Retro-fit

This was my very first www.illustrationfriday.com submission.  And it just so happens to be one of my all time personal favorites.  Maybe because it is a self portrait dealing with my childhood gorilla nightmares.  Thanks Planet of the Apes.  Is it weird that I am dressed like Snow White?  Well, yes.  But I did this for a themed journal for Art House Co-op.  My alter ego was Snow White.

I've always loved the colors and light in this piece.  And instead of the stuff of my nightmares, I'm the one hiding under the bed.  And the wall portraits still make me smile!

So I retro-fitted it for today's post.  A blast from my illo past.  Plus, Snow White is pretty retro herself.

Here's what I wrote on Friday January 28th, 2011.

I'm participating in my first illustration friday today. It's funny because I just put this illo on facebook in honor of Am Bam. He's the gorilla that's all over the news today because he likes to walk upright. What's next? Dancing perhaps? Then I logged on to illo/friday and surrender was the theme. This illustration seemed to fit that as well. I created this piece as part of my Nightmare themed sketchbook project for Art House Co-op. This year's journal was mailed 3 weeks ago to the Brooklyn Art Library.

Snow White is my alter ego in this series of self portrait illustrations. And I had a lot of nightmares about gorillas as a kid. Come to think about it, in one of those dreams the gorilla was standing upright. My Mom and I were ironing in the dining room and we looked into the kitchen and there was a gorilla staring (while standing) back at us. But that's a whole other illustration!.