Graeme needs to change the name of his website, as it excludes all of his work but the animation (the name excludes work, not the site – the site is fairly comprehensive). The animation was the first work of his that I saw, which would be the case for most people I would think, access to YouTube being much greater than access to galleries presenting his installations. Monkey and Deer, excerpted above, completely mesmerized me with its slow, quiet expressiveness emerging from a gorgeous and intricate model set.

I did not know that it was but one part of a larger body of work incorporating sculpture and robotics, inspired by the tiny Saskatchewan village of Woodrow, where Patterson’s grandfather had lived. Graeme actually moved to the town from his home in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and created the work over three years.

I’ve meant to post about Patterson for some time, and his recent rocketride of profile known as the Sobey Art Award has been a constant reminder. His selection as a finalist for the award blasted away a good chunk of my cynicism about such things.

Graeme Patterson Animation Artist.