Date of Completion

12-8-2020

Degree Type

Honors Thesis

Discipline

Art (ART)

First Advisor

Han Dai-Yu

Abstract

As an illustration major and English minor, my thesis melds the two mediums of the written word and visual imagery. One half of this thesis is a short story I’ve written about an old woman and her dog who become stranded in the deserts of New Mexico while on a camping trip following a coyote attack. Using the classic format of book illustrations, I chose 10 scenes from my story to interpret, decorate, and visually explain through the medium of traditional illustration: hand-drawn ink and watercolor drawings. A quote from each scene is included in the illustration itself. The purpose of the illustrations is to support and emphasize key points of the narrative as well as to explore the themes visually. This work is representative of the beauty and terrifying wildness of the New Mexican desert, my home state. The area in which it’s roughly set is known as Jornada del Muerto, which translates to “single day’s journey of the dead man.” The content of both the illustrations and the short story is primarily concerned with the relationship between humans and animals, both domestic and wild. How – in a desolate situation – love between two creatures can quickly be adulterated by hunger and desperation.

Download

Share

COinS