"Johnny and Little Brown Bear"

A Bedtime story by Selma E. Kuklinsky (my grandma)

As spring approached & the neighborhood resounded with the happy sounds of children at play, there was one three-year old boy that wandered from his own backyard & into the surrounding tree area in back of his home. 
 
Everyone in town spread out to different sections of the forest to locate the boy.  Johnny stood in his backyard, looking out at the forest spread out in front of him wondering how far the small boy had wandered. All of a sudden Little Brown Bear came from out of the trees, moving towards him with a tiny sneaker in his mouth. 

"Howdy Little Brown Bear," said Johnny. "What's that you got in your mouth?"

Little Brown Bear turned to face the woods.  Johnny understood he was to follow the Bear, though his parents asked him not to go outside the yard for any reason.
 
It took a lot of tramping over hills with plenty of shrubs & trees until Little Brown Bear dropped the sneaker in front of a dark opening in the ground.  Little Brown Bear hunched down & shimmied into the opening. Johnny paused before following. 

There was Jordan fast asleep on a bed of soft forest leaves, snug as a bug in a rug. 
 
Johnny gently woke the small boy. Jordan's eyes opened wide as he said, “Gee, what a swell time I’ve been having!  Little Brown Bear kept me warm up against his heavy fur coat all night & this morning he brought blackberries for my breakfast.  He’s my best friend but I miss my parents.” 
 
Little Brown Bear led them safely out of the woods & when Mountain Brown & all the others heard of how the Little Brown Bear cared all night to keep Jordan safe & warm--even feeding him a bear’s type of breakfast-- they no longer had it in their hearts to want to shoot at him. 
 
Little Brown Bear started to turn into one heap happy roly-poly bear because choice tidbits were left for him nightly by everyone in town.

And our hero Johnny made sure that they were always spread with Little Brown Bear's favorite sweetener, honey drippings over everything. 

The End.

 

I just found this online, a movie I made when i was a freshman in college, back in 2001. I still love the music by Bradley Bailey, my friend who also did the Mr. Children-for-Hands and Bearplane scores.



there are definitely parts i have to skip over. but this was almost ten years ago, my first and only movie shot on film, black and white, the only movie i made through a class (audited a masters class, so I didn't even get credit). i had just discovered the concept of auditions, and held them extensively. People came scrambling to be in my little student film, it was amazing. one of the scientists from that scientist scene drove all the way from tennessee without knowing what it was about. and i paid no one. i had absolutely no idea what i was doing. and none of the dialogue was scripted. i only wrote the narration, which i ultimately cut.

the amount of effort i put into this thing amazes me now. i still work hard, but there's no enthusiasm like an 18 year old me. i even convinced Arby's, Subway, Papa Johns, and Einstein's bagels to donate craft service.

and now it makes me sad to see my friend Anna Gallaspy tied up with a noose around her neck, when for some reason it didn't bother me at all back then. i just thought i was so brilliant.

This is the first two pages of a comic I'm working on. It's part of a longer story that I hope to finish soon. I'm having to stay late at work to get them colored, and stay up all night drawing them at home. One day I'll be so good at this, so stay tuned.

When my Mom and Dad met in 1981

My Mom was a reporter for the LA Times Newspaper. She wrote a column
about the cool shows and events that were going on in town. She saw a
band my Dad was in, "The Boys from Brasil." He played the Pandero, a
Brazilian type of tambourine.

Kitty Wrestling

Here is the "Monster on Vacation" series I did for the Aurora Coffee art show. I took photographs from my recent travels to Arizona, California, and Hawaii and drew a monster in them. I printed them 22"X12" on 1/2" foam board. They turned out pretty good. I'm selling them for $50 each, so if you're in the ATL area this month you can stop by Aurora Cofee in Virginia Highlands and pick one up.

I already sold this first one.



This one is the beach where they shoot "Lost." This was very exciting. Nearby is where they shoot the survivor's camp and Mr. Ecco's church is still there.

My little brother Andre is curating an art show. The last one he put together was really good, and this time a series I'm working on will be on display, "Monster on Vacation."

The piece above is titled "Superstition Mountain, Arizona." You can buy your very own copy of it at the show without all the words on.

NEW MR. CHILDREN-FOR HANDS

IT IS SAID THAT WHEN RENDERING FROM AFTER EFFECTS YOU SHOULD INITIATE CAPS LOCK TO MAKE THE RENDER GO FASTER. I HAVE NINE MINUTES LEFT OF RENDERING BEFORE I CAN NO LONGER WRITE ON MY BLOG.


HERE IS MY IDEA:

A SHOW ABOUT TWO BILLIONAIRE TYCOONS WHO OWN A YACHT. BUT THIS IS NO ORDINARY YACHT, IT'S A TIME-TRAVELING HOVER YACHT THAT TALKS IN A SASSY VOICE. AND THE GOVERNMENT HAS ASSIGNED ONE OF IT'S BEST (AND HOTTEST) AGENTS TO WORK UNDERCOVER AS IT'S JANITOR. SO WHEN BADGUYS COME TO HANG OUT ON THE YACHT, SHE ASKS THEM POLITELY TO LEAVE, AND THEY USUALLY DO BECAUSE SHE'S HIGHLY TRAINED AT DEALING WITH BADGUYS.

MOST OF THE SHOW WILL REVOLVE AROUND THE LOVE TRIANGLE BETWEEN THE TWO BILLIONAIRES AND THE AGENT WHO THEY DON'T KNOW IS AN AGENT. SHE'LL TRY TO KEEP THEM OUT OF TROUBLE, MOSTLY BY REMINDING THEM TO NOT DRINK TOO MUCH, OR TO WEAR A LIFE VEST WHEN WATER SKIING. THEY TIME TRAVEL OCCASIONALLY, BUT USUALLY JUST TO A COUPLE DAYS AGO SO THEY CAN PAY THEIR CREDIT CARD BILLS ON TIME. BECAUSE THAT'S HOW RICH PEOPLE STAY OUT OF DEBT, TIME TRAVELING BACKWARDS TO AVOID LATE FEES.

AND THE YACHT WILL SAY SASSY THINGS FROM TIME TO TIME, LIKE "NO WAY," OR "I DIDN'T SEE THAT ONE COMING."

THE NAME OF THE SHOW WILL BE "THE LOVE HOVER TIME YACHT."

SOMEHOW MY RENDER HAS GONE UP TO 16 MINUTES. I DON'T TRUST THIS CAPS LOCK TRICK.