Notes From Quarantine

With nearly everyone confined to quarters for the foreseeable, everyone has a quarantine story to tell. This is mine.

I was leading pretty much my normal life up to the week of March 9th. On Wednesday the 11th, I had lunch with my publisher- ordering actual food from a restaurant- and had a studio visit from a friend’s high school-age son in the afternoon. Thursday I had a date to go to the theater to see a performance of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time with my sister Teresa, but had one wary eye on the headlines- schools had already been closed, and the governor had banned gatherings of over 250 people. I checked the theater’s website that morning to see if the show was cancelled, and saw that a planned matinee was going ahead, but that the status beyond that was uncertain. A few hours later they cancelled the rest of the run.

I had my usual Friday visit on the 13th with my hangout buddy and sometime assistant Jacob Mercy, in which we were careful to avoid standing too close or god forbid, shaking hands, but that is the last social interaction I have had with anyone not in my immediate family. The store my wife Eve manages was slipping into closing by degrees- first, closing one day a week, then taking a planned two week holiday, then shutting until further notice.

Our daughter Rebecca flew home from LA on Tuesday the 17th- classes at UCLA had gone online, but she had intended to stay in the dorms through finals week, but we were worried that flights might be cancelled altogether. The three of us stayed in the house together, apart from a two-day trip to the coast, for the next ten days.

David Chelsea is reading: The Last Cruise
by Kate Christensen

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24 Hour Comic Day Update

Here’s an update on my plans for this coming 24 Hour Comic Day. Once again, I drew this strip in an hour. I’ve reformatted it for the website, but the original is five pages long- last week, I managed six pages in an hour, so I expect to complete my 24 pages in four to five hours. I’m still accepting pledges, but it appears that the email link on this site doesn’t work, so if you want to pledge, message me through Facebook. I haven’t chosen a cause myself, so donate your pledge to a charity of your own choosing. Pledgers will receive a printed zine of the results. I’ll be back to report after the day. Wish me luck!

This Weekend! Origin Stories: Comics & Identity

Sorry for the late notice, but I’m in an art show, Origin Stories: Comics & Identity, part of this year’s 56th annual Lake Oswego Festival of The Arts. Appropriately enough for the origins theme, my contribution is five pages from LIFE OF THE PARTY, a 24 Hour Comic I drew about my father. I’m also giving a free talk about 24 Hour Comics generally this Sunday at noon at Lakewood Center of the Arts, 368 S State St, Lake Oswego, OR 97034. It would be so nice to see you there!

David Chelsea is reading: Flash: The Making of Weegee the Famous
by Christopher Bonanos

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Belated RIP, Joe Erceg

Joe's House. Acrylic on world globe by David Chelsea, 2008. Not for sale. Photo by Tom Lechner. tomlechner.com/
Joe’s House. Acrylic on world globe by David Chelsea, 2008. Not for sale. Photo by Tom Lechner. tomlechner.com/

2018 is winding down, and I have some unfinished business. The graphic designer Joe Erceg, a longtime friend, died this past June. From the Oregonian obituary:

David Chelsea is reading: Carrying the Fire: An Astronaut’s Journeys
by Michael Collins

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