This is a hard post to write. My dad passed away last weekend. My sister and I moved into his house (he was a widower) to take care of him earlier this fall when he became very sick. He was comfy at least and well loved and the time we all spent together was very precious. I’m relieved he is out of pain but feel soooo sad. It’s hard to lose a parent. I tear up thinking that our Friday night pub nights will be no more. We so enjoyed them and had many ridiculous arguments over politics, #metoo and feminism, Stephen Harper, LOL. My dad was a fiscal conservative (though mostly progressive socially) and I’m a ‘way over there’ leftie.  You can imagine our conversations. But we always enjoyed a good verbal spar and the debates never went south. I’ll have to start a new tradition with my own kids at a local pub here.

I’ve been away from home for many weeks. I didn’t have access to my art supplies while I was at my dad’s but I did manage to pack a small pencil case with some inking pens and my favourite Posca Paint pens. I kept an art journal of sorts. Nothing dark or depressing. I wanted a spark of happy and light while being in a sad and difficult situation. Many of the pages I created are an ode to my father. The one above features Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt with Monty Python quote. He loved Monty Python. Below is my fustilarian homage. My dad was quite the lover of Shakespeare so I thought a Shakespearean insult could be made into a fun page.  “Away you scullion! you rampallian! you fustilarian!” Love that word. I’ll need to add scullion and rampallian pages at some point.

 

Goodbye, Dad. You were awesome.

So it goes.