“Try Not To Tire Yourself Out”
9.5" x 5.25" watercolor and pen collage on antique paper (2024)
A phrase snagged from a short story called "The Long Summer" from a collection titled "The Houseguest" written by Amparo Dávila, I was delighted to be tasked to use the text as inspiration for this commission.
It's an eerie, atmospheric story that uses the mundanity of domesticity like an amniotic horror: the rash of something uninvited, a haunt of a homestead disquietude, and the dolce terror of the natural sounds of nighttime.
Read about it here
The Process >>
The Process >>
Throughout Dávila's writing, there are incredible moments of striking imagery that really began to inform what visuals I wanted to lean into: the "dripping windowpanes" and the boldness of eyes were what first caught my attention
A small thumbnail draft taking cues from details in the stories
Progress picture to find the best arrangements for the watercolor asset cut-outs
Final version glued and pressed to a backing paper