Here's a little treat for you. A little sketch from a paper agenda (rare now!) cut and pasted and added to. Not sure what's going on here. But to the left you see a little rendition of the "Josie" logo as Monica and I were brainstorming Josie ideas at the time.
A rocky start to our stop in Dublin, from the flight and a forgotten passport.
I spent most of my time writing a term paper for my first graduate school class, "Borders and Boundaries." And on Zoom calls with my office. Badly timed trip perhaps, but that's the way it was.
I did make it to the Library Bar though, while walking about with Monica; Greg, too, joined us.
I did write a good paper though, and I did well in the class. I was terrified though...it had been so long since I was in a classroom!
Here's the last in my Stucky series, which I draw for Monica while we're at conventions. Though we were at Angouleme shortly after this, I did not continue the tradition. "To everything, turn, turn, turn..."
This was a fun jaunt!
Greg and I had finished Liebestrasse some time back, and comiXology Originals chose Thought Bubble to release the book.
They lined up several interviews for us, and a panel.
Sadly, the panel was poorly advertised... "What's new from comiXology" rather than what the book is about.I think we agreed it would have been better that way.
I love Leeds, so it was a little sad that the show moved to Harrogate (no offense, Harrogate). But it was nice that Dom trekked over to the show, as did Christophe.
I also had a great chat with a comics pal, Sean, an English guy I met at Angouleme in 2010. In the back pages of one of his books, he mentioned drawing comics in his 50s. As I was about to turn 50, I asked him further about his experiences and feelings. That was great, because it's certainly had been a challenging experience for me, to re-enter the world of exhibiting at shows into my late 40s.
This sketch was inspired by my hillside, though it isn't nearly that steep, in reality.
About a year ago, I came to conclusion (or, rather, accepted the conclusion) that my house and yard were too much for me to manage by myself. I was successful in its care, but was drained, and consumed.
I took my job in NH in 2018 as I needed a change, and the College's location (and, the house's, specifically) suited me, as just a few miles from my father's campsite. The house gave him ample opportunities to putter.
In COVID, I've been working remotely--as not student-facing, we're one less detail to manage. My father hasn't returned since the pandemic hit, nor is he likely to.
Looking about, one terribly snowy day, as I shoveled the pathways around my house, I took careful inventory of the house.
"I'll spend my whole summer scraping and painting this place," I thought with frustration.
The market being good for sellers, and my loft to return to, I decided to sell the NH house, and figured things out if and when I was called back to campus.
Nearly a year later, still waiting.
But in the meantime, without the burdens of house care, I've been able to handle so many other things, and nearly at a relaxed pace. I miss very much the parts of the house and yard and ownership I loved, but am thankful for an advantageous exit from the aspects I found deeply stressful.
Here are some sketches I found in preparation to draw the Liebestrasse scene driving through the Alps. Not a probable choice for Philip to drive, but I desperately wanted to draw an Auburn 351 Speedster.
You also get a piece of my to do list.
