Kirjahaku

My First Pandemic is a collection of drawings, thoughts, poems, comics, anger, happiness, life, and death from a difficult period in our history. Over the last two years, between crises and quarantines, Jamison has had time. Time to reflect, to page through old books of poetry, to draw hundreds of rabbit people (for some reason). The loss of a stepfather, followed by the loss of a good friend, gives cause to contemplate one’s own mortality. It’s strange how the thoughts of 19th century poets can echo our own. What will we leave behind when our time comes? Sadness, sure, but also wee, silly drawings in honest-to-goodness paper and ink.

After his release from the Saint-Paul asylum in 1890, Vincent Van Gogh wandered the French countryside before stumbling on the Auberge Ravoux, a quaint little inn in Auvers-sur-Oise. Although still plagued by mental illness, he found some peace there among his adoptive family, painting over 75 works of art in just three months. A 132-page color graphic novel by Jamison Odone, based on the first-hand account of Adeline Ravoux, the innkeeper’s daughter, with whom Vincent shared a special bond.