The Quest for Excellence in Madagascar*

It constantly amazes me where instruction and enlightenment can be found and how it can be delivered.

Take Madagascar, for example.

The animated movie, not the country. You know, Alex the Lion; Marty the Zebra and all the rest.

Madagascar is one of Neal and my favorite movies. We watch it once or twice every two or three months. Usually when we want something light-hearted and when we need to laugh.

We have always watched it on TV and have enjoyed it immensely.

We recently had the opportunity to watch it projected onto a big screen — a really big screen — and it was an entirely new experience.

By now, you’re probably glancing back up at the title and thinking, “What does a kids’ movie have to do with excellence?”

Just this.

I was astounded by the details that were clearly visible on the big screen that I had totally missed in watching the movie dozens of times on TV. Things like hairs around the fetlocks of the characters with fetlocks. Chin hairs on the zebra and horse in the movie. Elbow hairs on the lion. Stand hairs on the chimps’ heads and around their ears.

The texture of a stone fence or sidewalk or hippo’s skin.

Things that really exist in real-life, but aren’t at all necessary in animation. There were so many places where the high level of attention to detail seemed unnecessary. I could just imagine someone somewhere along the line saying to the artists and others, “You could have had this done six months earlier if you wouldn’t have messed with all those details!” Nine out of ten people would never notice the majority of those details, so why bother with them? What do they contribute?

I’ve certainly heard it.

“What’s taking so long with that portrait? It could have been done weeks ago!”

“You’re still working on the same story?”

I have pondered this issue periodically since last seeing the movie. I’ve actually pondered it a lot over the years of creative endeavor. There are endless occasions to cut corners and to leave out some of the things I would like to see in a painting or that don’t seem necessary to a story, but that most others would never notice.

The temptation to take shortcuts is huge and endless!

I was especially delighted by all those details and almost totally lost sight of the movie itself.

But I was also hugely encouraged in my own craft by the artists who produced Madagascar. They clearly love their work and possess immense passion for it because they went the extra mile in so many places.

Do I have the same level of commitment, dedication and passion for my work? Do I do the very best I can at all stages and put in everything that should be there at every stage, even if it’s never likely to be noticed or, if it is noticed, will be noticed by very few?

I don’t believe I do, but the goal is out there…clearly in view in such works as Madagascar. But it’s also out there in the works of the artists I admire. William Bouguereau. Johannes Vermeer. Alexei Antonov. Loren Entz. Michelle Grant. Linda Shantz.

The list goes on and on.

The challenge for me in painting, in writing and in all of life is to do the absolute, dead-level best I can do at everything I do regardless of the clamoring to cut corners or take shortcuts.

A monumental challenge, indeed.

As always, thanks for reading and best wishes!

*Originally published at Carrie L. Lewis Horse Painter Blog.