Advisor: Lorena Salcedo-Watson

In the Waiting Hours: Illustrations by Ysabel Simon

In all honesty, this project did not initially come from a place of inspiration or curiosity, however, it did come from reality, or a reaction to it. Explaining it would be quite simple, for even without understanding the context of the illustrations, they are fairly straightforward. Just like most people in the spring of 2020, I am also in isolation. Admittedly, I am fortunate to be living in a home where my days cycle around the comfort of food and family. However, I cannot help but feel a growing sense of loneliness, anxiousness, boredom, and dullness, lacking in motivation and inspiration. The timeline for this project was cut short, and the resources required for its original blueprint were no longer accessible. Personally, for those reasons among others, there was no enticement to create or explore, and so this project was on hold for a while. A few weeks into the lockdown, and I realized that although it felt like everything had halted, they did not. Classes were ongoing, we were cooking, baking, our plants were growing, and the days were passing whether I kept track or not. All the while, I was just watching the kettle boil—waiting.

It was with these sentiments that I decided to start this senior project entitled, In the Waiting Hours, a compilation of illustrations taken from my daily life in isolation. Many of the objects are things found in my room or around the house, perfume bottles, books, tea tins, and figurines. Three repeated figures are featured in all the works (me and my older brothers as children). I chose to repeat certain images to reiterate my daily cycles as of late, images such as the clock, which also exists as a lithograph, my original medium of choice before the lockdown. Although the lithograph is not in the series, another form of printmaking is included—an attempted block print titled Cul de Sac is attached to one of the illustrations.

As the project progressed, I came across the French artist, Léopold Chauveau. He made these beautifully simple yet intricate drawings using textural lines and shapes, which influenced a few of my pieces. Another big influence was Shin Sun Mi, a South Korean artist who uses minimal mark making, color blocking, and beautiful Asian modern and contemporary compositions.

There is a narration, a story in the images. Many might be able to relate to having more time sitting around, stocking on a few canned goods, working from home, maybe planting a few vegetables, and taking far too many naps. Each illustration was made to complement another group of pieces in the series, so with this in mind, I decided that displaying them in groups would enhance the effects of the illustrations. By stacking them, they also got the added illusion of being in different compartments of a bookshelf, intended to resemble stored memorabilia.

In the Waiting Hours is autobiographical, partially prevalent to many living at this time, yet lighthearted in its making. Surely it will serve as a reminder of my sentiments. The beginning of the project was undeniably rough, but the process in itself was a healing one—it gave me company to pass the waiting hours.