Sunday, January 16, 2011

MOBY-DICK, Page 524

Title: As they neared him, the ocean grew still more smooth; seemed drawing a carpet over its waves; seemed a noon-meadow, so serenely it spread. At length the breathless hunter came so nigh his seemingly unsuspecting prey, that his entire dazzling hump was distinctly visible, sliding along the sea as if an isolated thing...

15.5 inches by 10.75 inches
acrylic paint and charcoal on found paper
January 2, 2011

8 comments:

  1. This project is one of the first things I view every morning. I will be a touch lonely when it ends.

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  2. Lizzy, in the novel, one of the many things that really strikes me is how at this point, when the real whale Moby Dick is truly and finally sighted for the first time, just before the awful, brutal chase begins...it is oddly peaceful. The weather is beautiful, the sea is very calm, and the whale is gliding along the surface in a way that is placid, serene, and beautifully calm. It is such a stunning counterpoint to the ferocity that eventually follows, and I really wanted to show that peace and beauty in this illustration.

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  3. Patty, that is very kind of you to say, and it means a lot to me to know that this is one of your first destinations each morning. I've been thinking about the end quite a bit lately, and what it will mean to me. I have a very busy schedule - full time job, 90 minute commute (one way) to work, and so on - and this project has really given my life shape and form for almost a year and a half now. The final page, for me, will bring great joy, relief, and a very bittersweet kind of sadness. This blog won't end with the last page, there will still be news about the book and hopefully a gallery show and sales of the art and so on, but the updates will be less frequent and I won't have a new page to show every day. It does make me sad, and I think I may shed a tear or two when I am finished.

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  4. a future beyond imaginings - overwhelming joy, tears, numbness, nothing, surprises. i'm so excited for you and looking forward to what will follow!

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  5. Lizzie, I am still not sure yet what I will begin working on when this project is done. I am a librarian, not an artist, and this is not a career for me. It all has to come when I can find time after work, in the evenings or sometimes weekends. But I will do something, and I have a few ideas in mind. I just need to marinate.

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  6. Thank you very much Skott! Provincetown Whales, huh? That looks quite fascinating, and I look forward to exploring your site even further when this project is finally complete and I have a moment to breathe.

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