Drawing for "The Plagues"

The frightening black and white photographs of the Palermo mummies from my father’s WW2 photo journal proved to be good material to mine for drawings. In one section of the crypt, there were mummied children dressed in stylish garments. I chose one of these for the central figure in my drawing "The Plagues."

I then selected another mummy that was hung upright on the wall and added that figure to the bottom of the page, turning him horizontally. This mummy was not as deteriorated as others, which is why I chose him for this drawing. Unlike the skeletal remains, one can catch a glimpse of humanity in the man’s face.

The moths and grasshopper were added later. I chose the grasshopper for the association with the plague of locusts. The moths carry death head details.

Finished with the drawing for the title poem "Plagues," I am almost finished with the eighty drawings I set out to do for my eighty poems.