~ Alan Lawrence
I live in one of California’s most renown and beautiful suburban cities, known as “Tree City”, South Pasadena. It was an ideal place to have spent my childhood, and being rooted in “South Pas” for generations, home has always called. It’s a deep-seated source of my inspiration and strength.
My grandfather was a writer, a college professor (English and writing) as well as a painter. He wrote thousands of pages of nonsensical verse and his paintings were a bit of a reflection of his verbal whimsy. His palette consisted mostly of bright primary colors.
Both of my parents and grandparents were teachers, and my sister has been a serious ballet dancer & choreographer. I grew up in an environment brimming with art, literature and dance. My after school hours were typically spent in the lobby of the dance studio, listening to classical music while being immersed in the flow and movement of the troupe. It was somewhat pre-destined that I would be rhythmically inclined (I play jazz piano) and uphold the family tradition by becoming a teacher and artist.
I achieved my degree in fiction writing from USC, finding interest in stories and drama. Later, I began to branch out into documentary film making. The two may seem diametrically opposed at first glance, but…yes…and no. When making a documentary you’re searching for the story. You compile a whole bunch of interesting, fascinating, exciting footage then challenge is in how (when looking at all that footage) you can make a story out of it. One that conveys the true nature of the subject. The process is not linear.
I spent a great deal of time in art studios, primarily painting. I can attribute my predilection for taking (the natural color of something) as my starting point, to my grandfather’s palette of primary colors. I didn’t really mix colors. I used them as they came out of the tube.
{to be continued}
