Making of a Cover: 52 Hertz

Kitchen Drawer Illustrated is a community based publication and possibly one of my favorite things in the Middle Georgia area. They're always featuring super neat things from nearby towns: businesses, artists, musicans, events, history, etc. They even did a "Day in the Life" of me a few years back. I blogged about that here.

"Do a Cover for Kitchen Drawer" has been on my to-do list for a long, long time. I even mentioned this goal to several members of the KD staff. It's good to get your goals out there in the universe, right? Perhaps I thought if I kept saying it outloud I might get the initiative to actually create something. But I had no ideas...yet. 

When I got the email from KD about doing a cover, my first reaction was AW HELL YEAH. Then I thought Oh No I don't know what to do! Thankfully I keep a notebook on me at all times where I can jot down notes and ideas for future use. One of those ideas was "52 Hertz". 

From Wikipedia: The 52-hertz whale is an individual of an unidentified whale species, which has been detected regularly in many locations since the 1980s, calling at the very unusual frequency of 52 Hz. It appears to be the only individual emitting a call at this frequency and hence, has been described as the world's loneliest whale.

I had come across the story of the 52 Hertz Whale a few weeks earlier and I thought it would make a neat painting. And since whales are long, so I asked if it would be cool to do a "double" cover and have the image spread from front of back. The idea was approved and I was good to go!

As most of my ideas go, it starts with a late night and some spirits. 

The first layers.

Then details.

Little, little brushstrokes.

And the final product. It's a 24" x 36" canvas. Acrylic paint. 

He doesn't look too lonely, does he? My husband Daniel said, "Well, maybe he's not lonely. Maybe he enjoys his life very much." And I thought that was a good point. 

I've got to say, it makes one hell of a cover. I love it! So happy to be a part of this!

Thanks, Kitchen Drawer!