The record, 3 septembre 2003, Supplément 1

Brome County NEW msm Ht-vs, Wednesday, September 3, 2003 ÊKB PENSE À TOI m mm mW is thinking of you Turn your groceries.into rewards For your Çlk reward miles choose 1ER all the way Quality is our main ingredient.231 Sherbrooke St., Magog 819-868-1122 472 Knowlton Rd., Knowlton 450-243-6692 The Largest Circulation Weekly in Brome-Missisquoi Aviation in art By Caroline Kehne Record Correspondent Knowlton For a few more days, visitors to the BCHS’ Centennial Building will have a chance to see the paintings of acclaimed producer, director and animator Gerald Pot-terton.The short, nine-day exhibition has little to do with Potterton’s animation career, which earned him three Oscar nominations and an international reputation, but reveals another facet of his talent: a love of aviation and model airplane building.Potterton was born in London in 1931, two years before the Nazis seized power in Berlin.Within the first decade of his life.Britain was at war, struggling for its life as the rest of Europe capitulated.Potterton recalls part of his childhood spent in Wiltshire, near Stonehenge, surrounded by military bases and the constant reminder of war.There, he was surrounded by aviators from the far reaches of the British Empire.At age eight, inspired by an uncle who was a pilot, he began building model airplanes.Aviation remained an important theme in his life.In 1950, the 19-year-old entered the RAF and was sent to art school.In 1954, after his discharge, Potterton travelled to Canada to join the animation film unit of the National Film Board and worked as an assistant on an animated version of Animal Farm.In 1960, he moved to New York for a year, taking up residence in Greenwich Village while working on Madison Avenue.“I loved Manhattan, but I missed Canada.That’s the country boy in me," says the filmmaker.By the early 1960s, he had already earned two of his three Oscar nominations, for My Financial Career and Christmas Cracker.Then his career took another turn when he wrote and directed Buster Keaton’s last 35 millimeter film, a silent short called The Railrodder.“I wrote one half-page about a guy in London who reads a paper advertising ‘See Canada Now’ and jumps into the Thames,” says Potterton.The camera cuts to the Atlantic shore of Canada, revealing Keaton coming out of the frigid surf.He encounters a railroad car, which he commandeers to take a coast-to-coast trip across Canada.The entire script, he says, was improvised day by day, from the half-page sketch.The word “genius” peppers his descriptions of Keaton, a man who, in his 70s, could stay out every night until 2 a.m.playing bridge, and still be ready for work the next morning.Potterton eventually left the NFB to form his own production company, Potterton Productions, which created animated films for television and was, during the 1960s, one of the largest private film companies in Canada.JÈL CAROLINE KEHNE/CORRESPONDENT l jJM&Ê This is self-portrait of the artist as a young boy, standing before Stonehenge while Spitfires fly to some unknown mission.While others might revel in one (let alone, three) nominations, Potterton has a wistful, “always-a-bridesmaid-never-a-bride” attitude toward the Oscars, despite a host of other awards and accomplishments.He was honoured in 1998 at the World Animation Celebration in Pasadena as one of “Ten Men Who Have Rocked The Animation World”, his films have been the subject of retrospectives (Ottawa Animation Film Festival, 1994, and Seattle Film Festival, 1997.) and the list goes on.In 1975, Potterton joined the Royal Canadian Academy and now, after nearly five decades in film, has resumed a new direction as a painter.He applies his storyteller’s eye to the canvas, whether capturing the textures of the local landscapes, classic airplanes or retelling the stories of World War II aces.See Aviation, Page 4 K KÔÏŸMCN 10% off all AG accelerators for students with I.D.New location, new equipment more services.Salon Luc J Esthetician on premises.Monday-Saturday 8 am-4 pm Membre ASBO Certifié par SÆ 58 Principale N, Sutton Quebec (450) 538-5858 with or without appointments Bright (alors Jfrt supplies Getf Art Suites, Crentiw Art Products + Commissions available at Bousada's Design Artist , Æwè/W^Wff«vf7Jteu*Uex 'pUHVuzl and Serving all faiths.Townshippers serving Townshippers Denis Meunier Robert Farnam 402, Rivière, Cowansville (450) 266-6061 1ÊlSÈtËÊÊÊtÈÈÊIÊtÊÊÊËÊÊËÊÊSÈ age 12 BROME COUNTY NEWS Wednesday, September 3, 2003 « Bü La Résidence Principale Retirement home for active people and for those who require a little more care T ©[PIM [HK3DCLD pipim» .: ¦ I'iM1 *' 1 li" - ;f&»r Sunday, SEPTEMBER 14, 2003 between 10:00 am and 4:00 pm STUDIOS, SUITES, and APARTMENTS 2-1/2 AND 3-1/2 Gome ciTzd see the difference! 339, rue Principale, Cowansville (450) 263-6001 m CONSTRUCTION NlAYTON Congratulations to out partners! ALAIN TLTREAULT