Suzie HarrisonAs part of the curriculum, and...

Suzie Harrison

As part of the curriculum, and to enhance the students’ experience of

learning, the Laguna College of Art and Design offers lectures and

exhibitions at the college from experts in their fields.

From the middle of this month through March 18, the exhibit “From

Concept to Realization: A Retrospective of Carol Kieffer Police,” is

on display with a lecture by Police from 3 to 5 p.m. on March 4.

There will be an artist reception from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. on March 8.

Police is a visual development artist and art director who works

extensively with Disney Animation. She is also starting a new

animation company, Made in Paradise Productions, with one of the

school’s instructors, Karen Keller.

Aubry Mintz, animation chair and professor, said that some of the

work on display is from the Disney archives.

“It’s allowed us original artwork that is rare, art practically no

one has ever seen before from Disney,” Mintz said.

The college’s gallery is an opportunity to feature artists from

different disciplines, and each takes turns.

“We put it out to the staff and try to get the best,” Mintz said.

“The last one was Chuck Jones. It falls along the lines of our

curriculum.”

He said the students learn what Chuck Jones and other animators

like Police do, and incorporate it.

“Our goal is to keep that standard of finding someone in the

industry with similar teachings and theory,” Mintz said. “Police is a

Disney veteran and is going to open a production company -- we

thought it would be a good fit.”

What is interesting is that once production begins, the visual

development is shelved in archives never to be seen again. Disney and

other studios have their own archives where an artist’s work stays.

Mintz said it’s such inspirational art, that it really inspires other

artists.

Police was solely responsible for the styling, layout and the

background painting of five specialty sequences for the animated

feature “The Lord of the Rings,” and has played a significant role in

“Shrek,” “Quest for Camelot” and in the upcoming Disney feature

“Bambi and the Great Prince,” doing character and costume design as

well as location and color styling.

Mintz and Keller got to go to the Animation Research Library on

the Disney lot to choose the pieces for the show. Police told them to

choose what they wanted to use.

“They gave us a tour of the archives, which is a story itself,”

Mintz said. “There was the spaghetti scene of ‘Lady and the Tramp.’”

He asked if they could see some of the real animation, and they

were taken into an area where there were eight vaults cooled at a

perfect 44-degree temperature for preservation.

“They took us and there were these huge metal walls with big dials

that they would turn and the walls would move, opening to a

corridor,” Mintz said. “It’s lined with little shelves with little

metal boxes and each box contains a scene everywhere from ‘Snow

White’ to ‘Treasure Planet.’”

Mintz said the experience was almost surreal for him.

“The exhibit is a retrospective of her work starting with her

student work,” Mintz said. “Her first job she painted 200 backgrounds

in ‘The Lord of the Rings’ animated version. She had wanted to be in

fashion design.”

He explained that as an art director, Police would define the

style and impress what she was looking for and break it down for the

whole team to learn, using a mix of media.

“As a concept artist, it’s a dream project using the different

mediums,” Mintz said. “She’s also a fine art artist. Animation is not

just drawing cartoons, they need to know all the things about fine

art.”

The animation students are looking forward to hearing Police’s

lecture and are learning from works in her exhibit. Police is a rare

female success story in such a competitive male dominated field.

Mintz said it’s important for the students at the college because 90%

of the animation sophomores are females.

“I think it’s great because it gives me motivation that I can make

it,” Sarah LaPenna, 19, said. “It’s inspiration to keep going. I want

to be a layout artist and background painter. All these things on the

walls, the layouts give instruction on how to do it, it’s really

helpful to see the final product.”

As seniors, the students need to create a final portfolio piece,

which is often a short animated film.

“I think it’s outstanding to have such a wonderful artist with a

huge range of skills from fine arts to classical animation and a

variety of mediums to come,” senior Ira Owens, 25, said. “I feel

fortunate to have an animator of this level showing here with work of

this caliber. It’s very fortunate that Disney would let us show

this.”

Mintz said that a lot of students will see the exhibit and be

amazed at what is involved in the process of animation.

Laguna College of Art & Design is at 2222 Laguna Canyon Road. For

information, contact Caroline Butler or Tracy Nishimuta at 376-6000.