Featured Creature 2012-13: Last Bites Part VI, Dreaming the Dark Night

In June I took a departure from how I'd been approaching the Featured Creature posts.  In many of the fiction pieces associated with the Featured Creature posts, artifacts of mystical power had appeared and I wanted to take a more time to shine a spotlight on those objects and their individual histories.  Beginning with the Chaska of the Chaldean Abyss, I presented these items of power while continuing to push forward with the new color aspect of my work.  Sadly, June would not be as uneventful as May and complications began immediately on June first that would challenge my ability to move forward with any regularity.

As Mercury moved into Cancer, setting up the summer's dramatic astrological structures, our geographic area was hit with lifetime record breaking rainfall.  At that same time, I developed inner ear issues that gave me a series of severe migraines and ongoing vertigo for the entire month of June and a good portion of July.  The combination of these two made it nearly impossible for me to think clearly or even to focus.  The effects of this disruption manifested plainly in the next FC object, the Key of Vz.

This wouldn't be the only dip or sharp curve the month would have to offer either.  Global, Personal, and Group structures in my life would all take hits as the month progressed.  By the end of June, the entire world would be in turmoil as Edward Snowden and Glenn Greenwald made their revelations about the NSA PRISM program.  In this chaotic wor storm, my involvement with Skin Crawling Comics would not remain unscathed either.  I was surprised and pleased when Skin Crawling's editor in Chief, Rachel Pandich, asked me to color a second story for the SCC anthology, The Serpentine Cure.  My exuberance would be short lived as Skin Crawling's fundraising options would be dramatically disrupted by a very poor decision on the part of Kickstarter.

A book touted as a dating confidence guide was revealed to be something more insidious and would force a decisive redirection of Skin Crawling's fundraising drive.   Meanwhile, I was personally struggling to get the last two FC objects for the month completed.  With the Staff of Phyligor and The Disc of Abrasax, I finished off the objects set for June.  With my ability to focus destroyed and the intensity of the learning curve I was facing to become a colorist, it would be almost two months before I would be able to present another Featured Creature piece.

The continued disruption of the summer having taken its toll and reducing my forward movement to a snails pace, I decided to take what I had initially hoped to be a two week vacation from the Featured Creature postings. However, my needs for recuperation and rest turned the vacation into a nearly two month foray.  I'm chalking it all up to the opposition between Jupiter in Cancer and Pluto in Capricorn.  If you have any interest in astrology, check the link to find out more.  Otherwise, just know that we live in interesting times.  July became a vast focus on retraction, rest, and minimalism.  I reduced my Psyche Delectus output to only once a week in an attempt to give myself more time as I continued to plug away at the coloring for The Serpentine Cure.  Mid month, the Skin Crawling Comics Indiegogo fundraising campaign began.  

The disruptive energies of the summer culminated at the end of July.  For the better part of two weeks I lost access to my studio.  The colossal amounts of rain had disrupted the local fauna near our house driving all sorts of creepy crawlies in from the storm.  Yellowjackets took up residence in a wall outside my studio and were buzzing into the studio two or three at a time.  I feel very lucky that they did not swarm.  I had to quickly move and remove the furniture in my studio to discover and blockade their entry point.  Although it was incredibly disruptive at the time, I must admit that the new configuration of my studio is much more efficient and pleasing.

At the beginning of August I began posting every day about the Skin Crawling Indiegogo.  Frustrated with my lack of Featured Creature posts,  I posted a single Featured Creature during August, The Wound.  This piece reawakened my vigor for a painterly style within my work and gave me ideas for future color work.  It also reminded me that soon the Featured Creature would be one year old and if you've read this far then you know what happened next.

As to the future of the Featured Creature, I don't want to spill any beans until things are well and truly afoot.  The self portrait at the top of this post has a few clues as to what is coming in 2013-2014.  I have a handful of new features I would like to introduce to Zombie Bites.  A couple of them will involve the Featured Creature directly.  I have learned some lessons from past mishaps and will be making them all infrequent instead of weekly posts.  I wanted to bring something new to the table, but regardless of how hard I try, there is only so much that coffee and I can get done together before there can be only sleep.  I'll be presenting the new features in the coming months and we'll see what takes root and survives 2013-2014.  I hope you've enjoyed things so far and will stick around for the ride.  Thanks for viewing and reading!

Soon.
 
 

~ Fin ~