Inktober! Haunted Handkerchiefs

As I type this, the website platform I'm using is urging me to post with AI, create unique visuals with AI, come up with a catchy title using AI, boost my SEO with AI, etc. etc. etc. I'll admit it's making me reflect back on a year where I've leaned heavily into making things and getting ink trapped under my fingernails with more than a few things to show for it. That part feels good, but I have felt challenged to share much online other than pictures and updates on the socials. But there is a seasonal shift afoot and art is an important part of that shift, so here is a snapshot of one of the things I've been making. I typed it myself!

Shrink it and pink it

If you are unfamiliar with the phrase "Memento Mori," I recommend exploring the Wikipedia entry on it (please just ignore the AI summary). While some associate the phrase with Christian tradition, let's not forget that it was forged, like us, in the midst of empire. Per that fine resource of Wikipedia (and you should really kick them a few bucks right now) Memento mori (Latin for "remember (that you have) to die") is an artistic symbol or trope acting as a reminder of the inevitability of death. The concept has its roots in the philosophers of classical antiquity and Christianity, and appeared in funerary art and architecture from the medieval period onwards."

During the month of October (affectionately known as Inktober to various artists) I've been testing out fabric ink on textiles. This pile of vintage handkerchiefs met up with a Halloween skull stamp I made, and when I lucked into a vintage signmaking kit from the 1940s it was all good fun from there. No AI required. Perhaps they'll make you think or remind you of the fact that Caesar was in fact mortal too.

If you need a new friend to dab your tears, we're all in this together

I"m seriously so excited about this find....