Jorge

My very first post in this blog of my first mural has a photograph of a guy whose face is covered and you can only vaguely see the mural behind him.  This is him:

"Jorge" 16"x20" charcoal on paper

His name is Jorge.  He was my high school boyfriend and died shortly after my graduation from complications of lupus.  I made this charcoal drawing of him that summer.  It is now the spring of 2013 and I came across this picture in a file that I've had in my garage that I've kept for almost 20 years.  I didn't know how to preserve the charcoal at the time and it wasn't framed or anything as it sat in storage, so even though it has smeared in some places, especially around the mouth, I think it has held up pretty well overall.  This is possibly the first portrait I ever drew.

I think it is interesting that after my mom died in 2012 (sorry that the chronology of this blog is all over the place) the first thing I did to express my grief was paint a portrait of her as well.  Apparently there is something very healing in that for me and I didn't make the connection until just now.  I'm very drawn to art in times of intense emotion in my life.

Jorge is buried in Puerto Rico in a cemetery where the cement vaults are above ground. Many of them are painted bright colors, but the last time I was there his wasn't decorated at all.  I have had a fantasy for many years to travel back and paint a mural of a beautiful, floral casket spray on his vault.  I'm still in touch with his family and one of these days I'll talk to them about it and see if it's something they would let me do.  I'd love to be able to leave a lasting token of respect and remembrance for a dear friend gone too soon.

For more information about lupus or make a donation to fight for the cure visit http://www.lupus.org/.

The Hug

This was the last movie I made.  The final piece of the trilogy was a romance :).

I'm a little sad about the water damage on the first few pages that happened over the years, but I guess it could have been worse, so I'll be glad that's all it was.

The Apple

My first "movie" was such a success I decided to try another.  This one was my comedy, sure to make you laugh at the end.

The Flower

In high school I became interested in animation and wanted to try making my own flip book.  This was my first attempt.

I remember being so proud of this and calling it my "movie" and eventually my "tragedy" (because the flower gets picked).  It's so sad, isn't it?