Every December, Twitter user @JayIsPainting calls for “Art Advent”, an opportunity for as many folks as possible to post their art on the platform and perhaps make it a little more calming and a little less toxic. While new work is in no way expected, I took it upon myself to create daily illustrations, rig them to stand—sometimes with props or set created on locations—and situate them somewhere in the local neighbourhood, whatever the weather. Given how busy life gets and the holidays approach, it often ended up being photographed at sunset or into the night, and more than once a switch in the weather changed my plans halfway into the day.
Extra fun fact: duct tape’s stickiness drops to pretty much nothing at temperatures below freezing. Something to know ahead of time, instead at, say, 2:00am while trying to get a paper wolf and real stars to time lapse at the right exposure in a light wind.
Artist’s note: This post has been updated February 17, 2023, shortly after Twitter decided to shut down its API to share its platform externally. Happily, I’d had the foresight to repost my ArtAdvent 2020 gallery to Tumblr as a repeat performance in December 2022, so I’ve updated the links to that social media site. You can find me there, or at Mastodon.