Was quiet but now am loud
Like a seed in the ground, I am now in bloom
It’s been a while! But I’ve been busy. I came home from overseas and then immediately went to the Ragdale Foundation artist residency which was nourishing and inspiring. My goal when I arrived was to just work on one thing, my WWI novel, but as we artist’s know that’s not always how it works. There are deadlines, and revisions and new ideas that need tending to. So what I did do was worked on finishing the draft of my new creator owned graphic novel, which is now off to my collaborator to start drawing. I moved the ball forward inches on my WWI novel. Revised my Obi-Wan graphic novel. Tinkered with new opera libretto. Worked on my AR/VR Wind project a bit. Applied for a bunch of things so that I can do that for real.
I always have to remind myself that moving the ball forward on a bunch of projects is working and getting things done. Do you feel like this, too?
I love an artist residency. I always meet such amazing people there who become friends for life. Conversations over dinner or wine or tea inspire and open up the mind to new ideas and potential new projects, solve problems when stuck, and maybe even lead to cool collaborations. At Ragdale among the all the artists that I was lucky to meet were Britland Tracy, who took a picture for my new Comic Book Walk project, and Allison Conway, who will be a contributor for that project.
When I was there I also took a dance class from one of the fellows, choreographer Ayako Kato. She had us rolling around on the ground thinking about deep winter, and the environment and how the seeds are priming themselves to burst forward and bloom when spring arrives. That’s what I’ve been doing since I last wrote. I have been an art seed under the frozen ground.
One of the projects that has been germinating for almost a year now is the idea for a comics anthology endurance performance piece that I started cooking up when I was in Sweden for the Stockholm Comic Fest last May. When I was there I saw the Laurie Anderson exhibit and then this past December I saw the Marina Abramovic exhibit in London and I couldn’t help but be inspired by both of those vital conceptual artists. This should come as no surprise if you’ve read me and Jim Rugg’s The Plain Janes. I thought, “I want to do some high art concept thing like them.” So now that idea is blooming for real.
I was thinking about how I wanted to do something hybrid and comics that only a human could do. It’s how I like to think about comics and stories. Pushing them to new things. How can we have fun with the medium? It’s part of the work of an artist to play.
I came up with this strange little idea that for one year, I am going to become a comic book. I’ll be collaborating with 24 amazing comic book artists to make an anthology series of a character walking to tell a small silent story that I will wear on my arm in the form of temporary tattoos that will change every two weeks. The character of Maxi is designed by Mads Ellgard Skovbakke. Maxi is walking in their story. I am walking with Maxi in the real world. It’s art! It’s comics! It’s fun and weird!
I’ll be debuting this whole Comic Book Walk thing at the TCAF (Toronto Comics Arts Festival) where I'll be tabling. I’ll also be launching a kickstarter soon to help pay the contributing artists, so I hope you’ll sign up there to be notified to support it.
In other upcoming events, I’ll be on a bunch of panels at Wondercon, so come say hi to me there if you’re there. And I recently was interviewed over at Pop Culture Squad and Words, Images, & Worlds.
That’s all my news for right now.
I’m emerging. The sun is out. The world is weird. Things are changing. Art is everywhere. Send me your news.
Love,
Cecil