This image is by Sora Mizusawa, a Japanese illustrator/artist and one of my flickr friends.
I think it's lovely, don't you? So fresh!!
The image was based loosely on this photo which I posted recently on my flickr. It's my mother as a teenager in Beirut, with one of her innumerable pet cats. Instantly smitten, Sora wanted to make an illustration inspired by this image and asked my permission to use it as visual reference. He also did this related piece:
As some of you may already know, my mother died a few months ago, and I've left Paris temporarily to be with my family in California. A short time after the funeral, I came upon a box of photos that I'd never seen before—my mama and aunt as young girls, my parents' courtship, the Paris years... I've been scanning and putting them here. They're a source of inspiration for me too, and a few things are slowly taking form.
Other than that, I'm hanging in there—doing a lot of walking and a lot of reading (of which more soon). Some things are being painted, and others are being sketched. I will no doubt scan them one of these days... You'll see!!
PS. To see more of Sora Mizusawa's work, see here:
