Old Dog - Stella Murphy

Old Dog by Stella Murphy & poem by Tom Grindrod / 20-page, 5 x 7 inch 4-color risograph booklet published by Perfectly Acceptable *** The book is an illustrated response to Tom's poem. I was immediately drawn to the jazz rhythm of the language, it had a frantic energy which I thought would marry well with an anxious character busying about the home. The 'Tessa' old dog referenced throughout the poem becomes a metaphor for finding peace and comfort at the end of a day. I am an artist living and working in London. I studied Graphic design but drawing has always been a natural extension of what I wanted to do and a consistent habit. The imagery I make usually centres on the mundane with the tinge of something being slightly off. I like to invent scenes within a room, like peering into someones brain. More often than not my characters are in the midst of an existential crisis. My influences are a jumble of eras from as far back as the 18th century however I always come back to the 60s and 70s because the imagery feels so liberated and surreal. This is what initially led to the cartoon style I have developed. Tom Grindrod studied Literature at the University of Reading, where his research focused on urban modernism. His poetic influences are William Carlos Williams and the Imagist poets, although he draws inspiration from everywhere: books, films, music, and modern urban life.