I am going to tell the story of my life in an alphabet of ashes.
- Blas de Otero
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GRABLINE:
He brushed the leaves aside and uncovered the most baffling double murder Vancouver has ever had.
- The Vancouver Province April 15, 1953
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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Recall March 7, 2013, photoshoot at Salmagundi West for my graphic novel.
I am struck by the ability of my model, Jocelyn Louise, to convey, in a simple glance, the pain of my main character as she tries to escape the memories of childhood trauma.
Sins of the father.
Asexual.
Living in church,
reading about God all the time,
getting callouses on my knees.
It doesn’t stop him.
My death stops him.
- Maire MacLachlan
China marker on newsprint.
Styled by Jay Fisher. Photo by Anna Thorsen.
GRABLINE:
He brushed the leaves aside and uncovered the most baffling double murder Vancouver has ever had.
- The Vancouver Province April 15, 1953
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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On March 7, 2013, I was humbled at the generosity of Salmagundi West owner Anna Banner who allowed us to use her store as a back drop for our latest photoshoot!
I was joined by Jocelyn Louise (who portrays Molly) and stylist Jay Fisher…
Jay, Jocelyn, Anne
… and my daughter Anna Thorsen who took the main shots (to be shared in the book).
Anna, Jocelyn
Here are some moments I captured. The focus for me was to emulate Molly’s restless travels.
Where dips the rocky highland
Of Sleuth Wood in the lake,
There lies a leafy island
Where flapping herons wake
The drowsy water-rats;
There we’ve hid our faery vats,
Full of berries
And of reddest stolen cherries.
Come away, O human child!
To the waters and the wild
With a faery, hand in hand,
For the world’s morefull of weeping than you
can understand.
The Stolen Child, WB Yeats
GRABLINE:
He brushed the leaves aside and uncovered the most baffling double murder Vancouver has ever had.
- The Vancouver Province April 15, 1953
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As I experiment with marrying text to illustration in my graphic novel, I am working from the end backwards, creating a working title and promotional mockup. Acting as if the book is completed, the project feels organized and allows me to create a skeletal framework on which to flesh out ideas. This framework can then be dismantled, contorted and altered as needed. It is not the final result by any means, but it is a great way to MOVE FORWARD. And I’m moving forward fast!
I have some exciting ideas as to how to present the finished work (format, paper etc) but first I will marry image to page and and image and pages to chapters and I am loving the creative process. Next up is ensuring all the permissions are in place for using primary sources, news articles, photographs and names within the work. And more photoshoots!
GRABLINE:
He brushed the leaves aside and uncovered the most baffling double murder Vancouver has ever had.
- The Vancouver Province April 15, 1953
SYNOPSIS:
Who killed the Babes in the Wood? Artist, art therapist and researcher, Katarina Thorsen, makes her case as to the resolution of this historical Vancouver mystery through crime scene reconstruction, forensic taphonomy, historical archives, genealogical records, behavior evidence analysis, circumstantial connections and artistic interpretation. Katarina first immersed herself in the investigation in 2003 when she volunteered as a criminal profiler and researcher with the Babes in the Wood Task Force. She has remained dedicated to the case ever since.
Using a combination of text, primary sources, illustrations and photographs, Katarina now presents her research journey, equivocal findings and creative process to the reader. The goal is to identify the children whose skeletal remains were found in Stanley Park on January 15, 1953. Through rich and insightful imagery, Regarding Molly reveals a portrait of a troubled young woman in post war Vancouver. The reader is encouraged to draw their own conclusion as to the identity of the Babes in the Wood, their mother and killer.
Following Katarina’s lead, readers will be inspired to search out their own stories using intensive genealogical research.
AUTHOR’S BIO:
Artist/ art therapist Katarina Thorsen is passionate about the power of research and collaborative approaches to create solutions. She specializes in providing therapeutic art to at-risk youth and young offenders. Her own art work includes drawing, painting, crafting, journaling and street art and can be found in private international collections and on the streets of North America and Europe. She believes wholeheartedly in the healing power of art and its ability to build connections. Katarina resides in Vancouver, BC.
Photo by Nancy Kirkpatrick
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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Photo by Nancy Kirkpatrick
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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Photo by Nancy Kirkpatrick
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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Encompass’d with a thousand dangers,
Weary, faint, trembling with a thousand terrors….I…in fleshy tomb, am
Buried above ground.
- William Cowper
Photo by Nancy Kirkpatrick
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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The Babes in the Wood [1]
My dear do you know,
How a long time ago,
Two poor little children,
Whose names I don’t know,
Were stolen away
On a fine summer’s day,
And left in a wood,
As I’ve heard people say,
Poor Babes in the Wood! Poor Babes in the Wood!
Oh! don’t you remember the Babes in the Wood?
And when it was night,
So sad was their plight,
The sun it went down,
And the moon gave no light!
They sobbed and they sighed,
And they bitterly cried,
And the poor little things,
They lay down and died.
Poor Babes in the Wood! Poor Babes in the Wood!
Oh! don’t you remember the Babes in the Wood?
And when they were dead,
The robins so red,
Brought strawberry leaves,
And over them spread;
And all the day long,
The branches among,
They mournfully whistled,
And this was their song;
Poor Babes in the Wood! Poor Babes in the Wood!
Oh! don’t you remember the Babes in the Wood?
[1] “BABES IN THE WOOD”, retrieved September 14, 2006 from http://www.rjohnwright.com/babesinthewood.html
Mother Goose’s “Babes in the Wood” was first published as a ballad by Thomas Millington in 1595.
Photo by Nancy Kirkpatrick
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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Take the day. Immerse. Forget everything else. Read. Sketch. Cocoon. Trust the calling.
Image in Vivian Maier: Street Photographer
Today’s resources:
Jamison, K.R. (1999) Night Falls Fast- understanding suicide, Vintage Books: New York, NY, USA
Malooof, J., ed. (2012) Vivian Maier- Street Photographer, powerHouse Books: New York NY, USA
Appignanesi, L. (2007) Sad, Mad and Bad- women and the mind-doctors from 1800, McArthur & Company: Toronto, ON, Canada
Photo by Rick Legal.
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
Photo by Nancy Kirkpatrick
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Recall Photoshoot Dec 3, 2012: A Lecture Upon the Shadow
Here are some MEGA TASTY treats from Rick Legal.
As an artist/researcher/behavior evidence analyst, these photos fill every cell of my being with joy! It is wonderful to allow a fellow artist the freedom to do his work within the context/limits of a vision. Extraordinary.
Jocelyn Louise, Jay Fisher. Styled by Jay Fisher
A LECTURE UPON THE SHADOW.
by John Donne
Recall that on December 3, 2012 was an evening of collaboration as Jocelyn Louise and Jay Fisher recreated 1947 and main characters from my graphic novel as they were photographed by the extraordinary photographer, Rick Legal, and as the entire process was documented by photographer and colleague, Nancy Kirkpatrick.
The book will include text, illustration, photography, street art, primary sources, documentation and collaboration.
Jocelyn Louise. Photo by Rick Legal
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**NEXT STEP: MIND MAPPING THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK**
Photo by Nancy Kirkpatrick
Jocelyn Louise as Molly. Styled by Jay Fisher.
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