The... Somewhat Delayed Inktober Wrap-up

So, an awful lot of things happened between the last blog post and this one and most of them were, indeed, awful.  I apologize in advance for the sad news but having hadn't posted in ages, I feel like an explanation is owed.

The month began with the sudden passing of my uncle, one of the funniest people I ever knew and the husband of my Godmother, who passed away last year.  This has, all told, been a hell of a couple of years for me.  Much of October was spent dealing with the fallout from this.  And just as my family and I were starting to get a handle on things, the month ended with The Nameless Storm.  At least ten trees were down in our neighborhood and we lost power for a week (we have a generator thank goodness, but still).  Fun times.

So October, the month, was a seemingly endless nightmare.

INK-tober, however, was fantastic.  I loved seeing everyone's art; it really did cheer me up during a terrible time.  I also drew a picture for every single day in October and honestly, I have no idea how I even did it.  To tell the truth, I'm a little soured on daily art challenges even though this was mostly stressful because of extenuating circumstances.  Anyway, here they all are.  Head to Flickr for the larger versions and more information:

Good Grief - Thoughts on "Death Prattle"

I have to begin with yet more sad news that helps explain why this blog has been in radio silence for a while now.

As readers may already know, my Godmother passed away earlier this summer.  Well, not long after that, my uncle passed away.  This uncle of mine had one of the most interesting lives imaginable, lived in a big old house full of treasures from his journeys around the world, and shared with us excellent sci-fi books and the strangest b-movies he could find.  And he just died very suddenly.  And having just typed that, I hate it, because now it feels more real.  Anyway, that's two major losses in a row for me this year.

It was in this grieving state that I discovered "Death Prattle".

"Death Prattle" is a very good podcast hosted by Tara Dunderdale and Talcott Starr.  And it is all about death and grief and mourning.  Both hosts have suffered profound losses in their lives.  They and their guests speak very frankly about their experiences.  It's often a very hard listen (it's taken me quite a while to catch up with the new episodes) but it's well worth it.  And, you have to trust me here, it's frequently hilarious.

"Death Prattle" is available on iTunes.  It can be found on Twitter here.

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Drawing of the Day

Sad News

My beloved aunt and Godmother passed away last Sunday morning.  Yesterday was her funeral.  This whole week has been an awful whirlwind of mourning and heartache and I'm just now able to write about this here.

My Godmother was an incredible, wild, vivacious woman who loved me like another daughter.  Her loss is so monumental, my entire body hurts like I've been gutted.  If you ever met her, you'd never forget her, and you'd feel heartbroken too, because she brought joy and light to so many different people.

I think that was the only happy aspect of her wake; the line to pay her respects went around the block (twice, curling like a seashell, according to some!) and the room was so crowded that I kept crashing into people - but they were all people who I love and who love me.  That was my Godmother's effect on everyone and I don't have any better word for it than magic.  There are a lot of angels in my life but she - she's my Faery Godmother.

Life is never going to be the same without her.  But the world turns, time passes, and shows must go on, so new posts will go up as scheduled.  Drawing and writing helps keep me from despairing, and it helps me a lot to remember and laugh about the past.  We all know 2016 has been a really crummy year so far with all the profoundly creative people we've lost, so I think the best thing to do is fill the void with more creativity.  Art and imagination are the magic in this world and we need more.

Very Sad News That Explains Why I Have Been In Such a Weird Head-Space Lately

My Grandmother just died.

Let me rephrase that. My ninety-four year old grandmother, mother of seven children, thirteen grandchildren, and twenty-one great-grandchildren, recently passed away after an excruciatingly long fight with Alzheimer's Disease. She had, all told, a very good life, produced a huge and loving family, and she was reasonably happy up until the very last week or so of her life. So, while this is very sad, it's not really tragic.

Even so, I am -as you may imagine- very upset about this. As artists (I figure most of my readers are painfully aware of this) we spend an awful lot of time inside our own heads. Therefore, grief is exhausting. I not only feel depressed but physically ill. The reality of it is just starting to hit me and my family, as I'm sure it has for many of my aunts, uncles, cousins, second-cousins, friends, and so on. Obviously, we all knew this was going to happen sooner or later, but the problem with "later" is that it always eventually becomes "now". (Let me just say that there has been a major uptick in my chocolate consumption lately.)When I launched this blog, I made a pledge that I would plan on having at least two new posts per week for the first three years. This was to keep me focused and avoid stagnation, and it was kind of my own little protest against interesting websites that go for months without updating (I am considerably more sympathetic to them now). I would allow myself a break during the holidays and hiatuses if anything major (good or bad) came up. I'm pretty sure nobody would mind if I count this as something major.

And yet, part of me wants to muscle through. I feel like that would be better for my psychology. As I said to one of my cousins, I want to get behind the wheel of some major projects. I feel like if I don't, I'll succumb to despair. I want (need really) to update my resume and portfolio, get more original pieces up for sale on ebay, and maybe get some paid commissions going. And I think I need to read through my own blog and keep a running list of things I said I was going to write more about. And, of course, Giant Carnivorous Birds to paint! Valentines / Single Person Awareness Day cards to design! Secret projects with kitties and toucans, maybe!

I apologize if this post was uncharacteristically Emo. I'll try to make the next one more fun.

EDIT: Thank you, everyone, for the kind words. I was afraid this might veer on the "too personal" side of things, but it was something I just had to write. Thank you all so much.

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Doodle of the Day! It's Award Season! Here are silly and hopefully funny things I sketched during the Golden Globes:




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And in other Mood Whiplash news, it's Feederwatch Friday!

Yeah, you might have heard that we had a little storm recently.  As I've said before, snow brings diversity. The Wren is back!

American Crow 5
Black-capped Chickadee 3
White-breasted Nuthatch 1
Carolina Wren 1
Northern Cardinal 1
House Sparrow 30