…is the name of today’s story at Fictive Dream.
Throughout the month of February 2023 I will be showing you illustrations I did for Flash Fiction February 2023 at Fictive Dream, an online magazine devoted to the short story.
Here’s the image editor Laura Black chose for this story, Far From Fine, by Damhnait Monaghan.
And here is the artwork with the banner. Take a look at this image. And then…
Read the story at Fictive Dream.
Claudia McGill and Her Art World 
Such an expressive image for the title
Yes. I love this story. I’m very interested in the varying points of view in any story and I like how this one focuses on them as the actual story and in progressing quite a distance in a short amount of words, using it.
Thanks so much, Claudia! I love this pairing. Laura is such a great curator.
Thank you, I’m glad you like it! And I agree, Laura has a wonderful eye.
Thank you! Not difficult when you have great material to work with.
That’s a perfect illustration. And what an incisive exploration of family. Wonderful writing. (K)
Thank you!
You’re welcome!
Thank you (re: the image). And as for the story, I thought so too. So concise, no words wasted, and the whole picture is laid out for us.
I like the way that inky line suggests the chaos, the emotional turmoil, the turbulence of this family unit, and the way there is an attempt to contain it or control it through the various methods each family member deploys.
Yes! It’s perfect.
I think scribbly lines always give this feeling of something out of control (just the way they are drawn exemplifies that) and I always have loved the freedom of scribbling, and the look of it. Here I think it contrasts well with the other shapes, too.
I agree with memadtwo above, that Far From Fine is a most incisive exploration of family life. The illustration perfectly expresses the fact that mum, dad and the children are psychologically trapped. For me the square represents the boy’s bedroom and the inner turmoil he is experiencing. Indeed, it’s indicative of the struggle they all face. So much said in so few words. Thank you, Claudia, for the perfect artwork.
Agree, Laura. Thanks again for selecting Far From Fine for FFF and for alerting me to Claudia’s blog!
I loved this story and I am glad the illustration supports it!
You’re so welcome. There are many examples of Claudia’s work on her site, and the wide range of artistic techniques and styles she uses.
Thank you. I like the contrast of the more ordered spaces and the sort of grayed out colors in contrast with the black scribbles. As I have said before, I think black in an image serves to emphasize itself and every other thing in the picture, too, which most colors can’t do both. I love how it fits with the story and to me, the heavy atmosphere of it and the intertwined relationships here that are all tangled up.
Interesting artwork. I like it.
Thank you!