In a world where no talent "celebrities" are fawned over for being "reality TV" stars, or others are famous for merely being famous spoiled rich kids ... this sweet documentary quietly presents a picture of what a true artiste and inspirational human being looks like. When a severe earthquake destroys his metal foundry in 1992, sculptor Jack Mays takes to sitting all day every day drawing exquisite color sketches of his quaint northern California village of Ferndale. Producer and co-director Carrie Grant along with long time BBC filmmaker John Howarth (see the excellent "Mary Jane: A Musical Potumentary") follow Jack on his daily vigils and chronicle his quiet determination, remarkable artistic style and immense productivity. Carrie Grant, also a resident of this aesthetic colony, uses her empathic low key style to interview a large cross section of colorful characters that inhabit the picturesque town to parse out the widespread love and appreciation by the community for their home town hero. The poignancy of the film escalates when Jack is diagnosed with terminal cancer and given months to live. Without giving away any spoilers, let's just say the remaining time left to him is delicately and beautifully celebrated.
The film additionally presents the artwork of Jack Mays in a series of remarkable sequences, pieced together by John Howarth. Looking over the shoulder of Jack while working on a single image one appreciates the simultaneous realism yet often also a subtle surrealism, such as hallucinatory cloud formations and lighting, that might permeate a given stand alone illustration. What isn't readily apparent though is Jack would return to the same spot in town day after day (for two years in one instance!) and rotate his perspective a few degrees and when a week or a months worth of images are knitted together by the filmmaker a panoramic nearly 360 degree view of the setting would spring to life. Jack's subjects varied widely... notable victorian homes, charming neighborhoods, a gothic cemetery, churches, bars and main street facades, and even an entire series dedicated to many views and angles of a central parking lot (!) with recurring cameos of peculiar local cars. He would regularly portray and commemorate many a quirky village eccentric like himself in his creations. Likewise myriad festivals, the county fair, and other events throughout the years (such as the famous "Kinetic Sculpture Race" that originated in Ferndale CA) are depicted, often in a whimsical and phantasmagoric fashion.
This is a sweet and quietly moving film ... like the artist it portrays, a tribute to the many creative and praiseworthy artisans that live and work among us, unconcerned about celebrity and hype... but deserving of our respect, support and admiration.