Sometimes we're reminded of just how interrelated we really are. Just today I was told about a new book that's hitting stores this month called The Daily Zoo: Keeping the Doctor at Bay with a Drawing a Day, written by Chris Ayers. I've never met Chris, but I've come to learn that we shared a mutual friend in Trish Goken, who was killed tragically in a car accident along with her fiance, Denis Tri, almost four years ago. (I've written fondly of my memories of Denis and Trish here.)
Chris is an artist who has worked in the film industry for several years, and whose prolific resume includes character and concept design for movies such as Men in Black 2, The Santa Clause 2, Austin Powers in Goldmember, Alien vs. Predator, Fantastic Four, and The Incredible Hulk. A few years ago, Chris was diagnosed with leukemia -- only a few months after Denis and Trish passed away, in fact -- and after treatment and recovery he started drawing in a sketchbook, his goal to draw one animal each day for the following year.
Chris explains, "My hope was that it would be therapeutic and help 'center' me after the cancer rollercoaster. The book is a collection of those 365 sketches along with commentary about my cancer journey and artistic process."
Even a cursory look through a sample of Chris's artwork reveals his enormous talent. In fact, referring to some of these detailed works of art as mere "sketches" is an understatement of the artist's knack for originality and imagination. Most are simply breathtaking and would justify the price of the book themselves, but I'm also looking forward to reading what is no doubt some very interesting and sobering commentary as Chris reflected daily on his battle with cancer. Here's the quick story behind the book's concept.
But back to Chris's friendship with Trish. The two met while living and working in L.A.; Trish was a script supervisor for the hit show, Alias, and actually introduced Chris to her boss, J.J. Abrams, with whom Chris has since become a friend and colleague. Abrams also wrote the foreword to The Daily Zoo, in which he mentions Trish extensively. In fact, Chris has dedicated his forthcoming masterpiece to Trish Goken.
At this writing, I actually have no idea how long Chris and Trish knew one another, but I can say fairly definitively that no one dedicates a book to you unless you've made a positive impact on his or her life. I only knew Trish for half a year before she and Denis were so unfairly taken from all of us, but it only took about half a day to realize she was one of a kind, always filled with a contagious happiness that lifted everyone whenever she was around.
They say you're known by the company you keep. I've actually found this to be one of the greater truths of my lifetime. If his past friendship with Trish is any indication, Chris Ayers's book is going to be well, well done. Order your copy here.
