Challenge 2: Where is my “Home Away from Home?”

Hey all,

I picked this topic, thinking that it would be a piece of cake, since I love painting houses, but I quickly realized during the sketching process that this was not an easy concept to illustrate.  Since moving from Savannah, I have felt a bit out of sorts as to where I am going in my life, as I’ve had to wait to start work and move into an apartment in Austin.  This has been a period of limbo for me.  I’m essentially living out of a suitcase, with my things packed in boxes, staying at my parents’ home.  It isn’t really mine anymore, but neither is Savannah, and Austin is yet to be.  I wondered, if I don’t even know where my home is, how can I know where my home AWAY from home is?  Many sketches and frustrations later, I finally understood that I will have many homes away from home, regardless of where I am currently living.  These places will create my community of memories, from where I went to college, to my parents’ house, childhood campsites, frequented vacation spots, and locations once used for family gatherings.  Once I have my home, it will be the heart (or bundle of balloons) of that little village in my mind.  Until then, I have hopeful illustration to tide me over.

Caitlin