The final volume of sketchbook 7 closes with the final single page images from just before Christmas up until New Year’s Eve, when the challenge of the year of drawing ended. It opens with an image of Stipe from REM on a video I had. He had shaved his head and lost a lot of weight. A lot of people were saying he was HIV+ and I was suddenly afraid for him. The second was a drawing that labelled a small photograph of a friend of a friend who was the victim of a homophobic murder by a man who had come to his house. I never knew the victim but it horrified me. The details of it were dreadful and I do not include the photograph of him out of respect. It seemed that death and mortality were suddenly very close. Many queer people of my generation have experienced their own mortality too early. Suddenly it was my least favourite day of the year but at least it was our chance to meet up with the good folk of our tribe. Our Maureen was wiped out from travelling and had fallen asleep on her mum’s couch with the cat, then it was Boxing Day and we had another family meal. Next day I had new shoes, (cos I meant business), and then the year closed with a sculpture of an elephant, a drawing of each volume and a realisation. The Brief was dead- long live the brief. Normal gristly service with the parallel sketchbook that ran along side these in 95 and beyond will resume as soon as possible. #sketchbook #archive #yearofdrawing #observationaldrawing #quicksketch #memories #nostalgia #nightmarebeforechristmas #90s #liverpoolartist #mortality (at Tuebrook) https://www.instagram.com/p/CZR34iis3G7/?utm_medium=tumblr
