written by Joni Kabana

Imagine yourself sweeping floors for an Oregon-based designer who is creating puppets for The Lion King on Broadway when the thought occurs to you that you should be focusing solely on your own art. You quit your job on the spot and start laser-focusing on your lifelong passion in experimental filmmaking, documentary, video installation, writing and whatever tickles your artistic fancy.

Freedom is what defines Rankin Renwick’s artistic style. Take Renwick’s gonzo film promotion process, for example, of calling museums, grange halls, universities and film centers on the fly. The game, Renwick said, is not driving more than one day without securing a paid showing. Renwick still takes extended backroad trips meandering through impromptu artists’ studio visits, following leads to rooms full of stored film footage and stopping along the road to capture something inspired by an intuitive feeling. “Everything I do I consider is working on my art, be it soaking in hot springs, or shopping at the grocery store—there always is something or a feeling coming into my brain that I may see as useful in the future to convey,” Renwick said.

Renwick, a recipient of numerous grants and the founder of their company, the Oregon Department Renwick, a recipient of numerous grants and the founder of their company, the Oregon Department of Kick Ass, works with many peers who offer “way low-down” pricing or volunteer time to assist with offerings of material and skills. Sometimes they don’t know how it all will end up, but Renwick’s playful personality and successful track record supplants any need to be highly compensated. The resulting engaging (and, at times, zany) creations tend to explode into a life of themselves, and the topics are so off-kilter, it is not a stretch to understand why one would not clamor to be involved. Art sales, museum commissions and screening fees also help to pay the bills.

Renwick’s current project,Translation Please, a film about “trying hard to listen and hardly listening,” was made with archival footage gleaned from panning over 8,000 discarded film cans from schools, hospitals, etc. during a 2021 artist residency stay with Basement Films in Albuquerque. Renwick’s advice for budding filmmakers is to make a short film first. “Learn to convey through imagery alone, then tackle adding sound. Always leave the viewer wanting more. When in doubt, throw out.”

LEARN MORE

Rankin Renwick will have a solo painting and film installation at The Anita Building in Astoria throughout September. See more of Renwick’s work at www.odoka.org.