K told me that today is "national hug day". Essentially, it is always the day before 9/11 and everyone hugs as much as possible. Where she got this nugget is beyond me, nonetheless, she is celebrating it today.

Cranked out around ten pictures this weekend (and had time for other stuff) using our small salad plates at the lake as a circle template for fun. While I was musing on what was evolving...I thought of other things that work in this vocabulary beyond the colonial tombstones (still my favorite driver), the wings and simplicity of bas relief and paintings from the Byzantine empire to another old favorite...english brass and incised panel rubbings. So, I buzzed around the web and found some nice brass rubbing imagery to stick in my files for reference--along with some fairly wonderful and poinant text from these antique memorials. Will surface some images for you to give you some context later today.

Just discovered this cool site "The Farber Gravestone Collection" from the American Antiquariean Society that will prove to be a great resource. Check it out.

My current thinking on this Memento Mori project is the following:

>Sketch until October 30. Create the initial book to have to Lulu by Friday of the first week of November. Get a copy to Whitney for the SU work. Refine the book and finalize. Reprint a few more for files. Continue sketching.

> Continue drawing from October 30- February 28. Create a second volume of sketches.
See what happens. See if there are legs to this work. If so, begin to build a book strictly of references. Print both at Lulu.

> Take this sketch process and begin to think about applications/ finalizing 12-18 pieces. This would be the basis of the thesis for the HAS "Dream Project" or the children's book project. Evolve both?

> Go to HAS with 3 finished Lulu sketch books filled with my drawings, my reference etc and really customize those books into something special. This prework becomes part of the bigger thesis which would make the prework as part of the final resolution and definition.

> Continue to work in theses styles creating simple illustration, typography,borders and frames. Begin to start integrating these elements when it feels right. Continue to research different fields of reference