Exhibition: Tomm Moore – Drawing from Life

Since Cartoon Saloon’s foundation in 1999 in Kilkenny, its co-founder Tomm Moore has worked as Director, Art Director, Storyboarder, Animator and Illustrator across a range of the studio’s projects. Tomm has directed three universally successful feature films, all nominated for an ACADEMY AWARD® Best Animated Feature – The Secret of Kells, Song of the Sea, and WolfWalkers.

Having completed this informal “Trilogy” of Irish folklore- and history-inspired films, he is now developing a new direction for his next cycle of features focusing on the Irish diaspora and its connections with other cultures. As well as working as creative producer across several of Cartoon Saloon’s new film and series projects, he is also refocusing on his personal artistic practice of figure drawing and oil painting.

Tomm sees life drawing as foundational to animation, allowing the creation of compelling and credible characters that draw audiences into their stories. For a number of years, he has dedicated periods of time to advancing his life-drawing practice and understanding anatomy and body structure more thoroughly, through working with masters such as Karl Gnass and Raymond Huisman. This is his first time to exhibit this work publicly in Ireland, giving a glimpse into the skill, dedication and understanding that is required to make world-class animation.