getting rid of the burden

So, I just filed my taxes. It feels good, especially since I'm getting a hefty sum back. One of the perks of being a broke student worker. Not only do you get to do the deductions and get the return, but you also get credits from the government based upon how poor you are, which is where a huge chunk of my return is coming from. Huzzah!

Today is a day to finish a bunch of unfinished business. I have paintings to finish for friends. I have medical bills to fax to Aflac for monetary support. BTW, don't ever go to the doctor because of a cold, unless you have an extremely bad fever. When your cold lasts two weeks and doesn't seem to improve and, in fact, gets worse, don't go to the doctor. Wait it out. Or else you will be charged close to a thousand dollars. It's just not worth it. Here's your prescription: Buy some Mucinex, eat chicken noodle soup, and get rest. Also, if you have a wet cough (which means that it is a cough caused by having mucus in your lungs), don't use a cough suppressant like Robotussin. All that does is prevent you from coughing up the mucus, which NEEDS to happen. There. How's that for $800 worth of advice?

So here're a couple of pictures of my projects for the day.

This is a painting that I've been working on for a few months for a coworker. The sad thing is that I've probably spent a total of 10 hours on it. Not much for having it for so long. It actually looks better than this now, because this picture was taken a few paint layers ago. I'm pretty happy with how it's turning out.

I'm doing this one for my uncle who has a place in Chelan. So far I've almost completed the background. I started with an acrylic underpainting, which I think I'll do from now on. It just helps me flesh out the main shapes before I go all detailed. I read that Bo Bartlett does that and I respect his artistry. I'm really liking this one a lot, because it has been fun to paint and it's looking nice. I'm a little worried about the foreground. Trees aren't really my strong suit and they really start to jump up into the picture. I think it'll be fine, though.

This next part is the opening to a story I'm working on. It's about a post-apocalyptic world where different people groups are either wailing out to God or are explaining away his existence. It's kind of like Pilgrim's Progress crossed with Crime and Punishment with a dash of The Road.

The Opening

I am the earth. I am broken. Rotten, my diseased insides turn out. The yellow clouds swirl in my skies, rising above the gray empty, traveling aimlessly to and fro and throughout. I am split down my middle, my mountains and valleys shuddering and corroding and combusting, shattered and flaking into dust. I shiver and wobble, my core unstable, pulsing and anxious.

         The animals are fearful. The deer and the lion both look behind them at the slightest unease. The birds molt, the elephants stumble, and the bears have ceased hibernating. There is no migration. There is no routine. There is no foundation. Craters in the splitting crust supply themselves as homes for nervous and mangy prairie dogs, eyes wide, looking about with convulsing and jittery twitches. The scorched forests are no longer capable of sheltering wildlife, replaced in their duties by splintered trees and crumbled neighborhoods, where the animals fend off death in confusion and disarray.

         The streams have dried, exposing ever-cracking riverbeds and sun-scorched stone. The tributaries resemble crow’s feet, branching and branching, crevices carrying no supplication. Nourishment has been excised. Rain is a commodity. Drought is the norm. Wind never ceases, as high and low pressure zones move quickly and converge with mysterious force. The grains of sand and dust in the barren East that coated the ground on Monday will have been carried to the dark West by Friday. And to the East it shall return. There are no seasons. There are no cycles.

There is disorder. There is misfortune. There is struggle. There is monotony. There is war. There is death.

These are the facts.

I'm hoping my friend collaborates with me by doing some illustrations for it. His name is Jonathan and he has one of the most unique and endearing styles I've ever seen. And he just continues to grow in his skills. Here's an example of his work.

It's so stinking cool looking. It's Moses at the burning bush. So I feel slightly sacrilegious asking him to illustrate for a stupid little book when he obviously has a much more visionary Being inspiring him. But hey, I'm a fan.