Hurricane!

      One week ago today I got to experience my first hurricane. I didn't really know what to expect, having only read and seen images from hurricane zones on the news. In the hours leading up to the storm when everyone announced closings, people were stocking up on fuel and supplies, and there was a feeling of expectation, I found the whole experience  be very similar to the moments before a big snowstorm in the Midwest. The storm itself was noisy and unpleasant. Afterwards, when the damage could be surveyed it was the total opposite of a snowstorm (no frolicking or fun here). The image above was taken near my apartment.  Here are some more damage photos:

     

  I live on the high ground, so I didn't really have to deal with the flooding issues that many others had to deal with. The power went out during the storm and was out for days. I didn't really know what else I should be doing, so while it stormed I made art. I finished the self portrait I started the previous week:

Then I completed two other portraits.

I think that these second two look a little strange. Mind you, I painted them after the electricity had gone out and it was difficult to see. So that may explain why they seem a little off. In addition to these paintings, I sketched out an interpretation of a dream I had this past winter. I thought it would be a good idea for a painting, but now that it is sketched out I'm not so sure. What do you think?

If rain makes for creativity, then that seems doubly so for hurricanes.