Annie Poon is an American animator based in New York City.[1] Her short "Runaway Bathtub" is in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art. Poon's works have appeared in other various venues, including the National Gallery, the Brooklyn Museum, the New Museum, and the Museum of Arts and Design. The Chicago International Children's Festival, Nickelodeon, and PBS have shown her cartoons.[2] She has taught animation and comics workshops and given motivational lectures to artists.[3]
Annie Poon | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | School of Visual Arts |
| Notable work |
|
| Spouse | Kah Leong Poon |
| Awards | AML Awards – Best Film 2006 The Book of Visions AML Awards – Best Film 2016 The Split House |
| Website | Official website |
Early life and education edit
Poon grew up with eight other siblings, including her twin sister in New Canaan, Connecticut and studied painting at the School of Visual Arts.[1][3] At age five, after a lesson on professions, Poon decided that she wanted to be an artist. Once, her mother excused her from school to visit the Metropolitan Museum for a day, which deeply impressed young Poon. Her mother would give her a nickel for each painter she could identify.[4] Poon loved Shrinky Dinks, Colorforms, stickers and paper and scissors.[1][5] Poon cites the drawings of Shel Silverstein, Quentin Blake, and John Lennon as her main influences.[6]
Animations edit
Like other traditional animation, Poon's stop-motion animations are very labor-intensive; five seconds of animation require about a day of work.[5][7] Poon's works draws on the playful happiness of childhood daydreams.[1] Inspired by games she played with her sister in the bath as a child, Poon created her short "Runaway Bathtub."[8] It is in the permanent collection of the New York Museum of Modern Art.[9]
Poon belongs to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS church) and her works often draw on her religion.[6] "The Book of Visions," created over the course of a year, depicts angels appearing visions to Joan of Arc, Black Elk, and Joseph Smith. Teenage Poon felt that these accounts showed that God valued teenagers' ideas and feelings.[5] At the end of the film, the man "reading" the accounts flies out of the window, which according to Poon, represents how anyone can travel to another spiritual state.[7] "Die Wicked Die" is a series of animations portraying "action packed" scriptural violence influenced by "Itchy and Scratchy."[5] "The Shiny Bicycle" was commissioned by the LDS church and depicts a boy who fails to paint his bicycle, but with hard work is able to make it look shiny again.[4]
"The Split House" depicts Poon's own struggle with mental illness, specifically, with schizoaffective disorder.[6] Poon worked on the animation over the course of more than ten years.[4] The animation shows the subconscious thoughts of a young woman who transforms into an owl.[10]
Oh Puppy! edit
Poon calls her naïve and passionate "Puppy" character her alter ego.[3] Puppy's strips were first published on Fredflare.com.[2] The strips have been collected in a book titled Oh Puppy!, and Puppy has appeared in three animations: "Oh Puppy" the rap video, "Puppy's Super Delicious Valentine's Biscuits,"[2] and "Daisy Daddy."[11]
Awards edit
Poon's works have won a number of awards.
| Year | Organization | Award title, Category |
Work | Result | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Association for Mormon Letters | AML Awards, Best Film of 2006 |
The Book of Visions | Won | [12] |
| 2016 | Association for Mormon Letters | AML Awards, Best Film of 2016 |
The Split House | Won | [13] |
Personal life edit
Poon is married to her husband, Kah Leong Poon, whom she met while studying at the School of Visual Arts in New York City.[14] She served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Croatia.[14]
References edit
- ^ a b c d Johnson, Whitney. "Annie Poon: Oh Puppy!". Whitney Johnson. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c Poon, Annie (September 14, 2012). "About". Oh Puppy!. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c Poon, Annie (March 25, 2012). "About Me". Annie Poon. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c Lewis, Chase. "LDS artist unveiling animation 10 years in the making". The Daily Universe. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ a b c d McBaine, Neylan (February 14, 2013). "From the Bathtub to Beyond". The Mormon Women Project. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
- ^ a b c Clements, Derrick. "Split mind, 'Split House': Art exhibit by Annie Poon explores mental illness and healing". Daily Herald. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ a b Jepson, Eric. "Annie & Kah Leong Poon — Mormon Artist". mormonartist.net. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
- ^ Poon, Annie. "Runaway Bathtub". Youtube. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ "Contemporary Art Lecture Series: Artist Talk—Annie Poon - BYU Museum of Art". moa.byu.edu.
- ^ Jepson, Theric (May 29, 2016). ""The Split House" by Annie Poon". www.motleyvision.org. A Motley Vision. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ Poon, Annie. "Daisy Daddy". Annie Poon. Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ "The Book of Visions". Mormon Artists Group. Archived from the original on October 25, 2015. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
- ^ "2016 AML Awards". April 23, 2017. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ a b Lewis, Chase (June 2, 2016). "LDS artist unveiling animation 10 years in the making". The Universe. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved November 14, 2018.