This is Holy Week in the Orthodox Church, which runs according to the "old calendar", and so follows a week after "Western" Easter. I just came home from a 3 hour service (this, after a ~1.5 liturgy a few hours before). I'm in the choir, which is a cappella, and pretty much the whole service is sung. I don't think I've sung that much since I played at World Cafe Live in Philly, which was my last set before the accident that stole my music career.
Anyway, part way through the service my normally very comfy shoes felt like they suddenly stopped fitting. My shoulder was aching from the nerve being stretched. We read (or the priest chanted) every single Gospel telling of the Passion of Jesus. Gosh, it was long. And even through the fatigue and the concentration on the singing and thus not being as attentive to the stories as I normally might have been, I felt it going deep, into both soul and body. This story—of the Creator who became created and had his creation turn against him and kill him, only to turn the whole thing upside down unto life—has become the story of the world. There's not really a large corner of the planet who hasn't heard his name to some degree. Some believe the story, some don't, but as Tom Holland posits in his seminal work, Dominion, we're all touched by it to the degree that even hating it is done through the lens of being in it.
I probably didn't articulate that point that well, but I'm, well, tired. And aren't we all. But I realized that through this whole Holy Week, I haven't read the news. I've been focused on work (lots of good stuff happening, and lots of good, honest work from these ol' hands) and sung prayer and the gorgeous icons painted by a rare master of the art (Father Andrew Tregubov https://www.tregubov-icons.com/).
And we're only at Thursday.
This was honestly one of my favorite pieces of the year to work on. If you'd like to get your hands on this special illustrated edition of Nicholas Kotar's novella Son of the Deathless, you can get it through our Kickstarter here:
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1402845448/jolabokaflod-christmas-book-flood-in-a-box
We're so grateful that we were fully funded in about 4 hours, so there are new perks opening up for everyone! We're almost at our 3rd stretch goal, which is very exciting. Go on over and choose your level!
My husband Ben is creating a series of short book trailers for BERLINERS, and I swear, each one is better than the last! Here's the first! Feel free to share on your social media!
This isn't the official trailer, but I wanted to talk about how the idea for Berliners came to me. You can pre-order at https://bookshop.org/books/berliners-9780593428375/9780593428368 and, you know, that other place that starts with an "A".
Hi all,
Since I haven't been as active on here as in the past, I'm going to officially disband this Locals community. If you'd like to stay tuned with my work, the best way to do that is via my email newsletter. Just go to https://vesperillustration.com and at the bottom of every single page there is a newsletter signup. I don't send a ton of mail, just important updates like appearances and new projects. Let's see if I come back in the future, but for now, if you've been a supporter, feel free to end your support and stay in touch via the newsletter or Instagram (@vesperillustration). Thanks to all of you—nothing's over, just paused!
Vesperisms Community, dears:
I'm so excited to announce today that I am doing a collaboration with fantasy author Nicholas Kotar (the Raven Son series, and the fabulous fairy tale/fantasy podcasts In a Certain Kingdom and Fantasy for Our Time).
The dead will rise. The living will fall. The Deathless will reign...
This collaboration is a very special edition of Kotar's novella, Son of the Deathless, available in hardcover with illustrations by none other than Yours Truly—just in time for the Holidays! Here's an illustration in progress to whet your appetite.
With book design by Graphic and Surface Designer for film and television, Heather Pollington (Harry Potter, Malificent, Marvel, and more.), this is going to be a beautiful, gift-worthy edition that will be perfect for yourself or for your holiday giving. Son of the Deathless is one of those cozy winter reads that you want to pair with a warm beverage, a blanket and a crackling fire.
So how does one obtain this ...
