As Far as Thanksgiving Break Goes....

I am admittedly rather behind in posting about my senior project. Last Tuesday was taken up with voting, and last Thursday with getting a grant proposal writen, work photographed, and all of it bundled up and in the office by 5 o'clock pm (of which I barely made the deadline!). But I am rather happy that I did spend so much time on the grant, not because I have any grand hopes of receiving money, but because it enabled me to hammer out several ideas and deadlines I was allowing to squirm. 

As per creative work, I am not sure through what sieve all my time is leaking out of. 

This week as produced something I am rather happy about. I've been working on an illustration based on a pice of writing I did last November. The writing is about all the pine trees that congregate together after the autumnal procession of October blazes by. The pine trees are quaint folk who like solid, congenial (and a trifle gossipy) conversation. 

Here's a photo I took of my favorite "studio." I seem to be able to get twice as much done when I am in the quiet and solitary atmosphere of home. Perhaps it is because my work seems to always be slightly steeped in a homey atmosphere. 

Here's a bad photograph of my painting "The Procession of the Pines." I've redrawn a few of the elements and inked it already, but haven't any photographs of the updated work (and since this post has to be posted at noon....). 

I've also included a few sketchbook pics (since I had it available to photograph) of some planning I've been doing. 

(small enough that you can't read what I wont accomplish)

It feels in many ways like my process so far has been like peeling and slicing an apple. I've been pulling away all the different useless ideas to get down to the core of my project, only to discover that what I really want is to gather the apple pieces and cook them all together in an apple crisp.

In other words: I've begun to start to find all the project tangents I had early in the semester working back on themselves and weaving back into my project. Different tangents I had were: creating a children's book about an author writing a letter to his editor about an extraordinary sighting of a creature in the woods; working with letter writing and letters; and using my own creative prose about the seasons with illustration. Now I'm working on a book about a character who is corresponding via letter and retelling their inconsequential year. My thought is to focus on retelling the year to show the ordinary things of the year in an almost miracular, or extraordinary way. I am able to carry on the interest I have with letter writing and correspondence, and weave together creative writing prose about the seasons. 

So. 

All that long blather to talk about what I would like to have in 2 and a half weeks for the December reviews: 

I would like to have five solid illustrations completed. I want to have the prose that I am paring with these illustrations pretty hammered out, though I am leaving room for more revision. And I would like three preliminary spreads to show my intention for the design of the book. 

My current questions I have about my project are figuring out the narrator character, and who he or she are writing to; and finding ways to weave as stronger presence of the correspondence elements into the story.  

As far as thanksgiving break goes, I don't think I'll be emerging much from my "preferred" studio beyond the Thursday's dinner.