Plague Days 2020: Leaving the House and The Dragon in The Closet
So today I ventured to Centro to ship something. A task I did on a three times a week basis is now like a journey into an alternate reality. There's construction on our main access road so it's a maze to leave our house. The road called "Camino del mar" (which means "ocean road" and is as pretty as it sounds), was lined with new billboards with people washing their hands and wearing masks. Another had a big cartoon coronavirus and said "Queda en casa" (stay at home) and "¿Porque estas fuera?" (Why are you out?). It was all very "Big Brother" feeling.
The city was pretty empty for a Tuesday afternoon. Most of the stores were closed, but the correo (the post office) was running smoothly. The big market we love to go to was closed and all the vendors I saw were selling "cubrebocas" (face masks) and antibacterial gel. So I bought some. Then I saw the bakery was still open so I slipped inside and bought a birthday cake claiming it had coffee in it. It's my birthday in two days! After that being in town made me sad and a bit nervous so I headed back to the parking lot, paid the same guy who always washes my car when I park there (it's hot so I gave him more this time), and headed home. I have had my mask store closed for the last month because I was concerned about going to town for shipping, but that went well enough and I think I will reopen.
This week I accomplished something really exciting! I actually launched my webcomic that I've been working on for over a year. It turns out comic book coloring is much, much faster when you can't go anywhere or do anything else!
I started drawing this story in a sketchbook I carried around with me in January 2019. Drawing in waiting rooms and while I waited for my classes to start when I was teaching art in Phoenix had me making rapid progress on the drawing part, but digital colors are slow work. Anyway, please check it out! I'll be adding a page every Saturday.
In other comic book news, issue 3 and issue 4 of "The People That Melt in The Rain" just went live this week. It's amazing to read them in the new flipbook format, and they are up for free, and they've won awards and what exactly do you have going on anyway? Check them out!
Anyway, I posted them on twitter and labeled them #theviewfromhere, which was a tag requested by The Elizabeth Jones Art Center in Oregon (a group I follow online). Now they have invited me to participate in their pandemic show and want me to ship the paintings for the exhibit (which will go up once things are more open). So that's an interesting development.
In more serious news I just want to say I hope you're all doing well out there. Most days I feel ok but seem to burst into tears at random moments, like when I got back from town and realized that nothing is the same. I know we're supposed to feel like we're all in this together, but we're not. We're all alone and there's no touching allowed.
The city was pretty empty for a Tuesday afternoon. Most of the stores were closed, but the correo (the post office) was running smoothly. The big market we love to go to was closed and all the vendors I saw were selling "cubrebocas" (face masks) and antibacterial gel. So I bought some. Then I saw the bakery was still open so I slipped inside and bought a birthday cake claiming it had coffee in it. It's my birthday in two days! After that being in town made me sad and a bit nervous so I headed back to the parking lot, paid the same guy who always washes my car when I park there (it's hot so I gave him more this time), and headed home. I have had my mask store closed for the last month because I was concerned about going to town for shipping, but that went well enough and I think I will reopen.
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| Page one of the Dragon in The Closet |
I started drawing this story in a sketchbook I carried around with me in January 2019. Drawing in waiting rooms and while I waited for my classes to start when I was teaching art in Phoenix had me making rapid progress on the drawing part, but digital colors are slow work. Anyway, please check it out! I'll be adding a page every Saturday.
In other comic book news, issue 3 and issue 4 of "The People That Melt in The Rain" just went live this week. It's amazing to read them in the new flipbook format, and they are up for free, and they've won awards and what exactly do you have going on anyway? Check them out!
A few weeks ago I started drawing from my balcony. This is my neighbor's coconut Tree.
In more serious news I just want to say I hope you're all doing well out there. Most days I feel ok but seem to burst into tears at random moments, like when I got back from town and realized that nothing is the same. I know we're supposed to feel like we're all in this together, but we're not. We're all alone and there's no touching allowed.
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