This Jean photo reminds me of my grandfather and inspired a chapter in the book.

Here are some more tests I did for the first image in the book, I wanted the figure to become even more abstracted.  I tried 4 more images.

I want to call this "the idea of delegating" All of the little fingers are pointing at each other going in a circle, you see the figure in the background.

Whenever you point at someone you have fingers pointing back at you, that is what my mom always said.  Abain you see the figure in the background.  I really focused on collaged elements and masks.

Not in love with the color on this one.  Same idea as above.  A little  more collage underneath.

Haven't added the hands to this one yet I just like the way it looks without them.  I should though.  I like the colors.

Close up.  This piece was just choose to be in the spring show in San Francisco! So excited!

Here is the second step of the first major painting in the book.

Here is a canvas I just started working on that I am going to make chine colle.  However I am starting with masking out the figure to create depth

Next in the same character vein I did a phototransfer

Here is an image of the main character in the book debating if she should work out or watch tv, collaged and painted.

Here is a piece I am working on today it is a start to the little girl and the rice.

Birds

"Jean" or whomever the photographer was that donated the photos took over a hundred pictures of birds.  I want to have them in a lot of the artwork I make for the book.  I sketched out some of my favorites from the pictures she took.

The first sighting of Jean

For a year I thought Jean was a boy, but then while looking through the photographs I see a woman reflected in the glass, do you see her? To me this is Jean

The first photo the main character in the book is inspired by is this one.  The main character, Eileen, flashes back to a time in her life when she was a young child living in Korea.

I wanted to post my thesis book, but I couldn't post the whole thing only images.  Here is a cover idea for the book that I did for my review.