Small study of Frederick Varley’s Canadian Soldier, 1942. — Studies such as this one (of Varley’s original painting) inform my research and development for my large, multi-year graphic novel project, “Occupation: The Long Shadow.” This project centres mainly on my Norwegian grandfather’s written accounts of his time as a POW from 1942–45 in Norway, Germany,…
Tag: Occupation
Sketches in Secret: Drawing, Resistance, and the Human Spirit
My quick study of one of Gunnar Bratlie’s sketches in his book, Skisser i smug: Glimt fra livet på Grini [Sketches in Secret: Glimpses of Life at Grini]. Oslo: Gyldendal Norsk Forlag, 1945. Gunnar Bratlie (1918–1990) was a Norwegian illustrator known for his book covers and illustrations, including the complete works of Selma Lagerlöf. —…
Listening Across Time: Portrait Studies for Occupation: The Long Shadow
As I sink deeper into the delicious research and development phase of my next large-scale non-fiction graphic novel, Occupation: The Long Shadow, I find myself using again quick portrait studies. These sketches are more than exercises in likeness. They become conversations with the dead, a way of listening across time. Recently, I completed studies of…