…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, How to Say Goodbye, Again, by Sudha Balagopal.
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 
How to Say Goodbye, Again by Sudha Balagopal is narrated by a confident woman dealing with the sort of encounter we’d all prefer to avoid. The story isn’t without its humour and this vibrant illustration reflects the narrator’s confidence and strength. I love the use of the triangles suggesting thorny memories, and the many examples of the former boyfriend’s shortcomings. Just gorgeous, Claudia. A big thank you.
Thank you. I like to use geometric shapes in my abstract work (and even in my more representational work I tend to simplify things into their geometries). To me, triangles are dynamic because no matter how you use them, they have a sense of motion and edginess that say rectangles or circles don’t carry. A dynamic element. I also like how triangles present a different feeling depending whether they are on point or on their bases. I think this image goes great with this story because to me, the story is a series of outward actions paired with inner thoughts – the triangle turns from base to point.
Dynamic is a great way to describe the triangle. The artwork really goes hand-in-hand with the story.
Those goodbyes never leave you. (K)
Yes, and you think you have left the situation or person behind and then it reappears, sometimes more than once. As I get older I am surprised (though I guess I should not be) how each time my feelings and reactions evolve and how layers are uncovered and revealed.
That’s so true Claudia. I see things that should have been obvious at the time that only occur to me much much later, triggered by a meeting or a memory.
I really enjoyed the short story and I think the tiled triangles of your illustration for it suggest the spiky awkwardness of the unexpected meeting and the collision of different types of memories.
Triangles to me are always in motion, or give a sense of motion, a feeling that things are not set (as a rectangle would evoke, let’s say). I also love how they fit together in a composition, I could do triangles all day long.
Thank you for reading, Laura. Much appreciated.
I LOVE this project! So cool to have your incredible art with the stories. I’ve been enjoying both. Thanks for sharing this with us!
You are welcome. I think this is the 5thyear I have done this event, and each year it’s a highlight for me. I love being a little part of the writing community in this way. And working with Laura Black has always been just a joy. To me this is one of the most meaningful things I have done with my art. It’s also taught me to enjoy taking something written in words and to convert it to an image, I had not tried that before the FFF involvement.
Thank you, Michele. For me it’s an important project and I couldn’t wish for a better collaboration than with Claudia.
Thank you very much, Claudia. It’s definitely a highlight for me also.