Portland animator Joanna Priestley celebrates 20 years of experimental film with the release of a two-disc retrospective, Fighting Gravity and Relative Orbits. All images © Joanna Priestly/PrimoPix.

The world does not want for creativity. People are inherently creative beings, whether as cooks, gardeners or artists. The limiting ingredient is, if not time or resourcefulness, most often money.

Priestley started as a printmaker and painter, and her first film was made using rubber stamps. Photo credit: Kosawa.

The common perception is that big time animation has its center in Los Angeles — after all, that’s where the money is — and that indie animation has its fingers dug into the gritty scene of New York City. In the United States, Los Angeles and New York are the foci of the entertainment business, whether one is doing television, features, commercials or public service announcements.

And yet, in the forgotten outposts of other cities and towns, the lamp of animation burns just as brightly. Paul Fierlinger comes to mind, having worked as an independent animator for the last 30 years in Philadelphia. And, with the recent release of her two-disc DVD anthology — Fighting Gravity and Relative Orbits — Portland animator Joanna Priestley also deserves a note of celebration for her 20 years of experimental film.

Opening up the anthology, Priestley does not waste any time: a paper insert falls into your lap, and happily reports, “How to Make an Independent Animated Film.” The ideas and inspirations are a dime a dozen. But where is the magic genie to fund the project? For those willing to investigate and pursue fellowships and sponsorships, there is hope.

Now, Priestley’s films are largely experimental in nature, meaning she is more concerned with the technique and process of creating her work than in remaining beholden to narrative expectations. So, switch your thinking caps. As she animates candy, meat, glass and sculpture, in addition to such mundane media as watercolor and pastel drawings, there always emerges a kind of warmth in the stories she shares.