Viewing Pen to Paper at GR Works

by Glen Keane

I know I go on and on about the LA Conservancy but there’s another Los Angeles non-profit that’s dear to my heart – 826LA, a tutoring center that helps children improve their writing skills. It’s a worthy cause that I’ve talked about in the past (check out the posts on the Dead Author Readings and the Time Travel Mart) and am continually amazed by.

Case in point – the Pen to Paper exhibit currently at GR Works in Downtown Los Angeles. The students of 826 wrote stories about their imaginary friends. Then, professional illustrators and animators produced illustrations based on their stories. Here’s the details.

GRworks and 826LA presents “Pen to Paper” from GR Works on Vimeo.

Obviously, I had to check it out. So I made my way downtown and stopped in during the opening reception. It. was. Awesome. On the wall were displayed the original stories alongside the artists’ interpretation. Usually when I visit a gallery it doesn’t take me too long to see everything. Not this time. The stories were so entertaining I wanted to read each one. And the illustrations? Could they be anything less than amazing? Here’s a sampling.