These Autobiographical Illustrations began as a hedge against loss.

We live in a fire zone in the Santa Monica Mountains in Southern California. Every Fall when the dry Santana winds blow there is high danger that a fierce fire storm will blow through, incinerating everything in its path. I know people who have experienced a fire and lost everything. They have rebuilt, sometimes better than before, and have moved on. But they have lost all those precious objects that we place so much value on. The objects may have no monetary value, yet they are invaluable as personal mementos of the important relationships and events which they represent.

I have such objects, saved over the years in odd corners and shelves.

When I see these objects I see much more. My mind’s eye holds images of events, places and people associated with these objects. They are links to my past. They help me know who I am, how I got here, and what I should be doing now.

Thinking of this and the yearly fire danger that could take them all away in five minutes, I realized that it is the memories they hold that are important to me. I decided to focus on these objects, draw them in detail, imbed them in my memory, and then surround them with the images I associate with them. In this way I could place them more firmly in my heart and mind…and also in a very portable portfolio which I could hopefully grab as I escaped the oncoming blaze.