Friday, September 22, 2023

Silver Nitrate & Covid-23

Since I was a young lonely girl, maybe around 7 or 8

I've found refugee in books, before the piano

Before the music, before my cousins, and my friends

There were the books.

Maybe because my mom and I are named both Berenice

We had a copy of Edgar Allan Poe's Horror Tales

Of course I read Berenice, and The Black Cat,

The Oblong Box, The Fall of the House of Usher!

I mean, I was not older than 8, but all made horrible sense

and I was hooked... later I switched to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's

Sherlock Adventures, and Agatha Christie, but I was marked for life

Horror, mystery, thrillers, have been the backbone of my love for literature

And now, alone again, about 45 years later,

I heal my Covid-23 wounds, no friends, no school,

just some work, but don't talk to anyone and wear a mask

some fever, headache, cough, no sense of smell!

All bearable, but oh the mental health, the rumination

Can't  go on my beloved walks, can't focus, can't draw...

Yet I discovered now, I can finally READ!

So I am able to grab these frightened eyes that have been staring at me

Since I got the book months ago, can finally be hold in my hands,

and what a fantastic cover this one is, yes finally reading this fantastic book by one of mine

fast-becoming favorite authors ever, Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican by birth, Canadian by inclination as she calls herself

but with the deepest knowledge of my ex-beloved city than most authors

who actually live in the city.

This is not my first experience reading Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Mexican Gothic was my first book of hers, and what a superb novel!

Of course, I was into H.P. Lovecraft and other gothic authors too

She did a magnificent job creating the perfect "Mexican" and "Gothic" novel

I have also read Gods of Jade and Shadow, more of a Mayan fantasy book

and Velvet Was The Night, a perfect noir! No horror, no ghosts, just

a beautifully crafted noir film, that raises to the level of a Raymond Chandler novel

Being an student from La UNAM, Velvet Was The Night fast became my

favorite book of hers, but now, here comes Silvia with this uber neat literary bundle

that is Silver Nitrate, it's Mexico City again

And the 90's! Horror movies, metal music, film, sound editing,

runes, spells, magic, witchcraft, ghosts, beepers, an ex-telenovela actor

from yes, Televisa, some evil uppity white people, and yet another fantastic

anti-heroine, full brown Mexican sound editor, horror film aficionado

willing to fight Nazi occultists, and chauvinist bosses and workers

with the same fierce and unapologetic bravery.

What a fantastic book! Thank you Silvia Moreno-Garcia

For making these days of Covid-23 go faster.

You are the coolest, most intelligent contemporary author,

I have read recently.

The most heartful thank you and admiration

From my entire brown Mexican heart to yours!

The superb cover of Silver Nitrate

Silver Nitrate Silver


Friday, September 01, 2023

Drawing hands

This is the second week of my freehand drawing class

We have been drawing a lot of  hands, at first pencil

Last Thursday, we used India ink for the first time

This my second attempt at a hand traced and drawn with pencil, followed with India ink

The background started as a mistake, too dark!

But the brushes coming from the center sort of fixed it

I still need tons of practice, but I am ok with tonight’s practice 

Drawing of my hand, pencil and India ink