always enjoyed checking out her website and loved what she was doing with her life, especially in teaching children animation! During 2005 I was getting the itch to resume my animation work, ironically, I was going to contact Wendy in December 05' when I discovered, to my horror, the shocking and sad news her husband Porter posted on her website.

this is big surprising......

I want express my sympathy for her family.

this is bitterer and most sad to bear than any other sadness.

I knowing her when she was just started work with the Web