…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, Thursday’s Children, by Nina Fosati.
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 
It’s a really lovely collection of images. How large are they and what medium?
Thank you. They are done in acrylic paints, acrylic inks, and India ink, and are about 7.5″ x 10″.
Today’s story Thursday’s Children by Nina Fosati is composed of three vignettes connected through the theme of gender identity. Two of the sections approach the theme so positively that I could not help but choose this happy and colourful illustration. It’s vibrant and there’s such a sense of movement in it. I love the palette and especially the beautiful blue background. Thank you for this illustration, Claudia, it’s beautiful.
Thank you. I have always loved how leaves floating in a creek look, or petals from flowering trees fly through the air, or blossoms and leaves on a bush move in the breeze. This picture comes from these visual patterns, I think – and I love all the colors I’ve put in here. This is a happy image for me, too. Thank you.
Before reading the story, my brain interpreted the illustration as blossoms and petals floating in a gentle stream. The colours and forms are beautiful and the whole effect is really very pleasing. Given my interpretation of the image, I see it as connecting to the more optimistic stories in the trio about the positivity of change and people blossoming into their own authentic identities.
Thank you. I love this color scheme so much, as I think blue is a color of good things happening. And of course the circular forms kind of clustered together, they have found their own place among the dashes of paint, I almost feel, rather than me putting them there. I think all of this fits with the story and the idea of evolving and as you say, blossoming.
My sincerest thanks to Claudia (and Laura) for this beautiful illustration. I love the colors & the happiness they imply. While gender positivity is the overall theme of this triptych, I envision the 3 stories as being told by the same narrator. They represent her journey: from introduction to advocacy to trans joy. While the middle story explores negative aspects of the journey, I appreciate that you both chose to emphasize the positive.
Thank you, I am so happy you are pleased. For me, this image is made of some of my favorite shapes and colors, and relates to a lot of natural images I enjoy seeing in real life and get inspiration from. To me this picture is happy in colors and in forms, as I use elements and motifs that as I make the painting, I feel happy myself. I am very glad it fits with the life journey you are depicting, with a sense of hope and optimism.
I like that you played off the pink and blue that we assign to babies to indicate who they are. But in the end, they must discover who they are. (K)
Interesting fact, that in the past pink was for boys and blue for girls, now we have switched. There is something in that fact, symbolically, that is intriguing.
I agree.