The art on display here is very interesting, if not a bit diss-associative. There are running narratives where Woodring speaks while he works. That's where the trouble starts. I was taught at an early age to take responsibility for the words I speak. Woodring is clearly just throwing out a rather lame stream of consciousness narrative that is almost certainly largely fiction. He is textbook proof that artists should be seen and not heard. He looks like a supervisor for janitors or a book keeper for a dive bar, and that is OK. I found his narrative to be mostly gibberish and clearly not to be taken at face value, so it was a surprise to see this drift towards less than honest revelations. As interesting as his art is, listening to him made me like it a lot less. I suggest watching the art show and putting the sound on mute and playing some nice music while you watch a talented artist tell lies and make up stories using ink and paper. He is very good at it.

It's weird: If you're a Woodring fan (like me) then this movie doesn't really add much info to what you already know. If you're NOT a Woodring fan, this flick could be irrelevant, or just mystifying. I guess there are a few folks out there who'd be permeable to a stream of info on an artist's life experiences and his interesting process. If that's you, then CONGRATS: You've struck gold. I enjoyed it well enough; tho there were few surprises for me. Oh: I think he's backed down from a technical "art pen" back to a "crow quill"... just one that better suits his interest in control of line. Odd observation: Watching this reminds me of Viv Stanshall (RIP). Jim's fine command of English, and interest in speaking from a lexicon normally associated with the *written* word, is interesting to me. You?

Interesting how certain artists drew their inspiration from childhood visions. H.R. Giger is one that springs to mind. Giger's visions lead him to his unique style of painting, partly as a way for him to deal with, and express, those early experiences.

Jim woodring also grew up seeing things. And Woodring's art is in a world unto itself. Mostly a psychedelic mix of the natural and the unnatural, of an unbalanced ying and yang, and of 'karma's a bi*ch' type scenarios, that many of his characters revel in, or suffer through.

In the world of Frank, one of Woodring's main characters, nothing is ever predictable, or even often what it seems. Chaos is the nature of Frank's universe. And what a universe!

Woodring is a true visionary. If you could warp back in time, and replace Walt Disney with Jim Woodring, the world would be an entirely different place today. And probably a different shape.