hodie mihi, cras tibi: The Electrified Pineapple, Part I

"The Electrified Pineapple" is the title of my daughter Mary's sketchbook, which is part of the nation-wide Sketchbook Project. Each registered artist receives a bound paper book, on which to create his/her contribution to the project. Once the sketchbook is completed, it is digitized, and then it joins the other sketchbooks in an exhibition that travels throughout the United States.

"Layers of Betrayal"

Mary writes: "I heard about the Sketchbook Project from a friend I made through the ATC forum, but it wasn't until this year that I felt like trying it out. In previous years, there were themes such as "dirigibles" that felt too restrictive to my muse, even though on the Sketchbook website, they said the themes were just a way to get a person started, that anything basically goes."

"Under Seige"

She continues: "This year, the themes are book-like categories: the atlas, almanac, chronicle, etc., and that sparked my muse. When my blank sketchbook arrived, I started working on a piece. I was sitting at the table, and Holly's fish, Wilson, was swimming in his bowl in the middle of the table. Wilson swam in and out of his pineapple house (see photo below) as I began to sketch. Pat came in and looked at my work, then looked at the fish bowl, and said, 'The Electrified Pineapple.' Zap! There went the lightbulb above my head, and my sketchbook had a title and a direction."