Illustration senior Eileen McIntire was awarded the Morton Godine Traveling Fellowship for 2016. This fellowship is awarded to a graduating Junior or Senior to help defray the cost of travel for the purpose of completing a well-defined project having artistic merit. The award is for $5,000.00. Eileen plans to travel to Los Angeles this summer to conduct research for illustrations for a graphic novel she plans to publish.

A description of her project in her own words:

“Since I won the Morton Godine travel grant I’ve been getting a lot of questions. What are you going to do? Where are you going to go? When I tell them I’m traveling to Los Angeles to gather research for a quiet introspective graphic novel about the twilight of ones greatest passion, they say “Huh. Why didn’t you ask to go somewhere more exotic or exciting?” But the truth is, I couldn’t imagine a more exciting venture. The story I will be adapting is called The Precipice of Angels, a short story by deceased member of the Firesign Theater, Phil Austin. My father was a great fan of Austin’s work, and my bedtimes were filled with his bizarre tales and solemn humor. The Precipice of Angels follows the solo climb of an aging “boulevardiste” pursuing his most challenging expedition over the rooftops of Wilshire Boulevard. During his aerial journey down the legendary boulevard now fallen from greatness, he reflects on the twilight of his once grand secret society of horizontal climbers. The story has always been a favorite of mine, and I am honored that the Austin estate has shown such support. The real truth of the matter is that diving into Austin’s vivid imagination and haunting tale is the most exotic place I could possibly go.”

Eileen’s depictions of shadowy architectural spaces were recently featured in an article for Drawing Magazine, written by Illustration Professor John Roman.

Congratulations to Eileen!