For our Book Seminar class we had to read "Ostracon," A short story by Alex Ross about an elderly woman who is showing early signs of Dementia. From this we had to come up with a series of images based on a theme of our choosing that related to the story. I chose to paint a series of images about the relation between memory and the senses. This is the first piece, based on touch...showing an elderly woman examining the aging process of her hands.

Finally got decent enough internet...and a good enough photo of one of my thesis paintings to post. Hopefully I'll be able to get the others soon.

First thesis painting so far. Working on a gessoed masonite board with colored pencils first to work out the values. Going to go over it with a layer of skin colored matte medium, and work some other colors into the figure using this process.

Shitty camera phone picture though...lol.

Did this painting in open acrylics. It's based off of the song "Strange Fruit" sung by Billy Holiday. Didn't want to really be too literal with the lyrics, but I used some imagery from the song.

Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves and blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.

Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.

Here is fruit for the crows to pluck
For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck
For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop.

I need to start drawing more. so, I drew in my sketchbook for once...maybe i'll try to post something every other day.