Yesterday, my mom and I traveled out to western Mass to visit this woman's home:
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Emily Dickinson! My next book illustration project revolves around female writers, and though I don't know her as well as some of the others I chose, I felt I needed to include her because she and I share a love of nature. My mom and I got a private tour (just so happened no one else was around!) of Emily's house and then her brother Austen's house, which is right next door. It helped me get to know her and I feel very excited and much better prepared to create an illustrated environment for my portrayal of this Emily Dickinson.
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an enormous and beautiful tree outside her house.
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Her house itself. Her bedroom is in the top left corner.
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Austen's house through the trees. I love small, scattered woods made up of tall and slender trees and the patterns their shadows make on the snow, like stripes.
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..and me in the cemetary where Emily is burried. Right where that mural is (Emily is the lady in the daisy) is where one of Emily's old houses used to be, but they tore it down to build a gas station. This cemetary is right through the woods past her house, and when she died they carried her white casket through the trees and to the graveyard. It was very beautiful, and a shame the area has been built up so much. People have left many little animal figurines atop her grave.
It was a wonderful day! I am still on the mend but almost 100% better now. I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!
Love,
Amanda