When I started thinking of my third illustration for my black and white series, I wanted a sombre theme. And I wondered why… I guess the main reason was the fact we seem to be living in dark moments. An example of triggering events inducing the expression of my feelings.

The world seems to be falling apart. We are experiencing climate change, corrupt politics, poverty, wars and misinformation. People are being killed and thousands are being left alone.

Images on the news are quite distressing and the ones that impregnate my soul are from kids, from women or men dismantling themselves with the loss of their families.

Creating the illustration

The first element of an illustration is the hardest one to come up with if the idea is not well settled in our minds. In this case, sombre made me think of an empty space, an empty room with a fruit bowl under a dim light. The next element came naturally; a table. With it, a chair. 

What could I possibly do with those elements? It was time to create the story. Paying attention to the theme and the loss of families, I decided to have a coat and a hat hanging at the back of a chair. The husband, partner or lover had gone.

The story would be completed, by adding the widow, sitting alone with her head on the table, abandoned, distressed with the absence of the love of her life. Nothing else would matter for her. 

To demonstrate her apathy coming from her grief, the fruit bowl would be turned with some of the fruits falling to the floor. No attempt of the main subject to rescue them. The house wouldn’t be in a good state either, and this would be shown by having cracks in the ceiling.