Better Than Nothing: A Lesson in Holiday Shopping

Inspired by HJB's song of the same title. 

http://hannahbecker.bandcamp.com 

Untitled Sheep by Window

11 x 15

Snuggled down by a window is a gift at the end of each day. Though I miss loved ones, and I speak and read aloud though there is no one else in the room, I am surrounded by inexplicable goodness. 

Sunday Morning

Framed. (sold.)

This piece is a year old come December. Inspired by my father who, one Sunday Morning, trimmed my bangs on the kitchen counter. 

First Snow

4 1/2 x 6 - framed

Story Illustrations

Preface:

When my sister and I were very young, our dad read to us from The Book of Virtues, an anthology of moral tales edited by William J. Bennet. We listened with eager trepidation to the lion gobbling up Jim—the little boy who ran away from his nurse—and we shuddered at the crash of a marble bust falling upon Rebecca, a girl who slammed doors. It was around this time that my sister and I created “Manner School,” an extreme place, for extreme manners.

In recent years I have started putting together a story based on tales and drawings from our childhood. 

Cover Illustration:

Work in progress: Illustrations for a story about Manner School, astonishing  hairdos, and rabbits.   



Classic classroom scene: The rabbits enter to the shock and great curiosity of the students, while the teacher continues with her lesson.

Double-page spread:
Climax: The wig is discovered caught in the chandelier much to the horror of its owner.

Resolution.

Scene:

A powerful institution moved into the quiet town of Cramblyway setting up its head quarters in the rambling Meat Manor, a once-glamorous mansion built and owned by a family who had become quite wealthy through a popular brand of rabbit jerky. The house was named after Mr. Walter Coolly Meat, the meat tycoon who started the business years ago. It had stayed in the family for three generations, until the current owner, the great-granddaughter of W. C. Meat, under the persuasion of the mayor and the board of Cramblyway educators, offered the building as property for a new school—with certain questionable privileges for herself. 

Cramblyway residents very soon discovered the new school presiding at Meat Manor was far beyond any expectations. Such discoveries began with first impressions, hair, in this case. The female members of this institution were known for their most peculiar hairdos, while the males were known for their decidedly unpeculiar hairdos. The most respected female members wore their hair up in something that can best be described as a beehive with a bun on top. The taller the hive meant the more prestigious the member, so it was a constant struggle to figure out the most effective method for putting it up and keeping it in place. And while one might be tempted to try alternate means (a hat or wig for example), authenticity was of the outmost importance. 

At Home

5 x 7 - framed     (sold)

They sneak in through the open door and the vents in the air conditioner. They make themselves comfortable: light a cigarette, turn on the radio, eat some spiders. I'd like to get closer, but they keep their distance. 

Untitled

Framed - (Sold) 

Javelina - they've got the beadiest eyes you'll ever see. They run together at dusk and dig up rose bushes. You can see their hoof prints around your window and in your garden when you wake up in the morning, and if you're lucky, one might be staring at you from the bushes. Where there is one, there are always more. They are moody and dirty and terribly adorable. 

Neighbor

                                              5 x 7 - framed

Untitled Chicken on Platter

                                4 x 5 - framed          (Unavailable)

Before Bed

5 1/2 x 8 - framed   (sold)

Check-ins are a part of daily life. Knocking on bedroom doors an hour to midnight, with a clipboard in hand, baggy sweatpants tucked into socks, I feel a bit intrusive. And yet, when I head straight to my own bed after seeing/hearing that everyone is where they are supposed to be, there is a sense of comfort. As of 11:37, all is quiet, the stars are bright, and the wind is cold. 

November 1st

8 x 8 - framed

Today, we talked about "cozy." The warm, toasty feeling, when your nose is pink and cold to touch, and you know, that if you pull the blanket off, a chill will rush through you. But underneath you are warm, holding a cup of hot cocoa and a book, with music softly playing.