This edition of “Locals” is a touch ticklish. It follows up my interview with Nicole Frazer, the art curating director of “The Artist Within”—the gallery-studio that fronts Cedars of Marin’s efforts to forefront “artists with disabilities.” I had wanted to interview one of their star artists.
Like many current and out-of-date labels associated with that community, “artists with disabilities” can be uncomfortable. It is othering. And truly, it imparts no information. For, if we haul out the great and weighty DSM-V or consult the list of the hundred commonest issues in therapy (inclusive of anxiety disorder, depression, PTSD, body dysmorphia, addiction and adjustment issues), we come to find all artists—and all people have “disabilities.”
I am an artist, and I have nervous attachment syndrome. And happy is the day when we discover what our own special “disorder” is. It clarifies our identity and the continuing work of building the community that will support our own “special needs.”
In some cases, as with artist Kirby Faine, those supports were found ready-made, in Cedars of Marin’s puppet film making program. I was introduced to Faine by Daniel Krakauer, the artist who facilitates his studio. That studio is a rented room in the basement of Art Works Downtown in San Rafael—low ceilinged and windowless but considerably cheered by the presence of wall-to-wall art and hand-crafted wire frame puppets.
Faine was there doing pre-production work, adapting one of her gothic poems to a short self-contained film called, The Artist. The autobiographical plot has a solitary artist escaping the boredom of real life into a fantastical world of her own imagination, eventually coming into conflict with characters who want to pull her further and further away from the real. The characters she creates are so vivid to her that she feels they take on a life of their own.
At a coffee break, Faine and I broke off and sat down.
Cincinnatus Hibbard: Kirby, tell us a bit about yourself.
Kirby Faine: I am an artist. I am on the autism spectrum. I grew up in the Bay Area. And I now live in Marin County.
Tell us about your art.
Well, I love to draw. I also love to animate. And I love to sew. I like to sew stuffies—which are stuffed animals. Sometimes the same characters that are in my animations. I also love to make costumes—creature costumes and fur suits.
Are all these characters in the same shared universe?
Pretty much.
Tell me about your animated shorts.
They are hand drawn or stop motion—like South Park.
What are your other inspirations?
My biggest inspiration is definitely Tim Burton. Also Ray Harryhausen, Wes Anderson and Guillermo del Toro.
They certainly have worlds of their own. And they brought us into them. What do you want to do with your art, Kirby?
I would love to be a filmmaker and a cartoonist. I want to make my own cartoons and TV shows, and get my crazy creations in the world. I have so many story ideas.
What’s first?
I have an idea I want to turn into a children’s TV show. It’s called “Phoebe of Fernwood.”
It’s about a girl that protects the mythical creatures of a magical forest—like unicorns, fairies, goblins, dragons and griffins. I love mythology. That story is inspired by my childhood experiences in forests near where I lived. With my art, I want to share my unique and interesting life.
Learn more: Kirby Faine can be found on instagram @demonhound66. Cedars of Marin can be found at cedarslife.org. Check their calendar for their next film festival.
