Adrift on a Painted Sea
With chapters titled in the style of a radio weather report, which serves as an inspired metaphor for mourning, Tim Bird’s graphic memoir Adrift on a Painted Sea is a poignant tribute to his mother, a talented artist.
Sue Bird once “filled the house with her art,” and her story, told partially in flashbacks, covers her relationship with her son and her painting career. Bird also covers the process of saying goodbye to his mother, who was diagnosed with cancer, with simple observations used to hint at the emptiness of loss: “There are always mysteries—big or small—that go unanswered even when you think you know everything about someone.” Subtle lessons on humility and the value of pursuing work that you love without regard for money or fame wend into Sue’s story too.
The full-color art juxtaposes Bird’s hand-drawn linework to, and sometimes transposes it over, scans of his mother’s paintings. Some images morph in style across the pages. Scans of a book that Sue copied images of seashells from are included next to her paintings of the shells. And when Bird shows his mother pictures from a seaside visit, the photographs are incorporated on the page. The cumulative effect of this multimedia approach is warm and intimate.
Adrift on a Painted Sea is a beautiful graphic novel tribute to the life and legacy of an artist and a mother.
Reviewed by
Peter Dabbene
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
